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| Bobong, our motorcycle dude. |
Like a Filipino town name, the etymological origins of the
skylab (a motorcycle with a plank to accommodate a life-threatening amount of passengers) are numerous. My sister-in-law, who grew up in Mindanao, says that it is a contraction of "
sakay, lab" ("ride, love"), a driver's holler to potential female passengers.
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| Some rubber strips to secure baggage... |
Others say it is named after the Skylab satellite that fell to the earth during the 70s. And so on, and so forth.
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| ... or squish it, as they did our vegetables. |
Unfortunately, the most boring explanation is usually true. In this case, the
Skylab was a brand of tuk-tuk from northern Thailand. The local incarnation has neither the roof nor the paltry safety features of the Thai version, but is fun. Take a cue: more terrain-versatile, cheap, modifiable (according to load) vehicles are in order.
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| The ride. |
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| A skylab, not quite fully loaded yet. |
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