It’s more Fun in Coron with the Toyota Road Trekkers!

MANILA, Philippines - My participation in this year’s Toyota Road Trek—Clark & Palawan: Reloaded was truly a one-of-a-kind experience on so many levels. As Uly mentioned, we weren’t teammates this year, and our group started off the first leg of the drive in a 1.5L Toyota Vios TRD—a fun, gas-sipping vehicle with 17” alloy wheels and funky side skirts, that fit in all four of us plus our bulky luggage very comfortably. Highway driving was a breeze, and we arrived at the Clark Speedway in high spirits, after tuning in and singing along to non-stop 90’s music medleys—courtesy of Stoplight TV’s Eggay Quesada’s trusty iPod hooked into the Vios for the entire length of our northern journey.

Upon arriving at the Clark International Speedway, we took on the different group challenges that highlighted the many capabilities of Toyota’s array of versatile vehicles available in the Philippine market. The series of challenges started off with a luggage-loading duel involving the Toyota Innova; and continued on with an interesting off-road challenge aboard the RAV 4 and Fortuner, where each team had to digitally record a performance-worthy song number while driving the off-road capable vehicles in the dirt! It was not quite your usual driving exercise, but the objective was to showcase how capable the RAV 4 and Fortuner were in dampening the rough ride—you could actually sing your heart out, without being compromised by the NVH!

We then proceeded to the Hilux challenge, where we had to drive the pickup through large potholes, up hills and down descents, while trying to spill the least amount of water out of the kiddie pool that was loaded in the cargo bed. This activity was followed by a test to see if any one of us was a ‘maneuverability master,’ by tasking us to sail the Altis through a series of chicanes and obstacles under time pressure. The last challenge was a time trial on the track aboard the sexy and impressively nimble Toyota 86; but there was also a bonus round that had us drive the eco-friendly Prius-C around the track, and compete for the most fuel-efficient figures.

As if that wasn’t enough, there also was another special bonus round where team representatives had to join master drifter David Feliciano for a heart-palpitating series of drifts around the track, while trying to remain as calm as possible. Heart-monitoring equipment were attached to the passengers to take note of their parasympathetic reactions, as there was no escaping the truth. It was in this challenge however, that teammate Kenneth del Rosario of PDI rose to the occasion and nailed the winning position, hands down! In the end, our team was hailed the 2013 Toyota Road Trek Champions—and we couldn’t contain our excitement.

But the personal significance of this year’s Road Trek was not limited to our team’s win. Our journey to Coron, Palawan was simply magical. From the pristine island waters, unmistakable fauna, to the luxurious amenities of the Two Seasons Coron Island Resort and Spa, it was truly a mini-paradise that was worthy to represent the 25 successful years TMP (Toyota Motor Philippines) has had in the country.

One of the truly unique experiences Uly and I had in Coron, was riding a cool contraption called a ‘Hydrobob.’ It is basically like an underwater scooter that can get you down to 15ft. deep! There is no water-sealing mechanism up your neck, only a pocket of oxygen that occupies space in your ‘bubble’ and hence prevents the seawater from flowing in! We courageously tried these cool vessels within the deeper waters of our island resort, and got to a depth of 10ft alongside professional divers who were there to assist us. I do not dive and have never done something like this before, and more interestingly, Uly does not even swim. But we were too enthralled by the schools of luminous blue fish, waves of bright yellow, black and funky-faced fish amidst the corals, to even think about worrying. It was an excellent baby step to basic diving, and one fine hydrophobia-smasher! Thank you Toyota Motor Philippines for bringing us genuinely unforgettable experiences with your unique disposition and practical and innovative vehicles!