Throttle Trails with Jelai Balmes

Not every adventure has to take you hundreds of kilometers away. Sometimes, it’s just a short ride, a quiet corner, and a good cup of coffee. Sometimes, the best places to discover are the ones you never actually planned to visit. Weeks ago, I found myself at Bookee’s Once Upon a Cup Book Cafe in San Lorenzo, Sta. Rosa, Laguna, thanks to a spontaneous late-night food trip that started with a message I almost missed. It was already around 11 PM when I woke up and finally saw a message from a colleague inviting me to grab something to eat. Since I had just woken up and was wide awake at an hour when most people were already asleep, I thought, why not? Then I remembered a café I had passed by recently. I noticed that it had quite a number of people inside, and naturally, I got curious. What was it about this place that made people want to spend time there? I had already told myself, “One day, I’ll visit this place.” Well, that day came sooner than expected. I decided to invite a ...

  I thought the hardest part of my first long-distance solo motorcycle ride would be the distance. I was wrong. Riding from Biñan, Laguna to Sorsogon on my Suzuki GSX-R150 taught me that a long ride is not just about how far you can go. It is about how well you prepare, how you handle the unexpected, and how willing you are to keep going when things don't go according to plan. I left Laguna without realizing how much this journey would teach me. I had incomplete riding gear, no power bank, little experience with long-distance solo riding, and no idea that I would eventually get lost along the way. But somewhere between the long stretches of road, fuel stops, wrong turns, exhaustion, and unexpected challenges, I learned lessons that I will carry with me on every ride that comes after this one.   1. Preparation Matters More Than I Thought Before that ride, I thought having a motorcycle that was ready to go was enough. I quickly learned that preparing yourself is just as importa...