12 Best Things I Love About (back) Riding on a Motorcycle

1.  The Outfit.  Yassssss!  I get to bring out and wear my boots and punk jackets in the Metro Manila heat.  I also get my own helmet that I super looooove!  It's truly the "cherry" on top of an all black outfit!

2.  Adrenaline rush.  The first time I rode a speeding motorcycle on Skyway had my hands sweating.  I felt like I was gonna get thrown off by the wind at any moment.  But after a while, I really loved the adrenaline rush, that feeling I get when I'm on a rollercoaster, screaming and (finally getting the courage) to let go and wave my hands up on the air...but of course I don't do that on a motorcycle, my nails dig even deeper into my husband's belly like there's no tomorrow.  I finally understood why my husband loves this so much.  I felt so young and wild and free, woohoo!

3.  Last minute changes.  It's so refreshing to be able to make spur of the moment changes.  One time we were about to exit the highway on our way to the Fort when I told my husband I wanted to head south instead.  Being on a tiny vehicle in front of stopped traffic enabled us to easily change course in an instant.  If we were in a car, we would have to wait for the go signal, look for a U turn slot and all that...and eventually just stick to the old plan because it will take so much time.  

4.  Speed dating.  There are times that we'd like to go out, check waze or facebook, then decide to just stay home and order pizza because we just don't want to deal with the traffic.  One Friday, we went on a date in a record time of less than 2 hours!  Left Paranaque before 7pm, got to the Fort, parked right away, walked 10 steps to the restaurant, had dinner, walked back to the motorcycle, and got home at 8:45pm!  

5. Goodbye traffic! Aren't we all just sick of the traffic?  It's just amazing how a motorcycle just keeps on moving and moving and moving.  Even when traffic is at a standstill, we just kept on finding those tiny paths to inch our way out of that "parking lot".  That old saying whenever you get irked when someone keeps honking their horn in traffic, lumipad ka!, yes you can...on a motorcycle ;) 

6. Out in the open.  Riding around and outside Manila on a motorcycle is a totally different experience.  I got to smell the stench on some parts of EDSA, feel the heat coming from vehicles around me, being drenched by supposedly light rain, getting numb from staying in one position the whole ride, not being able to scratch that annoying itch on my face, etc.  It is truly a different experience the riding the comfort and perks of being in an air conditioned car.   

7. Anti-shopping device.  Aside from selecting the perfect OOTD, I use small cross body bags or my cute back pack whenever I ride with my husband.  Puhleeease, can you imagine me walking around the mall with a huge Jansport on my back???  So yeah, I will sacrifice my shopping for fashion's sake.  I also don't like leaving my helmet on the motorcycle so I already have one hand full.  There was specifically one time we had to make a quick (knitting materials) shopping run and purchased more than expected.  We managed to sandwich the huge yarn in paper bags between us on our way home.

8. Travel light.  I rarely travel light.  Even if I use small hand bags, the other stuff are still easily accessible because they are in the car...perfume, snacks, candies, water bottle, eco bag, etc.  So whenever we go out on a motorcycle, I reeeeeally edit what's in my tiny bag: a small wallet, small tissue, gatsby oil paper, cellphone, 3 candies, my helmet dust bag, and keys to the house.  This is also the time I realized that I don't need to carry around and use all those huge bags because I don't really use the stuff inside.  So now I love using small bags and leave my security blanket items in the car ;)

9. Sober.  If you're trying to avoid drinking, this is the best way to do so.  Arriving at a party on a motorcycle is a sure way of keeping alcohol out of your system.  The inner titas come out of friends who usually welcome us with booze till we drop.

10. Parking space.  It takes such a tiny parking space that our tiny 2-car garage fits 3 vehicles!  It's also a breeze finding a parking space to squeeze in to.  Like what I mentioned in #4, we were able to find parking right away that was so accessible to the establishment we were heading to.

11. Save time.  Overall, riding a bike truly saves time.  From speeding past traffic jams, finding parking, to walking just a couple of steps or even getting off right in front of our destination, going through those minor inconveniences is truly worth it!  Photo below taken after getting drenched by light rain...truly worth it since we got in and out of Makati in an hour's time to do an errand ;)

12.  Another option.  Having a bike at home truly gives us one more transportation option.  We have cars, we can get a Grab/Uber, commute, ride with friends and family, etc.  But for all those other things and exhilaration a good old car can't provide, Beyonce (yes, that's what we named her) is here to stay!