We had a magical time in the small town of Moalboal where we snorkeled with sea turtles, swam under waterfalls, and even saw a shooting star. 

We made wonderful memories in our short time there and ate some of the best food like adobo, sisig, and caldereta. 

However, after a week and a half, our time on the island of Cebu was over and we needed to head to our next destination.

We stayed in Cebu City the night before our flight out as it is a half days trip from Moalboal to the airport. Our flight wasn’t until around 1 in the afternoon, so we took our time that morning and planned (key word here) on grabbing a taxi to take us to the airport. 

When it was time to check out of our Airbnb, we loaded up our backpacks and decided we would walk to the main road nearby. 

Once we reached the busy road, we spent several minutes trying to wave down a passing taxi, but we were not having any luck as they were either occupied or did not see us.

We noticed this small group of people watching us, but continued trying to grab a cab. 

After about 10 minutes had passed and we were still standing on the street corner, the guys that had been watching us began to walk our way. 

When they approached us, they asked where we were headed. 

We told them we had a flight to catch and needed to get to the airport. The two men then offered to give us a ride and said they would charge a fair price, but we politely declined their offer and told them we would get a taxi. 

After another 10 minutes of failing to get a taxi, we were beginning to get frustrated. 

It was hot, our luggage was heavy, and we were hungry. A combination of these three things never leads to a good mood.

The guys who offered us a ride were still nearby and keeping an eye on us. 

We quietly and quickly discussed if it would be a good or bad idea to get a ride from them, but after 20 minutes of failing to get a cab, we felt it was our only other option. 

We decided to go talk to them and reluctantly accepted their offer.

 

The only caveat was that we would not be taking a car, but instead would be on motorcycles. 

Being motorcycle lovers, this wasn’t necessarily an issue. However, it seemed risky accepting a ride from strangers who aren’t taxi drivers, but we decided to do it. 

They each took our luggage and began strapping it down. The guy I would be riding with finished securing my bags, handed me a helmet and told me to get on. 

Before I knew it, we took off, leaving behind Ricky and his driver who were still strapping down his bags.

I immediately felt panic. 

What have I done?! 

I am on the back of a motorcycle hanging on to a strange man I just met 10 minutes ago, zooming through traffic while my husband is still in that parking lot!

I, of course, did not have access to my phone and had no way of knowing if we were truly headed for the airport.

I could only hope that we were.

I tried to remain calm the best that I could, but it was hard not to imagine the possible outcomes of this situation. 

On the bright side, we were zipping between cars and buses stuck in traffic that we would have otherwise been in had we taken a taxi like planned. 

My driver tried asking me questions like my name, where we were from, etc, but it was difficult to have a conversation over the roars of the motors on the highway. 

After what seemed like forever, another motorcycle came darting next to us and to my surprise, there was my husband with the biggest smile as he let out a “woohoo!”. 

A wave of relief washed over me as I felt my mouth break into a huge grin. 

Once Ricky was in my line of sight, I did my best to relax and enjoy the ride. It was a beautiful sunny day after all. 

We eventually made it to the airport, paid them, and thanked them profusely. 

Had they not offered us a ride, I am not sure we would have made our flight on time. 

We checked in, went through security, and made it to our gate with just enough time to grab a bite of the famous Cebu lechon. 

Was accepting a motorcycle ride from two strangers the smartest or safest decision we have made? No, probably not. 

Nevertheless, this “yes” further taught us that people, all over the world, are generally good and now we have one crazy story to tell. 

Written by Katelin Brooke