Museum, Eisenhauer's York Harley-Davidson, York, PA. December 2021
[from FB post: February 13, 2011]
A very good day out in Samal Island, off the coast of Davao. It was a "local" day...taking confusing local transport.... jeepney, ferry, and then me and Mike TOGETHER on the back of a motorcycle (how they fit my fat ass and Mike on that bike with a driver still amazes me) to a "resort" with great views back over to Mt Apo (tallest in Philippines) and Davao.
[from FB post: July 10, 2017]
I arrived to Cebu after that long ride to rush hour and literally no taxis, so I took habalhabal (motorcycle taxi). Not fun balancing on the back of a motorcycle with bags in heavy traffic, but at least I am here!—feeling relieved at Cebu R Hotel Mabolo.
Desperation on a motorcycle
Alas, were my motorcycle experiences all on Harley's, they might have been safer, but a lot less colorful.
Jakarta, Indonesia
Jakarta was (and probably still is) continually in a state of traffic gridlock. In addition to private cars there were all manner of vehicles to get from point A to point B. Lowliest of them all was the motorcycle taxi, ojek. Ojeks were ubiquitous and the butt of many jokes. If you arrived by ojek, people fell into fits of laughter even if they had done the same. The collective understanding that the only way to get around Jakarta efficiently was basically by clinging for dear life to the back of a speeding 100cc motorcycle really was the stuff of jokes. In the time I lived in Jakarta I ojek-ed a few times out of sheer desperation.
One of my best memories of ojek was up in the Kota section of Jakarta (Chinatown). Kota was a maze of small streets and I was trying to find a shop that was locally well-known, but deep in a labyrinth of alleyways off the main thoroughfare. I finally gave up trying to find it and hired an ojek to whisk me deep into a spaghetti of narrow pathways - at times going down sidewalks and peering inside people's homes as we whizzed by. It was scary and exhilarating. In fact, I had to return to that shop a few times and each time I used an ojek.
Cebu, Philippines
Indonesia had ojek; in the Philippines the same were called habal-habal. My ride in Cebu City was an urban motorcycle-taxi defining moment. I had actually used habal-habal on Samal Island with my friend Mike some years before as per the post above. I was a veteran from the Jakarta years. However, unfamiliar with Cebu City, I had just got off the bus and realized I was not within walking distance of my hotel (which I was supposed to be!). It was rush hour and there were no empty taxis and no "easy" transport options available. I calmly assessed the situation and realized that my only choice was going to be on the back of a motorcycle with my suitcase (just a carry-on, but still not small) and knapsack. I found a guy willing to take me and soon we were whizzing between the stuck cars and buses in Cebu City traffic making our way to Mabolo and my hotel. I had a few moments where I thought I was going to drop the bags, but I held on to them (and the driver) for dear life. I survived. Considering I was in my mid-50s, I think my performance was noteworthy. Ha!
Chittagong, Bangladesh
Every day I exited my first faculty-assigned apartment, walked a short way, and soon came to the big "Guitar Roundabout" (sporting a huge silver guitar honoring a local music legend) which was locally called Probartak Mor. There was one spot with lots of guys on motorcycles waiting to ferry passengers to all points nearby in the city. They all stared at me as I sauntered past. They were the pathao (lit. "to send" in Bengali). I had no need of them, but I was certain if I stuck around Chittagong long enough there would be a day that I needed to get somewhere fast. If I could manage to communicate the address, I would fearlessly hop on one and hope for the best.
After all, I was a pro!
Comments