It’s just over a year ago now that Zabrina and I had a trip to Bantayan Island, Cebu. We stayed at a resort in Santa Fe but decided to tour the island one day on a small motorbike.

That is one of the things I love about the Philippines – a lack of over-regulation. To rent a motorbike back in the UK is a pain. First off, you need to find a dealer that rents bikes out. Second, you need to show your license. Third, they will ask for a huge deposit.

In Bantayan, we asked the resort chef where we could rent a bike for the day. “No problem” he answered, pointing towards his own bike. For 200 pesos (about £3) we had his bike all day long. As long as we put gas in it and returned it in one piece then he was happy. We did both.

Riding one of these is a completely different experience than my last bike in England, a Yamaha FJR 1300. In any case, neither are designed for off road riding. Zab being Zab persuaded me to go off road. Not a great idea but we survived to tell the tale!

In case you are wondering why I am stood there mit bike, I will explain. Zabrina tried to turn the machine around on what was quite a narrow track. She did succeed but only after putting the bike into some jungle 🙂 Luckily she decided to let go of the machine’s bars and jump off! Also luckily, there was no damage to chef’s bike!