Another day in paradise

EL NIDO, Palawan - Another hard-working day in paradise.

In scenes straight out of not just one, but several reality television shows, Toyota Motor Philippines challenged a group of motoring and sports journalists to overcome physical and mental challenges while trying out the new generation of Altis and Vios sedans.

The first stop for Toyota’s Road Trek 4: Magical Mystery Tour was Toyota Commonwealth, 6 a.m. Wednesday. Twelve teams of journalists were given maps and clues to complete along the way, taking them through the busier parts of Metro Manila and winding their way through Rizal and Quezon. Some claimed the driving was the easiest part, as their wits were stretched to the limit in decphering the riddles that would lead to their next destinations.

The vehicles were so comfortable, some participants complained that they did all the driving while their teammates slept comfortably. Others had only one comment, that they couldn’t drive fast enough, or they’d miss out on key landmarks and clues.

At the start of Day 2, the rested media men were shepherded to the ITI airfield beside the domestic airport, where it was revealed that the next two days of their adventure would no longer involve any driving, since it was going to be in the pristine environs of El Nido, Palawan. The short flight, followed by a rather warm boat ride to the resort itself, was filled with laughter and a few quiet moments, as even the veterans of past Road Treks wondered what was going to be asked of us.

First, we had to catch our breath, as the majesty of nature was overwhelming. Every island was made of proud mountains of limestones shrouded in lush plant life, where monitor lizards, birds like kingfishers and other colorful creatures  are protected by law. Time seemed to stop, or slow down to a crawl, and many editors and producers undoubtedly wondered why their reporters in the field were suddenly out of reach. Truth be told, several cell phones suddenly found themselves switched off, or hidden in cottage bedside drawers. Well, we did have a lot to focus on.

The final challenge was simple, or so it seemed. We had a checklist of things to accomplish within two days, many of them physical activities. Hard to do when you’re surrounded by white sand, blue water, and sea creatures of every color and description. The blowing wind made it difficult to get going. And the food almost rendered us immobile.

Among the challenges: introductory scuba dives, snorkeling, kayaking, rock climbing, island tours, bottom fishing, and hat weaving. There were also the temptations of basketball, volleyball, badminton, swimming eating and, the journalists’ favorite –  massage. Needless to say, the in-house masseuses were fully booked.

The one loophole: only one member of each team needed to participate in each event. Ah, rank indeed has its privileges. Much of the heavy lifting was done, naturally, by junior reporters, editors or field producers. All it accomplished was increasing our appetites.

The next challenge was letting go of the challenge once it was gone. Many stayed underwater longer than necessary, after the mandatory 15 minutes of scuba diving or snorkeling was done. It was hard to pull away from such stirring experiences.

At night, the hospitality of both Toyota and El Nido staff was powerful, the food overabundant. For many of us, things like this come once in a lifetime. We were all thanking our stars, and telling ourselves how much we loved our jobs.