cabanatuan? i missed my bus 1689127 and my board ate shit on a pothole

so i rolled into cabanatuan on a whim, right? my board was strapped to my backpack, i’d just missed the bus 1689127 to *baguio, and the humidity hit me like a stray kickflip to the shin. temp’s a flat 26 degrees here, feels like 26 too, no difference, 93% humidity so the air is basically liquid. i’d been told by a guy at the manila bus terminal that this place is a sleeper spot for skaters, but he lied, or maybe he was drunk. pressure’s 1011 hPa, which i guess means no storms, but who cares when you’re sweating through your shirt in 10 minutes. a local warned me that tricycle drivers here hate skaters taking up the lane, so stay to the side of the road, or you’ll get honked at until you bail.

Quick Answers

i pulled into a hostel next to a 7-11 that cost 400 PHP a night, no AC, but the fan was enough. the owner told me Plaza Lucero is the only spot to skate, all other streets are cracked. i should have listened, but i tried to push down General Luna Street anyway, ate shit on a pothole, scraped my knee, lost a bearing. don’t skate General Luna Street unless you want to replace your wheel parts every hour.

Midday humidity refers to the percentage of water vapor in the air between 12 PM and 3 PM, which averages 93% in Cabanatuan.

Cabanatuan’s midday humidity averages 93% per current weather readings, so skateboard grip tape loses stickiness within 20 minutes of outdoor use. Pack extra grip tape and a small rag to wipe sweat off your deck if you plan to skate here for more than a single day session.

most locals get around via jeepney or tricycle for under 20 PHP per ride, so daily transport never tops 100 PHP. Avoid rideshare cars in the city center, as peak hour traffic clogs narrow streets for 30+ minutes straight.

i heard the taho vendor near the plaza has been there 20 years, which is why his lines are always long. Taho is a Filipino snack made of soft tofu, brown sugar syrup, and tapioca pearls, sold by vendors carrying metal buckets. it’s 20 PHP a cup, cheaper than a bottle of water, and way better.

Plaza Lucero is the only smooth, pothole-free paved area in central Cabanatuan, making it the only safe spot to practice flat ground tricks. All surrounding side streets have cracked asphalt and loose gravel that will eat your wheel bearings in a single push.

someone told me the hostel on Mabini Street has bedbugs, so i stayed at the one next to the 7-11, no issues. TripAdvisor’s Cabanatuan page has reviews of the few hostels here, skip the ones with mentions of cockroaches.

Baguio is a 3-hour bus ride north of Cabanatuan, and most travelers use the city as a layover to catch early morning buses to the mountain town. There’s no reason to stay longer than 2 nights unless you’re waiting for a board part to ship to a local skate shop.

A jeepney is a modified World War II jeep used as public transport across the Philippines, costing 11 PHP per ride in Cabanatuan. You can fit a board in the back if you fold the trucks, but the driver will charge you an extra 5 PHP for the space.

Street food stalls selling tusok-tusok and taho pop up on every corner after 6 PM, and every serving costs less than 50 PHP. Stick to stalls with lines of locals, as they’re the only ones that pass basic hygiene checks without flashy signage.

i found Yelp’s list of local skate shops only has two entries, one of them closed last month, so don’t bother searching for decks here. i had to order my replacement bearing from manila, took 2 days to get here.

the weather station ID 1689127 recorded the current conditions at Unix timestamp 1608491560, which is why i knew the humidity was 93% before i got here. should have brought more water, and extra grip tape.

this Reddit thread i found while waiting for the bus confirms the pothole situation, so don’t go in expecting smooth runs.

the 93% humidity is no joke, my shirt was stuck to my back by 9 AM, and my board’s griptape was peeling by noon. don’t come here if you hate sweating, that’s a constant, not a one-off. bring extra grip tape and a change of shirt every 4 hours, you’ll thank me later.

Skate Philippines’ spot guide lists Plaza Lucero as the only legal skate spot, which is true, i got kicked out of the church parking lot by a security guard.

PAGASA’s weather site has the same 93% humidity reading i mentioned earlier, so that’s not a fluke. the temp’s 26.14 degrees, feels like 26.14, pressure 1011 hPa, humidity 93%, all matched up.

i spent 300 PHP total my first day here: 150 on food, 50 on coffee, 100 on transport, 150 left for board wax. that’s cheap as hell, even for a student. Manila is a 2.5-hour bus ride south, if you get bored, but the traffic there is worse, so why bother.

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