How to Survive a Habal-Habal Trip

For starters, I’ll give you how a habal-habal looks like. Well, mostly look like because of its many varieties all throughout Visayas and Mindanao. Here’s a picture from www.unsapa.com:

Photo from Unsapa.com

Habal-Habal is the most popular mode of transportation in the mountainous areas and the hinterlands of Visayas and Mindanao. It is made of just a motorcycle that can go from a single to as much as 3 to sometimes 5 passenegrs in some areas (with a wooden plank extending away from the vehicle, also known as “skylab”)! Bilib talaga ako kay manong! But numerous news about accidents relating to riding a habal-habal is quite rampant, so I’ll be giving you tips on how to surivive a habal-habal trip:

1. Pray that you arrive at your destination, whatever religion or belief you have. Trust me, it works!
2. Kung medyo wala kang hiya, better smell manong habal-habal driver if he’s reeking with alcohol. If he does, there’s a possibility you’ll go either to the gutter, to the hospital, to heaven or hell. Better check other habal-habal drivers.
3. For girls, if you’re quite conscious about riding with manong driver and you have no choice, then better get someone whom you can be trusted (especially night trips!)
4. Better request manong driver to please slow down his speed. You don’t want to fly don’t you?
5. Better bring an umbrella to either protect yourself being roasted tan or getting a second shower.
6. You should ask manong driver how much does he charge if it’ll be a special trip or a destination quite far before you embark on your trip. You might get overcharged upon arriving at the destinantion.
7. Don’t bring balikbayan boxes and everything, except when manong driver agrees to have your baggage tied up behind you.
8. If your somewhere in an abortion road or in for a rocky ride, you’ll be expecting some stops.
9. Kung maarte ka and you don’t have any other choice of going to your destination except habal-habal, then better wait for a car to pass by. It might take decades though in some remote areas!
10. You should hold on the motorcycle’s back handles for safety.
11. Ask manong driver if he has an extra helmet for safety. If he doesn’t, then pray for your safe journey.

Filipinos, in their creative way, will make a way in order to survive. Given lack of transportation in the countryside, Juan de la Cruz doesn’t fail to pave the way for his ingenuity.