Dear Readers,
My mom didn’t let me outdoors when I was a little kid. I guess she was more concerned of my safety then. As the younger child and only girl, I was well taken care of as any daughter should be.
I was an introvert. I hated talking to people and even disliked adults for noticing me. I guess Don’t-Notice-Me was my middle name. Haha! Paula Don’t-Notice-Me O. I am laughing at my own joke now.
Kidding aside, my ever protective mother won’t let me go where I am not supposed to be. Sure, she’d let me have my vacation at my aunt’s in Bulacan. But my sense of adventure ended at their backyard. Extreme play activities like biking was reserved for the boys like my kuya (older brother). Unfair, I know. I vaguely remember my uncle started teaching me the basics of biking. But for some reason or another, that event did not lead to another session. I grew up quite sheltered. And never did I imagine that I would truly learn how to bike, two wheels and all.
Some decades later, my sense of adventure broadened and the places I discover are now far and wide. Last year, I was invited to visit Sandbox. My regret for not knowing how to bike deepened when I discovered they have a bike trail! Determined, I know I need to learn to bike as it would be another way of traveling.
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| My first day biking at San Pablo, Laguna with Chie |
Come August 2014, a week after my first scuba diving lesson, I asked my friend Ate Chie to teach me how to bike in San Pablo, Laguna. After several tries, I was able to pedal a few feet. Soon, we were circling Sampaloc Lake together but in expense of a lot of bruises on my end. 😀
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| Me and Sky in Nuvali |
Last March, I purchased my first bike, an MTB for that matter. I really did not have any idea what or where to start looking. I thank Angel for giving me ideas on what type of bike to choose. Soon I found myself in a bike shop in Quezon City. There were so many that I did not know where to start looking!
But then, out of nowhere this yellow bike stood out from the rest. He was standing timidly in one corner. Though I was keen on checking out the other bikes on sale, Kuya Doms, the one who assisted me, kept mentioning him. He was wearing a yellow paint and got just the right height for me. I am guessing it was love at first sight too.
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| Sky |
I ended up going home with him. Before having him, I was thinking of a name for my future new travel buddy. I thought of Jaguar Paw since I also loved cats. But Jaguar Paw did not seem appropriate for someone so cool and sleek-looking. I searched for other names. Since he was color yellow, I thought of words that would be related to something light, airy and even heavenly. Thinking of the exhilirating feeling of biking with him in faraway lands, I finally decided on the name Flint Sky.
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| Me and Sky in Apayao photo by Journeying Pinay |
So Flint Sky and I’s first adventure was biking in Cagayan Valley and in Ilocandia. My dear friend Journeying Pinay shared with me the wonders of her homeland once more. It was a different experience this time as we not only spared ourselves from commuting, but biking taught me a different way of traveling. Biking is also an intimate way of knowing a place. 🙂
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| Me and Sky by the river in Claveria, Cagayan |
This is just the start of me and Sky’s adventures and misadventures. I am looking forward to being with him when I stumble on life’s misgivings and I hope that he will also be there to support me in my lowest.
Let’s go biking! To the skies and beyond!
Love,
Mermaid Paula
