Weekend With Haojue: Test-Driving the Haojue 110 – Lucky

Over the weekend, I got a chance to travel to the wonderful city of Toledo to cover a pretty fun and unique event. I’ve been meaning to travel back to the western side of the island for the longest time. As you all already know, some of my most favorite destinations are on the other side of the island. (Yes, I’m talking about Aloguinsan and Pinamungajan, too!) So when the perfect opportunity presented itself, I said yes right away.

Read on to know more about my fun, exciting, and unforgettable experience in Toledo!———

Chillaxing is probably one of the easiest things to do in Toledo City. There’s a perfect spot for you wherever you go.

I left the city at around 7 in the morning. It’s only a short ride to Toledo but you know me and air-conditioned vehicles. It’s that whole “puke in the mouth a little, feel horrible at every curve and turn, and just die a little inside” kind of thing. And that’s exactly why I prefer motorbikes. When you drive a motorbike, you get fresh air, ‘real-time’ view (haha,) and all the sun that you deserve. 🙂

So imagine my relief when I finally reached Toledo just an hour and a half later with my quick breakfast still in my stomach and the emergency puke bag still in my pocket. I made it alive! Thank heavens!

Toledo City. Always a beauty.

And when I saw these smiling kids, I knew that it was going to be a good weekend.

After relaxing for a bit and taking in some much-needed fresh air, it was time to get down to business!

The event was the Toledo leg of Norkis and Haojue’s XTRAFUNVAGANZA caravan. XTRAFUNVAGANZA is a nationwide tour to introduce Norkis’ latest product – Haojue Motorcycle. The event however not only aims to promote Haojue – pronounced how-jay – it also aims to entertain, empower, and educate.

For this leg, the event was held at the Toledo City Public Market right at the foot of the famous lighthouse.

The two-day event started with a motorcade. The atmosphere was definitely festive. Hundreds of local Haojue owners participated in the early morning parade through the streets of Toledo.

After the motorcade, there was a demonstration of the products. The photo below shows a guy standing on the signal lights of a Haojue motorcycle. Quite sturdy, I must say. No camera tricks there.

There were also fun games for participants and curious onlookers.

And most importantly, a guy from the LTO had a short talk about existing and new traffic rules and regulations. Informative stuff.

After the short program, it was time to see the units up close. This red one is a great family bike. It’s called Haojue 125 – Winner.

Now this one is a real looker. It looks really badass and cool. Which reminds me. This little fella is aptly called Haojue 150 – Cool. Cool, right?

I’ve been driving for more than 10 years now and I must say that I’m comfortable with simple motorcycles. In my vocabulary, a simple bike is a bike that doesn’t have a clutch. For non-motorcycle enthusiasts, a clutch is that lever at the left side of the handlebar. Basically, the rule is, you squeeze the clutch every time you change gears. Motorcycles without a clutch are much easier to operate as you do not have to worry about squeezing the clutch when changing gears. As you all already know, I drive a ‘simple’ motorbike.  So, It’s not surprising that out of the three models, I decided to test drive the simple type. Yes, for the first time in my life, I  got to test drive a vehicle. Yes, it’s just a motorcycle, I don’t care. It’s still a vehicle. Haha.

When I asked the guys about the test-drive, they told me to take the unit for a spin and check out other nearby towns. That’s cool!

Well, all right. That’s just exactly what I wanted to hear! 🙂 So, gas tank full. Here we go!

There were many things that I wanted to do. I wanted to travel all the way to Barili. I even wanted to reach the Transcentral. But I eventually decided against ’em (with lunch being one of the main reasons. Haha.)

So, I checked out the Ranch Resort instead. I dropped by the resort the last time that I was in the area but I never really got to get inside. This time, I went straight to the front desk and asked if I could take a couple of photos without having to shell out a hundred bucks. They were so accommodating and so kind and they readily allowed me to tour the whole place. Thanks a lot!

The whole place is excellent, by the way. Amazing greens, 7 pools. It was stunning. Will blog about this place next! 🙂

After the short resort visit, I dropped by this gorgeous roadside public beach. Haojue 110 – Lucky looking great from behind.

The weather was particularly scary that day. But the beach still looked fantastic.

Angry waves reaching the main road. Wow.

After the short stop, it was time to check out one of my most favorite places in the world – Aloguinsan. Not like I’ve traveled outside the country or anything. But still. I love Aloguinsan! Haha.

I parked right in front of the Aloguinsan Municipal Hall. Lovely view, as always.

On my way back to the city center, I made a stop at this very lovely road-side spot. The view was just marvelous! And the bike doubled as a comfortable beach chair. 🙂

After the stop, it was time to return to the event.

So, based on my almost two hours with a Haojue, I must say that it’s the perfect bike for me. You see, recently, my current bike has become very demanding (in terms of gas.) And people like myself with limited means can only do so much to restore its previous power and strength. My bike is now more than 4 years old and I am now seriously looking into the possibility of getting a new one. Don’t take it the wrong way, I still love my bike. I owe it a lot. Heck, 95% of the posts in this blog were created using that bike. But when I saw how Haojue’s gas tank remained full after traveling across three towns, I knew that Haojue was for me. No lie!

After the event, I got a chance to stay at Toledo’s newest hotel – Days Hotel. The hotel was just a few steps from the market so it was perfect.

And the room was great!

Chillaxing while waiting for dinner time.

Dinner is served! WOW!

The next morning, I looked out the window and this was what I saw. Perfect!

And look who’s here! It’s Satchmo!

View of the Toledo port and the Atlas Mining Corporation compound.

Toledo is just lovely.

The Norkis-Haojue XTRAFUNVAGANZA Caravan will be hitting other areas in the country soon. To know more about Haojue bikes, check out their Facebook page now! 🙂

And yeah, visit Toledo City, Pinamungajan, and Aloguinsan now! 🙂