A simple motorcycle ride last week made me realize how I sorely lack thrill in my life these days.
Last Friday, I agreed to meet up with an online seller at a mall near where she works to pick up my order. I usually pay extra for shipping, but since it’s a high-value item, I thought I might as well do a meet-up just to be on the safe side.
I will be coming from work and I expected that going to SM Manila will be hard because of the Friday rush-hour traffic. The rate for a Grab Car booking that afternoon was a hold-up (more than 400 pesos! WTF, Grab?) and I’m too lazy to take a jeepney ride, that would probably get stuck in traffic anyway, just to get to the nearest LRT station.
With all things considered, I decided the last minute to take the ride-hailing motorcycle service, Angkas, as suggested by an officemate.
While I have tried riding the habal-habal (private motorcycle owners picking up passengers for a charge) a number of times, especially during transport strike or special holidays when most roads are closed, this will be my first time with Angkas. I heard it’s reliable that it has become the default mode of transportation for someone who needs to get to his or her destination fast.
The rider arrived at our pick-up point within 10 minutes, ready with a helmet (that doesn’t smell funky like the ones at habal-habal) and a face mask for me. While I know Angkas is relatively safer than their motorcycle-hailing counterpart, I reminded him to be extra careful as I am one nervous wreck. The rider might already be so used to such requests that he assured me that there’s nothing to worry about as he drives safely.
I was particularly edgy during the first few minutes especially when the rider, however slow, would squeeze between two occupied lanes. I’m aware that lane-splitting is illegal, but I think with the terrible state of traffic congestion in Metro Manila, it was necessary. Good thing my rider is quite skilled at it.
Even so, it is not without giving me a series of little heart attacks when we’d pass through vehicles or be dangerously close to bigger SUVs, buses or trucks. Weaving through traffic especially in our roads can be a terrifying adventure in itself, with all the potholes, puddles and other motorists with zero discipline.
Being the morbid overthinker, I have already pictured about six motorcycle accident scenarios in my head halfway through the ride that it must’ve pumped just the right amount of adrenaline. After a while, I felt a rush of thrill. It got kinda exciting whenever we’d accelerate a bit and switch lanes and crawl in small spaces and pass by sidewalks. The late afternoon sun was still warm to the skin but even that felt so good.
Then, something dawned on me: I realized how I haven’t felt a similar rush in a long time.
I know you might ask, what rush? It was just a motorcycle ride—not even from someone I personally know—but that’s just it! I’ve gotten so hilariously boring and safe to be pumped up by something so little as a not-even-so-daring motorcycle ride. I—who back in the day would dare race against speeding cars and jeepneys along major roads and highways in just my BMX bike now finds thrill in an Angkas ride with a 60 kph speed limit.
Pathetic, I know. What has become of me?
0 comments:
Post a Comment