Happy Wheels

MANILA, Philippines - When I watched the movie “Happy Feet”, I could not help but imagine an alter-universe wherein the main character had “Happy Feet” not because he loved to dance, but because he loved to travel. It was this self-created fan-fiction where I had imagined the character to gain a certain kind of euphoria whenever he would sink his ice-cold penguin feet into the warm, moist sand of Philippine beaches, or into the prickly bushes of overgrown grass up our exciting mountains. Aah, the sweet pleasure of travel!

And while we may not live as far away as the penguins of Antarctica, I think we will all agree that the Philippines is quite the exotic destination to explore. Separated, however, a few thousand islands apart, we are still blessed with the long stretch of northern land that is Luzon. Not to mention that we now have a growing network of Ro-Ro transport, and further long stretches of land that are Visayas and Mindanao. No, our archipelago geography is never a hindrance to the one with Happy Feet. (And yes, even if those feet are tied to a budget.)

Having considered land travel as an excellent option for affordable domestic tourism in the Philippines, I recently pondered on a new sister-concept: “Happy Wheels”! I figured it might be a cool way to describe those who like taking long drives around the country to visit and explore places. And what better character to represent Happy Wheels than Fofi? (Ford Fiesta) After all, the Fiesta is fun to drive, reliable, and not to mention – easy on the gas tank! A perfect combination for the adventure-savvy but cost-discerning individual.

All this thinking birthed out of the Ford Fiesta Eco-Run experience I had from two weekends ago, when selected members of the motoring media were asked to drive in pairs from Ford Balintawak to Magsingal, Ilocos Sur using the Ford Fiesta 1.6L with automatic transmission. The challenge was to register the farthest average distance traveled per liter of fuel, given realistic driving conditions – meaning, without the absurd gas-extending tricks such as switching off the a/c, or coasting in neutral, or traveling at unreasonably low speeds; but instead with the a/c switched on and the fan set to 1, all windows rolled up and with a minimum highway speed of 60kph. All other driving techniques were left up to us, as long as we remained safe and did not violate any traffic rules. Shell Fuelsave Unleaded gas was the official fuel choice.

A true test of our eco-driving skills, it was also a test of patience, as we had to travel approximately 573 kilometers. The activity also emphasized that it took two to tango – a fuel-efficient car is not at its best without fuel-efficient a.k.a. “smart” driving.

Of course, you wouldn’t have Happy Wheels if your ride didn’t keep you happy, and the Ford Fiesta did just that. It had a handy usb port to keep a soundtrack to your journey, and the car also kept me comfortable throughout – subtitle: I did not once get carsick. The Fiesta’s powershift also added that extra oomph to get to your higher gears, and perhaps irrelevant to function – the Fiesta had us travel in cool style.

After several long hours of driving in sunshine, typical provincial darkness, heavy rain and through countless roadworks, we safely got to Magsingal, Ilocos Sur. And although my partner, Ron de los Reyes, and I did not bag first place after the fuel levels were officially measured, we still registered an impressive 18.829km/L average fuel rating for the trip! The winners were the odd pair Dino Directo of Manila Standard Today and Tessa Salazar of Inquirer, who registered a whopping 23.663km/L!

I may not have won the pot prize but I got to see Ilocos for the first time, and enjoyed staying in our resort at Playa Tropical in Currimao, Ilocos Norte. Another highlight for me was visiting Paoay Church – a structure built by the Spaniards in the early 1700s that speaks of so much history, from its antiquated bell tower to its gargantuan church doors that had rollers in the bottom. I also had the opportunity to take a peek at the preserved remains of ex-president Marcos in his mausoleum in the town of Batac. Located beside it was also a nice museum of Marcos that documented many of his accomplishments and displayed a few wax figures of himself. Lastly, in the town of Paoay, I also caught a glimpse of their famed sand dunes. It had been raining the past few days, and patches of renegade grass had already grown on the sandy hills, almost concealing their sedimentary nature.

Frankly, I was quite grateful that we had the Fiesta with us, as it enabled us to visit all these locations with ease. It is one thing you would certainly miss if you had opted to fly – the convenience of mobility. Having said that, this is my proposition – get those Happy Feet into those Happy Wheels, and explore and digest all that culture around us!