|
FINALLY,
we found religion. Or as Toyota Motors Philippines’
first vice president Danny Isla said, “If after
traveling the Philippine natural wonders one does not
become overwhelmed, at least one would believe there is
a God.”
This was
the 4th Annual Toyota Road Trek, where Toyota Motors
gathered all motoring hacks and brought them to places
they could only wish they could get to in their dreams
(or if they hit the lotto jackpot.)
This
year, the theme was the “Magical Mystery Tour.” Aptly
named, because we were kept in the dark as to our
ultimate destination, until the night before we were to
fly out there. Also barring the fact that Isla is a
declared Beatles fanatic.
So, off
we went on the 16th of April from Toyota Commonwealth
starting out on a Toyota Altis 1.8-liter sedan. On our
team, the BusinessMirror crew, were our editor and
former racing prodigy Popong Andolong, sports icon Al
Mendoza, columnist Andy Sevilla and yours truly.
We were
to do the Sampaguita Rally format, wherein we had to
traverse a certain distance on a given time, which means
we had to arrive at checkpoints on time all the time,
traffic and road condition notwithstanding.
Our
first leg took us around the back route of the Manila
Metropolis suburbia. We had to go around Laguna de Bay
from the other side, which meant we had to go through
Marikina, Tanay, Pagsanjan and stop at Lake Caliraya,
where we had sumptuous lunch, a few games and a short
rest before we switched cars.
All this
while the Altis was giving me the greatest drive of my
life. Please remember that we were running a controlled
rally and we had to keep our speed only to a certain
point and speed up or slow down only to compensate for
time.
This
meant terrible punishment for the engine and
transmission of the Altis, since it had to keep running
in certain conditions for long periods of time without
giving in. And it stood the test. The five-speed manual
transmission 1.8-liter Altis gave us what we wanted
whether we were running up a steep climb, running on a
flat surface or going on a controlled downhill drive. I
mean, imagine driving your Altis at 40 kph downhill for
about 30 minutes. One can imagine the effort the engine
must be giving. But the Altis gave it all.
Well,
from Caliraya, we were issued a 1.5-liter Vios and
traversed Caliraya to Pagsanjan to Calauan, then Los
Baños, Calamba and finally the South Luzon Expressway to
our final destination for the day, the Sofitel Hotel in
Pasay.
Now, I
have owned a 1.3-liter Vios for five years now and I
must shower praises on this car of mine. But the new 1.5
Vios is a dream come true. It comes with all the great
things my old Vios has (power, fuel efficiency, comfort,
terrific handling and a perfect car size) plus a more
powerful engine, a more comfortable ride and handling,
as well as better interior and exterior design.
At the
Sofitel, after a good shower, rest and a change of
clothing, we went down for the evening’s party, hosted
by my friend Gretchen Fullido for Toyota, where after
the food and the wine, Isla finally announced our
destination, El Nido Beach in Palawan.
The next
day, we were ferried to the domestic airport where we
were flown to Palawan via ITI Air Transport of El Nido.
It was a breathtaking 75-minute plane ride where one
could see the islands of the Philippines and its beauty
from the air.
In
Palawan, we were welcomed by our hosts in native beach
style and given tasks to do while having our fun on the
different islands of El Nido. I had to scuba dive and
snorkel (which is indeed a task for one who does not
know how to swim) and climb a rock wall.
We also
had to identify certain species and keep in mind that we
were in an environmental sanctuary and had to keep our
surroundings as pristine as we found it. And, my Lord,
the beauty of El Nido was astounding. The animals on
land were lordy, those in the sky were graceful and the
ones under the sea were so exotic. I actually saw a huge
turtle.
Finally,
the night for awards for the tasks came and we were all
gathered in another island for the dinner and awarding.
Isla came with his Beatles quote-laden speech and
finally the winners were announced. Bagging first was
the team of my friend Ron de los Reyes Auto Review,
followed by C! Magazine and third was Manila Bulletin.
Our team
fared pretty well, but, as they say, if there are
winners, then there must be losers, so we joined the
bunch this year. But the statement of Isla kept ringing
in my ears, “If anyone has any doubt, then all they need
do is see the Philippines and know there is a God.” And
next year, for sure,
Toyota
will bless us again with the beauty of Philippine nature
for the 5th Toyota Road Trek. |
