| While the above topic can probably lead me | | | | Quiapo in Manila that morning. Around 10 a.m. |
| here into letting out an inferior emotion, I | | | | we were on our way to Quiapo. We took Roxas |
| don't mind saying it. You see, I have a | | | | Boulevard and then turned right to T.M Kalaw. |
| problem sleeping. The nearest to medication I | | | | It was what I have long been afraid of, |
| tried was beer. It works sometimes. But I | | | | riding in the highways of Manila. The being a |
| have had nights drunk but take to thinking in | | | | holiday didn't help very much, there were |
| bed all the same, until I get a headache and | | | | still many jeepneys, buses and cars that made |
| blame it on the sun just rising and I can | | | | the road difficult. But somehow I was able to |
| then really go to sleep. With cycling it is | | | | hang on. |
| different. I ride in the morning on weekdays, | | | | |
| before I go to work, and on weekends I ride | | | | The hard part was the bridge over the Pasig |
| in the morning but it can last up to noon and | | | | River. It led to downtown Manila and probably |
| really leave me all exhausted and all right | | | | it was not only me who got it hard. One |
| well into the night. I don't know how to | | | | cyclist, a tall and wide-set man of about 30, |
| explain it, but you try staying out of your | | | | rounded the bus outside the curb, rode with |
| house for most part of the day and you'll | | | | no hands afterwards and stretched his leg and |
| see. | | | | arm muscles. I supposed he thought the bridge |
| | | | was hard for a bike, and showing off that he |
| This is about last week's bike push to Manila | | | | was relaxed proved that I was right. Under |
| and it took me only now to put some sense to | | | | the bridge was the Pasig River, and at the |
| it, if any. It was the Holy Week but, as was | | | | end were the strings of stores selling |
| the usual, we rode to the bay area in Manila. | | | | practically anything that a person wants. And |
| Nothing much there, that day being Easter and | | | | I mean that exactly. There is nothing you |
| most folk just coming back from the provinces | | | | want that you can't find at Quiapo. |
| and all. I wasn't merely with the local | | | | |
| cycling club that day, but also with the | | | | By that time the sun was high and folk were |
| relations of one of its members. They were | | | | really pouring in around the busy Quiapo |
| some sort of headed not by the club member, | | | | district. I replaced the sprocket on my bike |
| who took to riding his bike in full cycling | | | | with an eight-speed Shimano, and also got a |
| regalia, but by a rich relative who took a | | | | new handlebar. My neighbor got a new pair of |
| redeye flight back to Manila for the Lent. | | | | tires. The whole thing took around two hours |
| | | | probably and I witnessed that part of manila |
| After a few rides around the bay area, rather | | | | coming alive. By the time we were ready to go |
| on a slow and tiresome pace, about four of us | | | | back to Makati it was like an ordinary lousy |
| found out that each of us needed to buy some | | | | weekday there in Quiapo, not like a Sunday I |
| bike parts and then decided to make a push to | | | | supposed. (Continue... |