21/04/2021
"By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.β π
ββοΈπ
Dubbed as the "Lucky 9" by themselves, nine members of the Balangiga Cycling Club were able to finish their 2-day Southern Samar Loop bike packing ride despite the bad weather brought by Super Typhoon Surigae (ST Bising).
The Lucky 9 started their journey on the 17th of April at 4 AM for their 1st day bound for Taft, Eastern Samar (via Brgy. Buray, Paranas, Samar). It was fairly sunny and cloudy all day long for their first leg. Little did they know that it was the calm before the storm. They arrived at Taft, Eastern Samar just as the church bell rang for 8 PM and the winds started to blow. A total of 203 kilometers for their first leg of the loop.
Upon hearing the weather update for the incoming typhoon that it will make its landfall in the island of Catanduanes, the 9-man team decided to push through for their second leg of the journey; from Taft to Balangiga. They were ready to brave through the strong winds and rain just to arrive home to their families before ST Bising lashes out its might.
Their second leg started on the 18th of April at 7 AM and ended at 9 PM, just in time before the super typhoon makes its landfall. They immediately said their prayers upon arriving in front of the Saint Lawrence the Marty Church for the safe journey and for the protection from the incoming storm.
(The supposed highlight of the loop was Samar Island Nature Park. Due to limited resources and weather disturbance, the team wasn't able to take enough photos for documentation.)
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The Samar Island Natural Park, in Samar, is the largest contiguous tract of old-growth forest in the Philippines. It is the country's largest terrestrial protected area, with an area of 333,300 hectares (824,000 acres). The buffer is spread north to south over the island's three provinces (Eastern Samar, Northern Samar and Samar province) and totals 458,700 hectares (1,133,000 acres), about a third of the entire island of Samar.
(Source: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samar_Island_Natural_Park)
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Photo credits:
Adrian Delantar
Don Castor Canillas
Special thanks to:
Mr. Khyle Amancio Ty
Mr. Jino Docena