Detour Issue No. 04

DETOUR ISSUE NUMBER FOUR

TA C L O B A N : T O R E M I N I S C E A T R A G E D Y

ISSUE NO.

FOUR TBH DAY 03-04 • TACLOBAN : TO REMINISCE A TRAGEDY

04 | FOREWORD: THE COVER

Facesecearunt a necum hicitiscia que pra quiateturi quae poreri quias ra volore de volentis ad excersped evelles et, cuscien 06 |

D AY 0 3 : D I F F E R E N T L A N G U A G E , S A M E C U LT U R E

Facesecearunt a necum hicitiscia que pra quiateturi quae poreri quias ra volore de volentis ad excersped evelles et, cuscien 18 |

36 |

R E V I E W : L E AT H E R M A N W AV E

Facesecearunt a necum hicitiscia que pra quiateturi quae poreri quias ra volore de volentis ad excersped evelles et, cuscien 42 | CLOSING: HERO

Facesecearunt a necum hicitiscia que pra quiateturi quae poreri quias ra volore de volentis ad excersped evelles et, cuscien

D AY 0 4 : T O R E M I N I S C E A TRAGEDY

Facesecearunt a necum hicitiscia que pra quiateturi quae poreri quias ra volore de volentis ad excersped evelles et, cuscien

Cover: The last time I was here this was covered with debris and dead bodies.

Detour Moto x Travel is an online publication under the No Barriers Just Horizons Moto Journal project.

Motorcycles, travel and stories of people told in a humble and curious manner.

PHOTOGRAPHY DESIGN C O N C E P T U A L I Z AT I O N WRITING

by Marvin Geronimo

C O N TA C T

Facebook: @detourmotoxtravel Website: www.nobarriersjusthorizons.ph E-mail: no.barriers.just.horizons@gmail.com

Humble in tone, genuine in cur iosity.

I S S U E N O . F O U R | P U B L I S H E D J U LY 2 0 1 7 C O P Y R I G H T 2 0 1 7 Š D E T O U R M O T O X T R AV E L , A L L R I G H T S R E S E R V E D

FOREWORD

THE COVER by MARVIN GERONIMO

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You might be wondering what the cover image is all about. It’s bland, simple and maybe even uninteresting to some. I choose it not because of what it is, but rather what it stands for in my life. The last time I was standing on this port, it was filled with debris and dead people. Now it's clean and calm with only a few reminders of what happened.

When everything calmed down, I saw people coming into the hotel. Then rumors started to spread that there were dead people by the port. I have seen bad storms before, but never have I seen bodies of people because of it. The sun was peeking a bit, it was as if it was telling us to go outside and witness what had just transpired. One by one people from the hotel went out to investigate to see with their own eyes what Haiyan did to surrounding area.

The team that I was with decided to go out as well, we wanted to check up on our motorcycles to assess the damage and know if they were still be usable. As we went down to where the covered court was supposed to be, we were shocked to see that it was gone.

Nothing was there anymore, all of the motorcycles that we used were under a pile of steel and rubble.

As we walked around all we can see was destruction and people aimlessly waking all seemingly looking for something. I went to the port to see if the rumors were true, if there’s indeed dead people there. Why do I want to see them? I wasn't really sure at that time. When I got there I saw four bodies, two females, 1 male and a boy. They look like a family. I stared at their lifeless body, I wanted to know if seeing this will make me puke or cry, or maybe I would feel something that I have never felt before.

As I stared I realized, it was not the dead that I’m looking for but rather… the meaning of life in all of this death and destruction.

DETOUR

ISSUE NO. FOUR

TACLOBAN: TO REMINISCE A TRAGEDY

T R AV E B Y H E A RT: D AY 0 3

DIFFERENT LANGUAGE S A M E C U LT U R E BAROBAYBAY, SAMAR I arrived at Lavezares which looks like a small town just before I get to Barobaybay, to make sure I’m going to the right direction I decided to ask the locals about the place. Apparently it’s a bit farther than I expected, they also mentioned that I will know that I’m headed the right direction when I’m taking a road that’s close to the coast. As I went on, I begin to notice poor conditions of the roads. Most are un-paved and parts of it are connected by wooden bridges

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T R AV E L B Y H E A R T: D AY 0 3

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finally got to Barobaybay, not really knowing anyone and sticking out like a sore thumb people started looking at me. I was riding really slow so kids were able to follow me, then I stopped to ask a lady who just came out of her house.

I then asked if she knows a name, the name I mentioned was one of the old people that I can remember when we first came here. To my surprise she knows her and the kids that were following me suddenly became active telling me in their best Tagalog way that they will take me to where they live.

I followed the kids and I got to arrive to a house, an elderly woman came out and started to greet me. I have no idea who she is, I can’t remember her face. I just smiled and introduced myself telling her that I’m the son of so and so. She then said “Yes, I remember you. I remember when you were still a child you went here to participate in our sagala”.

DETOUR

ISSUE NO. FOUR

TACLOBAN: TO REMINISCE A TRAGEDY

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T R AV E L B Y H E A R T: D AY 0 3

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“Yes, I remember you. I remember when you were still a child you went here to participate in our sagala”.

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T R AV E L B Y H E A R T: D AY 0 3

We talked a little more and she invited me to come inside the house, theres now a commotion. Neighbors are now wondering who I am, all dressed up in black with a motorcycle full of stuff. Kids are coming out from nowhere, all checking out my motorcycle, camera’s and my riding gear.

I took off my armored jacket, gloves and water bladder and the kids started to wear them, saying that it looked like something out of an Iron Man movie. The lady who welcomed me to her house was apparently the wife of the brother of my deceased grandfather, I later found out when he mentioned his husband. While I was busy with the kids, she prepared what became my first decent meal for the day.

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She told me that I should wait for the his husband as he will be back from the market soon. While waiting the kids started to ask me if I wanted to go the ocean. I said “Definitely!”. Out of all the kids one girl stood out the most and she was my guide going to the ocean. Stupid me for not even getting her name, but she was by far the most beautiful looking child that I have seen during my whole PH tour.

You might be wondering what culture I was referring to on the title. One of the recurring themes of my travel posts would be the Filipino hospitality, it’s the common denominator to every single place that I have been to here in the Philippines. On the last post titled “Not much is needed in order to give”. I told you a story of a family who were struggling financially but still managed to offer me something to have for breakfast. Now I’m telling you a story of people who are of completely different dialect, struggling to communicate but still found a way to help me find what I was looking for. This is the Philipines and these are the Filipino’s.

Going back to the story, I came back and I was informed that the brother of my grandfather is on his way back, apparently news came to him that someone tall, in all black outfit on a big motorcycle is waiting for him in his house. Get this, he doesn’t have a cellphone the news just came to him by word of mouth. He hurried his way back as soon as he got the news and he was deeply wondering as to who that mystery visitor was.

I vaguely recognize him. He then told me that he remembers me, he then went into a room to get something. When he came out he was carrying a big red photo album. “A photo album!” I exclaimed, the last time I have seen something like this was when I was like 10 years old. I was amazed at what I was looking at, photos from where I was still a child, photos of my cousins, and some photos of my parents preserved in an old photo album.

I don’t think people in big cities keep these things anymore, with the advent of mobile phones with decent cameras it seems all photos now reside in the web.

DETOUR

ISSUE NO. FOUR

TACLOBAN: TO REMINISCE A TRAGEDY

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This is quite a common site here in the Philippines when there are holidays or fiestas, people would go around offering a small slice of entertainment for any amoung you are willing to give. This guy played the harmonica for a full 2 minute.

DETOUR

ISSUE NO. FOUR

TACLOBAN: TO REMINISCE A TRAGEDY

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These kids took me by the beach, showed me some sea creatures and basically became my travel squad during my short stay.

TACLOBAN: TO REMINISCE A TRAGEDY

DETOUR

ISSUE NO. FOUR

T R AV E L B Y H E A R T: D AY 0 3

“When was the last time you visited a relative and the first thing that they do is make you look at old photos in a photo album?”. Pardon my enthusiasm, can’t explain how something so old could feel so new to me.

After eating lunch and taking some photo’s of them, he then told me “You can visit your cousins mother before you leave Samar. It’s her birthday today.” After thanking them for their generosity and getting the directions I went on to visit her.

A boy in his teens answered the door after I knocked on it, he was a bit surprised to see me… with all this black gear who wouldn’t. Then I asked of my if my grandmother is there, as the door widened I saw her sitting on her bed watching TV. She then turned to me and smiled, a great indication that she still remembers me. After introducing myself we began to talk about her life and mine and what I was doing there. She mentioned that I should be very careful when I travel to some of the places as people might not be as friendly, then she said “Well you look like a policeman or someone from the military, they will think twice before they do anything to you.” “I do hope so.”

I replied.

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She then told me that her son (my cousin from Davao) and her daughter are so fond of taking her to different countries where they are staying. “I’m not really not fond of going to different countries anymore, I feel very limited when I’m there. I like it here at home, I can still do a lot of things, I can help with the church, I can manage a small business and taking care of this children keeps me active. That’s one of things that I can advise to you! Always be active!”

When your grandmother who is 82 tells you that the way to live a long life is to be active, there are no if ’s and but’s. You just have to follow it. She told me that she is not feeling all that well and that she has taken some hot soup earlier to make her feel better. I guess that’s my cue, I better leave so she can get some more rest. Being here means she would have to worry about me and she would have to find ways to keep me company. I guess that’s just how they are in the provinces, very accommodating.

She suggested that I should stay for the night and spend the Christmas eve with them, she even told the teen who opened the door for me the take me to the plaza as there’s going to be some sort of event there. I politely declined and told them that I still have to get to Tacloban which is still around 350kms away, so I have to leave early and make the most of the daylight.

I took a photo of her before I left and said “Thank you.” I don’t think I will ever forget her advise to just be active, and with that I went on my journey.

DETOUR

ISSUE NO. FOUR

TACLOBAN: TO REMINISCE A TRAGEDY

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T R AV E L B Y H E A R T: D AY 0 4

TO REMINISCE A TRAGEDY TACLOBAN, LEY TE 300kms more before I get to Tacloban, I did say that I did not plan to have a route on this trip, but I just have to visit this place as we have a lot some unfinished business.

T R AV E L B Y H E A R T: D AY 0 4

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T

oo bad I crossed the San Juanico bridge at night it would have been a splendor to see how grand and big it is if I passed it during day time. It was one of the most vivid memories that I had before visiting Tacloban the first time, after that it most of the memories are not so pleasant.

After riding for almost 6 hours I finally got to the city. It was around eight or nine in the evening and I can’t really discern the status of the roads as everything was poorly lit and focusing is also a challenge as I’m really tired and hungry. Only after eating dinner did I realize that it was Christmas eve, I’m not entirely sure if I would be able to find a place to stay tonight I felt like most establishments will be closed to celebrate Noche Buena.

I tried to contact the number that my relative gave me, he told me that it’s possible for me to stay with them for the night, but after one text message the person ignored me.

I then tried to contact an acquaintance from a long time ago, apparently they don’t let “strangers” stay at their home, so I just asked her to recommend a place for me to stay in.

It would have been nice if I could have stayed at the Leyte Park hotel, where a lot of my not so good memories happened, but I just can’t afford it. Good thing one small hotel was open it was still a bit too expensive for me, but I’m so tired that I decided to just stay there. Even though I was tired and sleepy, my mind was racing it’s bringing back all those memories as if trying to remind me my purpose of going there.

DETOUR

ISSUE NO. FOUR

TACLOBAN: TO REMINISCE A TRAGEDY

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FLASHBACK

Being a morning person I always wake up earlier than most of the other riders in our group. Bored without anything to do I decided to grab some early breakfast. This hotel was a bit different instead of floors going up, the floors were going down. I guess they did it this way because the hotel was located in a hill and you enter it on the highest floor then the rooms are located on the lower floors.

I actually had to go up to get to where the buffet is located this is supposedly the highest part of the hotel. The wind is picking up but nothing too alarming yet, based from what I heard yesterday the storm is a category 5 and we are in signal number 4, I have never in my 29 years of living ever heard or experienced a signal number 4.

I decided to take a video of winds blowing the palm trees, I thought nothing too alarming.

But there was something weird going on. There were 3 palm trees in front of me but their leaves were all blowing in different directions, that’s very unusual. I then went on to get some food.

DETOUR

ISSUE NO. FOUR

TACLOBAN: TO REMINISCE A TRAGEDY

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FLASHBACK

I noticed that there were a lot of media people also getting their breakfast and some VIP’s are in there as well. While looking for a place to sit for some reason I looked at the clear glass that was the only barrier between us and the storm outside, then it bent. It was like a “Final Destination” moment, I told the guy who was one chair away from the glass that it bent and I don’t think it’s safe to sit there. He then told me that it’s ok, the glass can withstand it. Believing what he just said, I sat next to him. I am now the guy sitting beside the glass. In front of us was a lady who was working for the government we were all chatting about the storm when the guy beside me excused himself as he’s done with breakfast. I decided to move to his chair and in less than a minute all the glass shattered.

Everything was happening really fast, I heard crashing behind me. At first, I thought it was because of the wind then I realized that the bodyguards of the VIP flipped the table in order to protect him from the flying glass. Without hesitation, I flipped our table as well and carried it as a shield to get out of that place.

TACLOBAN: TO REMINISCE A TRAGEDY

DETOUR

ISSUE NO. FOUR

FLASHBACK

With all the commotion going on I totally forgot about the lady who I was talking to, then I heard a woman crying. I turned my attention to where the crying is coming from, only to find out she was the woman that I was talking to and she was crying because her forearm had a really big laceration. I went up to her to ask her how she was doing, she was a bit frantic, everyone was. I asked the security guard if they have a first-aid he said “Yes” so I asked if he can get it for her. That’s where he pointed out “Sir, you’re bleeding.”

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It must have been the adrenaline, I didn’t feel any pain or indication that I was injured.

But when I looked at it all I can say was “shit”. I realized I was bleeding on two parts one is on my right knee while the other was on the knuckle of my left hand, the wound was clean and deep. When I flex it, it shows something white, I found out later on that it was my bones.

After realizing that I was already injured, I just sat beside her waiting for the first aid kit.

All I can do is have her head rest on my shoulders and tell her it’s going to be ok. When the first-aid kit arrived it was basic, some very small pieces of gauze and Betadine. I was trying to prep the gauze when my hands started to shake, I think the adrenaline is wearing off as I can now feel the pain.

I was not able to patch myself up, I can blame it on the meager first-aid but really I was just in mild shock. I thought that was the strongest part of the storm apparently, it was just warming up. The wind was getting stronger and stronger, the lobby was not a safe place anymore, we can’t go to our rooms as the passageway to get there is acting like a funnel for the wind. The glasses started shattering again, I was not sure where they are actually located but you can hear them crashing one after the other. Good thing there was some sort of tunnel going to what seemed like a kitchen and that’s where everyone went. I just followed them but given I was one of the last people to enter it became crowded to the point that there were almost 3 of us that were still outside of it. The wind grew stronger and stronger to the point that we need to squeeze in or else we might get hit with the debris, that’s when I decided to yell “Go deeper so we can squeeze in”, then a voice from the back replied “There’s no more space!”. We then just squeezed ourselves to what little space it allowed.We waited for until the storm calmed down, it felt like forever. At this point I was not scared anymore, there really was no point to it. What was going through my mind was the steps that I need to take to deal with the aftermath, once the storm has passed reality will set in and I will need every ounce of strength, courage, skill that I have to make it through this.

DETOUR

ISSUE NO. FOUR

TACLOBAN: TO REMINISCE A TRAGEDY

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T R AV E L B Y H E A R T: D AY 0 4

I woke up the next morning unsure of what I’m going to do first. There’s just a lot of things that I feel that I need to accomplish in this place not entirely sure where to start.

“Breakfast!” that would help me get my mind straight.

Chores… yes even when you are traveling there are still some chores. Like washing your clothes, cleaning your gear, backing up your data, checking up on your footages and making sure everything is running smoothly back home. It’s a struggle to juggle everything and still focus on traveling, but somehow I need to make this work. I will not be riding my motorcycle today instead I will try to accomplish all my chores just by walking, just like how it was when I last went here.

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After listing all the things that I needed to do for that day I packed up my camera and started to walk around, it was like going back in time. Some of the damages are still evident, signs that this city hasn’t fully recovered yet. One of the things that I noticed when I got here was the presence of policemen, there were a lot of them. In my mind, I guess it’s a good thing. The presence of a people in uniform somehow gives you that secure feeling and security is what this place really needs.

From a far, I saw three CRF 250’s, due to my poor eyesight I thought they were just regular riders but as I came close that’s when I realized that these are not just ordinary motorcycles, these are police patrol motorcycles. That’s when I noticed 3 tall policemen talking to each other. I approached one of them and asked if I could take photos of their rides, they said go on and asked if I ride as well. I said “Yes, I do. I actually came from Manila”, that’s always an ice-breaker. That’s when the conversation started to get interesting, they then asked me what I use to travel. I told them just a Honda XR 125 then they told me to get a CRF as its way better, I agreed but I told them that it was out of my budget.

I then told them that I was here when Yolanda happened and that I’m actually here to revisit the place and find out if anything has improved. He then told me that “It’s really hard for Tacloban to recover even though a lot of help has poured in, corruption is the main hurdle.” I was surprised to hear this from him so candidly, but I guess it’s true as looking around not much has changed.

TACLOBAN: TO REMINISCE A TRAGEDY

DETOUR

ISSUE NO. FOUR

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FLASHBACK

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I'm getting teary eyed as I', writing this part.

After more or less 20 minutes everything has seemed to calmed down, then I saw members of our group going around wearing motorcycle helmets and vests try to check if everyone was ok. I also found out that the kitchen tunnel goes farther, whoever said that there was no more space available was completely lying. I asked them what’s the state on the lobby and they told me that its clear to pass and one by one we started going out of the tunnel to see how others were doing.

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I then proceeded to go to our room to check if my team mates were ok, something happened to me that I would never forget. A man held me in the shoulders and looked directly in to my eyes and told me, “Can you get my family?”. At the back of my mind all I can think of was “Why me? I don’t know shit.” But this is not the time for those kinds of reply for some unknown reason I asked “Where are they?” he then told me that they were in one of the cottages. His eyes were watering, he was on the verge of breaking down, he had wounds in his face, he was trembling, he was scared and he was a big man clearly capable of handling himself, but he is humbly asking for help, any help. Saddest thing was I was not sure if he came to the right person, because I’m not sure if I can help him. I asked where they are so he would feel calm as if I’m going to do something about it, but deep inside I don’t if I can.I got to our room, the glass sliding doors were boarded up with mattresses and everyone was safe. Then I heard some of the guys from our group that people from the cottages need help and they are planning to go get them. I had to go inside the room to ask myself if I can do it, we are on survival mode right now risking yourself to get them isn’t exactly increasing your chance of survival but not acting on it lessens the chances of their survival.

“Fuck it!” I got my helmet and my reflective vest and got out of the room. What made me go out was that teary eyed man, I asked myself. If you were in his situation you would want someone to help you out, besides I’m not really bothered by the idea of death or dying. The wind was still strong and rain was still pouring but clearly it was not as bad as it was 30 mins ago.

DETOUR

ISSUE NO. FOUR

TACLOBAN: TO REMINISCE A TRAGEDY

FLASHBACK

We started going through the cottages one by one, knocking on doors asking if there was anyone there or if they need any help. We managed to get a couple of families out, while some decided to stay on their cottages because it was intact and didn’t seem to mind the storm.

We passed by this cottage that was devastated, you can see the insides of the cottage, it was that bad. You would immediately assume that there was no one there, but then at the corner of my eye I think I saw something move like someone or something passed by quickly. That made me want to ask if there was anyone there, then I heard crying.

The only intact part of the cottage was the toilet and there was a mother, her daughter, and a baby inside. They then asked us for help, I then proceeded to try and get to them when I got inside the cottage the first thing I heard was a crack. I was stepping on broken glass, good thing I decided to wear my motorcycle boots so it wasn’t much of an issue.

Apparently it was the daughter that I saw eariler she was the main reason we were able to find them. We had to carry them one by one so that they will not step on the glass, we were able to bring them all back to the building safe but not sound.

After almost getting everyone back in the hotel we proceeded to rest. I then realised that I was bleeding again, I got a pillow cover and stripped it to cover my wound. Then someone informed me that apparently there’s a doctor 2 floors above us and she was treating the injured.

I then went to the room where she was treating them, only to see it filled with people with varying degrees of injury. Apparently, the hotel receptionist was a nurse and the owner was the doctor, both of them were extremely busy with the patients. I tried to ask them if there is something that I can do to help and the nurse quickly asked me if I have scissors or a knife, good thing I have one as they are both available on my multitool. She then asked me to help hold a patient’s leg, after sterilizing the knife she then proceed to use it to clean the wound because there were some small debris in it. She then noticed my wound and asked what happened to it, I then told her my story. She then told me that she would clean it up after this one.

Everytime I come back from a supply run I would go to them to have my wound cleaned, sometimes it was the doctor who did it sometimes it was the guys from the RedCross. I owe them a great deal, if it weren’t for them my wounds would have probably been infected.

TACLOBAN: TO REMINISCE A TRAGEDY

DETOUR

ISSUE NO. FOUR

T R AV E L B Y H E A R T: D AY 0 4

It was Christmas morning, I had to check out of the hotel because it’s costing me too much, besides I also have to leave. Before I left I had this wonderful conversation with this man. He was a security personnel at the hotel that I’m satying in. He was curious as to why I have a lot of stuff with me, then I told him my story. He then uttered words that I could never ever forget. “I’m not a rich person, I don’t have a lot of money to travel. But I love reading books, I love reading about different places it makes me feel like I’m there.”

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I then mentioned to him that I was here when Haiyan happened, he then proceeded to tell me that after Haiyan he knew that it will be extremely difficult to get help, so instead of waiting for the government to help them. He mobilized the people of his town to do self-sustaining activities in order to survive until proper help arrives.

He also told me that the looters were really not Taclobano’s, most came from towns adjacent to it. This confirmed the same information that I got from the old man that I talked to just before I got to Tacloban.

One last thing to do before I leave, I have to go back to that Leyte Park Hotel and see what has changed and if it’s possible to meet the people who helped me when I was there. So I went on to the hotel, the first person I asked was for the old manager. The receptionist then told me that after Haiyan he resigned from his job, from what I can remember I think he lost someone during that tragedy. The second person that I asked for was the owner, the receptionist told me that she was there. She tried to inform her that someone was looking for her. But apparently she was still sleeping, I told her I can just wait. She then asked me why do I need to speak to her, I just told her that I just want to say “Thank you, for helping me when I was here”. I then told her to not bother her anymore, it’s ok if I don’t get to talk to her. In my mind it’s better if she just rest.

It was raining and I haven’t had my breakfast yet, so I decided to stay a bit longer. I then found out that there was an eat all you can buffet for 200 pesos on that exact same place where I got injured. So I went on to revisit one of the most memorable places in my life. After getting a lot of food I sat exactly where the glass broke and proceeded to eat my breakfast, looking around it was as if I was reliving the entire thing all over again.

But this time there was no storm, no fear, no panic… just calm and then I caught myself smiling.

DETOUR

ISSUE NO. FOUR

TACLOBAN: TO REMINISCE A TRAGEDY

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R I DE , R E V I EWS A N D R EA L S TO R I ES. www.nobarriersjusthorizons.ph

REVIEW

L E AT H E R M A N W AV E

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by MARVIN GERONIMO

Don’t you wish that sometimes you have every possible tool in your pocket for those light manual work? I know that’s pretty much impossible but this is pretty close.

Most of the time you think, well I’m on a motorcycle why not bring a lot of stuff since I have room for it and I won’t be carrying it physically. Only recently has packing light came to the mind of motorcycle adventure riders, what better way to practice this than carrying a small tool that can do a lot of things.

QUALITY

Leatherman has been around for a very long time and has established a reputable name in the multitool market. So I think it’s needless to say the quality of this multi tool is superb. There are absolutely no plastic parts here, everything is constructed with stainless steel which makes it really hefty. Everything is compact, there are no unusual movements on each tool unlike the cheap knock off ’s. You can really say that a lot of thought was put into the creation of this small wonder.

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ISSUE NO. FOUR

TACLOBAN: TO REMINISCE A TRAGEDY

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L E AT H E R M A N W AV E

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PERFORMANCE

This tool has not failed me, not even once. But the biggest question is “Why did I choose the Leatherman Wave over the other models and why choose to bring this on my PH tour?”, answers below.

W H Y T H E L E AT H E R M A N W AV E ?

I pretty much went through all the available models (that I can afford) that Leatherman has to offer when I was searching for a multi-tool. I ended up with this one mainly because of this feature and that is interchangeable bits. We all know that motorcycles have various different types of screws and having to just change a bit instead of searching your tool kit is a both a time and a space saver.

Also if you wear prescription glasses then this would be indispensable to you, a bit that is so small that it can tighten the small screws on your glasses. When you are in the field or outdoors there will come a time that you need to adjust them and having this on hand will be really valuable.

WHY CHOOSE TO BRING THIS ON MY PH TOUR?

The Leatherman Wave is on my what you call EDC (Everyday Cary), some of you might have encountered the term. For those who haven’t will give you a brief explanation.

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ISSUE NO. FOUR

TACLOBAN: TO REMINISCE A TRAGEDY

L E AT H E R M A N W AV E

An EDC is a set of tools or gear that you always keep to your body, regardless of the situation you almost always have this with you, why? Because it is your last resort when you are faced with a survival situation. This idea stemmed out from my research about people who are in the tactical community, often soldiers have some form of EDC with them at all times. Even if they are not on duty or just in a very casual setting.

Extreme survival situations will often leave you with only what you have with you at the moment it happens. Having a small compact multi tool greatly increases your chances of survival because it has pretty much everything you need, granted you know how to use them.

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Travelling alone can put you into survival situations and having something like this gives you extra confidence that you can handle it if the time comes.

CONS

There are few things that I hope was included in this model, one of them would be a clip. There are some Leatherman models that have this feature, but those are a bit more expensive. Also, the whole outside is a bit too smooth if they added just a little bit of texture to increase the grip then this would be almost perfect.

One more thing, I did appreciate the replaceable bits. But they did not come with the Leatherman Wave, you have to buy them separately. The nylon sheath that came with it was good, but not great. Probably this is to make it more affordable although you have the option to get a leather sheath.

R E C O M M E N D AT I O N

For around 5,500 php some people might frown at the price. But this is something that will almost last you a lifetime, I have seen some Leatherman multi-tools that were handed off to a generation after, they are just that robust and reliable. But remember these are just for light tasks, don’t expect it to replace your whole motorcycle tool kit.

Leatherman claims they have a 25 year warranty, I guess what they are really saying is it will last longer than that. The bit kit is sold separately for almost 1,600 php and can fit the nylon sheath.

I do recommend this product, for me it’s a worth while investment. Hopefully it lasts long enough so I can pass it on to my son in the future.

TACLOBAN: TO REMINISCE A TRAGEDY

DETOUR

ISSUE NO. FOUR

42

CLOSING

HERO

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by MARVIN GERONIMO

This is my cousin that I have only met for the first time. I wanted to take a photo of him in the most natural way possible. For some strange reason I just blurted out “Who’s your favorite superhero?” He said with a very big smile on his face “Ironman!”.

When I came back to Manila, I was angry, frustrated, tired and in a mild shock. I wrote something that went viral to the point that one prominent film director here the Philippines quoted me. Some people called me a hero on social media because of the post, some called it pretentious while others thought it was political and misleading.

There were a lot of things coming from various media sources painting the the citizens of Tacloban in a very negative light. I wrote that post not so I would be hailed as a hero, but rather to tell people who the real heroes are. They don’t wear capes or masks, not even a uniform. They were the regular citizens of Tacloban, I have been trained for these kinds of things and I have done preparations, but at the end of the day your safety really is in the hands of the people around you, they are the ones who will really keep you safe. During the 5 days that I was with them, all I saw was bravery, kindness and resilience. Although I'm not from there, I never felt out of place. All my courage and strenght came from them... because for me they are all my heroes.

TACLOBAN: TO REMINISCE A TRAGEDY

DETOUR

ISSUE NO. FOUR

Humble in tone,genuine in cur iosity.

I S S U E N O . F O U R | P U B L I S H E D J U LY 2 0 1 7 C O P Y R I G H T 2 0 1 7 Š D E T O U R M O T O X T R AV E L , A L L R I G H T S R E S E R V E D