MANILA, Philippines - I consider it a cruel and inhuman punishment to sentence a car to a lifetime of urban stops-and-gos. Manufacturers spend millions of dollars to create cars that will best serve your needs under the most demanding of conditions and in consideration of varying budgets, yet the truth is that nearly all cars bought in the city spend their lives trawling about at the speed of snooze. Every once in a while, I feel the need to stretch a car’s legs, to open up its lungs, blow out the carbon, and play around on an interesting, scenic route. Here are my three favorite routes:
Baguio
A no-brainer, yes, but it’s a solid six- to seven-hour drive that lets me test a car’s all-day comfort, high-speed stability, and handling chops. After the high-speed stretch of NLEX and SCTEX (be careful with the speed traps), it’s a boring two to three hours through Tarlac and Urdaneta, but this is made up for by the 40- to 50-inch hill climb up Marcos Highway. A car either has “it†or not on that road with its relentless 10-per cent gradients and multiple switchbacks. It’s also wide enough that there’s enough runoff room if you overcook a corner. Of course, Baguio City is quite civilized, if a bit crowded these days, but still a lot of fun to look around, shop, and dine in on the cheap.
Any car will do on this road as long as it has decent power-to-weight ratio, but I’m biased toward our personal car, a Kia Sportage DLX. My wife and I took it to Baguio City several weeks ago (its first road trip, actually) and we’re happy that we made the right choice. Good moves on the twisties, enough power to accelerate up the climbs, and a very well-appointed cabin to spend several hours in.
Of course, Baguio is often a jump-off point for further destinations. In this case, my next favorite destination would be…
Sagada
Rustic and charming, this little town is another four to five hours from Baguio using the winding Halsema Highway. You’ll need an SUV or a pickup truck as some sections are dirt, but it’s worth the trip if you like hiking up and down some virgin hills and exploring caves.
If I had a choice, I’d either use a Chevrolet Colorado 4x4 since it’s a no-fuss, no-nonsense truck with a comfortable ride, or go the SUV route with a Jeep Grand Cherokee. You can never have enough power, and the V8 Jeep has it in spades. Plus, the ride is just awesome and the sound system is a killer.
Finally, there’s one last destination I wish I could revisit. I’ve only made the trip twice - the last one by my lonesome and in the middle of a storm, no less. That would be the trek to…
Mount Pulag
Well, I’ve only done the wimp “Executive Trailâ€, but it’s all I really need for some soul-searching and for connecting with nature. Anyway, a solo trek is already kind of exciting even if it’s pretty short. What really makes it interesting is the drive. From Baguio, take Ambuklao road and just follow it as it winds left, right, down, and up for some 50 kilometers before reaching the DENR Station.
From there, it’s a rather tense hour crawl in 4WD-Low as you negotiate a slippery, one-lane trail that can shred the underside of a compact SUV. Of course, what goes up must eventually go down. Trying to keep a vehicle on the trail instead of sliding down a ravine can be very nerve-wracking but fulfilling, nonetheless.
You’ll need a good 4x4 vehicle here with good ground clearance, and my personal favorite is the Mitsubishi Montero Sport. It has the best ride among all the truck-based SUVs, and its four-wheel drivetrain and suspension are quite capable on modestly challenging terrain without having to resort to after-market modifications.