Twin Lakes of Balinsasayao is the name of the place and is comprised of two lakes, Lake Danao and Lake Balinsasayao which is a protected national Park. Well, this trip proved interesting...we got to Sibulan and the TMG (traffic management group) was set up on the national highway. First I've ever seen here. They were writing tickets for those not wearing helmets. That's nearly 100% of all riders here as you can't even find a helmet to buy. VERY VERY rare you see anyone here wearing helmets. So, we all got pulled over....and official tickets were written out and the fine was paid on the spot with an official receipt issued. The fine, 50 pesos! :-) And, they guys told us just to keep the receipt showing we've already paid and it's valid for 7 days. Nice of them....wonder how much a 1 year receipt would cost. All the TMG group had their own personal motorbikes parked on the side of the road and the guy collecting the cash and issuing the receipts was sitting on his personal motorbike. Not a helmet near any of their own personal bikes and none to be seen. hahah ....watch the irony as this story unfolds. :funnyanimation12: A nice ride up the national highway Once you turn off National highway, it's 12KM to the twin lakes on mixed grade of road but some awesome scenery and welcoming locals
We stopped about midway up the mountain for some breakkie. A nice restaurant there that's right on the edge of a mountain. Good food and prices fair. Well presented dishes. After breakkie is where the trip sorta went "downhill" while traveling uphill! hahah We got a ways up and the road sorta...well, for lack of better words wasn't much of a road anymore. All the rains had washed rocks down onto the concrete and then when the concreted disappeared we were onto boulders and mud. It got bad....Bill and another rider turned around and said to hell with it. They were to meet me and the other rider back at the restaurant when we were done carrying on. So, the two of us carried on and it did indeed get even worse...very bad. Here' it is even before it got bad
It was impassable and we too turned around to go back to the restaurant. I came around a curve to see my buddy there and here he is His front tired had washed out on rocks that were on the road and he took a spill. Gouge above his eye, cut on top of his head and road rash to his leg. He stood there smiling and having a chuckle about it all. This guys adventurous to say the least. So, we wrapped his head in a towel and headed back to the restaurant to meet the other guys and try to clean up his wounds. It became apparent that the cuts on his head would need stitches. I got him over to Silliman Hospital where he got stitched up and we were later having a beer on the Boulevard in Dumaguete. Anyone see the irony of the 50P no helmet? hahahah BTW, I have made it to twin lakes before and here's just a couple pics of the views there Cheers from Negros Oriental, Mark
I never made it up there but it sure looks awesome. Somebody told me the water is really cold to swim in as well Nice looking restaurant all the way up there - never heard about that one either...
