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Today begins the last four days of the Philippine round of the PAN-ASEAN TOURING event. Our course today will take us north along the west coast of Luzon island to our northernmost point, Vigan. We left the hotel at 8:30 in the morning and moved to the city hall, where we had been welcomed with a ceremony yesterday. There, at 8:40, the mayor of Dagupan, Mr. Benjie Lim, performed the flag-off to start us on our way.
Working our way through the crowded city streets we finally got to the national highway and headed north toward San Fernando. We had visited another San Fernando two days earlier by bus. It is located in Pampanga state about 60 km north of Manila. Our destination today was another city in La Union with the same name about 200 km further north. There was relatively little traffic and we were able to make good progress. In about an hour and a half we entered the lively town of San Fernando. We passed by the St. William Cathedral in the center of town and stopped at a gas station to refuel and rest.
Again today it was very hot, with the temperature reaching nearly 40 degrees C. in the sun. So, as soon as they stopped, the ASEAN riders sought shade. As always, our celebrity rider, actor Gary Jason Estrada, was very popular, but our young Philippine rider Maico Buncio was also popular among the female staff from the local Norkis office who welcomed us.
A line of people even formed to get his autograph. Meanwhile, as the TV crew that is covering our whole tour through the Philippines was interviewing our Indonesian riders, Roy Adrianto and Hardi Fadhillah, the other riders got in the camera range behind them and began to goof off. The members of this touring team are always in good spirits and ready for laughs whenever they are off the bikes.
After leaving the gas station, our next destination was Candon. The road to Candon had a rough surface in places but it was easy and pleasant to ride with its long straights and gentle rises and curves. We arrived at our restaurant in Candon after about two hours of riding. The mayor of Candon, Mr. Allen G, Singson, had lunch with us. After lunch the mayor posed for a picture with the ASEAN riders before we got back on the road.
Another 30 minutes of riding got us to the shore of Narvacan. Here, we were supposed to be met by the members of the Ilocos Sur Yamaha Club, but since we arrived early everyone went down to the beach to wait for them. As the riders were enjoying taking pictures there, the club members arrived. After we all took a commemorative photo together we departed for Vigan. Although the weather wasn't especially good, the views were good along the winding coast road.
Leaving the coast road, we entered the town of Vigan. It is a town that still carries the flavor of the Spanish colonial period that began in the later half of the 16th century. We visited the Vigan city hall, where we were greeted by the mayor, Mr. Ferdinando Medeina, and the owner of the local Yamaha dealership, Mr. Dennisu Rivas.
After that it was just a short ride to the nearby Plaza Burgos. Here, the ASEAN riders dismounted their T135 machines and got on the waiting calesa to make a sightseeing tour of the city. We stopped at the Mena Crisologo Street, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site, but we were suddenly rained on. That didn't make for very good sightseeing, and it also caused our welcoming ceremony to be canceled. In the evening after the rain stopped we had dinner at a restaurant at the entrance to Mena Crisologo Street, which was lighted up for night viewing.
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Dagupan∼Vigan
Our Malaysian riders Kiong Chun Khee and Teik Ghee Tan being interviewed by the TV crew before the start. Behind them, our Indonesian rider Hardi Fadhillah plays around in a red mask
There is almost always a church in the center of town, and the larger the town the more lively the area around the church is
After lunch, the mayor of Candon, Mr. Allen G, Singson, posed for a picture with the ASEAN riders. At this time the temperature in the sun had reached 40 degrees C.
A commemorative photo at the Vigan city hall with the mayor, Mr. Ferdinando Medeina, and the owner of the local Yamaha dealership, Mr. Dennisu Rivas. The hats the riders are wearing were a gift from the mayor
With the coast of Narvacan behind them, the riders head for Vigan
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