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By Rome Jorge, Lifestyle Editor
Stuffing a full-sized tent, a cooler, an
inflatable raft, a beach ball, a hammock, assorted sand toys, not to
mention a team of four grown adults, into one vehicle in record
time, I knew it was the car, not us, that won the day for our team.
More than transportation, the new Isuzu Crosswind Sportivo was a
true team player. It was one of us.
At the recent Isuzu Sun and Sand Drive in
Boracay, journalists from various newspapers, magazines, radio shows
and television establishments were formed into teams and given
various challenges. These included finding signs and clues along
craggy trail winding up to Boracay’s highest peak using off road
buggies, sculpting the Isuzu logo on with Boracay’s talcum
powder-fine white sand as well as lovely shell and driftwood and
stuffing various beach paraphernalia into the Isuzu Crosswind
Sportivo.
No less than Keiji Takeda, president of Isuzu
Philippines Corporation (IPC), along with Arthur Balmdrid, vice
president for corporate business of IPC, graced the event. Takeda
himself flagged off the teams as they drove off from Kalibo to
Caticlan—the first leg of the challenge before disembarking onto a
Discovery Shores Resort’s own futuristic ferry to take us to the
island paradise of Boracay.
Being the only culture writer among the motoring
media personalities, I was more accustomed to often being the only
straight guy on the lifestyle beat. Now, here I was with fellow
barakos as well as a few dames. These motoring journalists are
competitive. Besides the fun and the challenge of the various
events, Isuzu also offered hefty prizes and trophies to the winning
teams. This race was on.
After a whole day of intense competition that
had us on our knees in the sand, eating dust on the trail and
screaming are heads off in gung-ho spirit, we rested at nightfall at
Boracay’s most opulent and stylish resort: Discovery Shores. The
only thing more spacious and scenic than its modern and stylish
rooms and facilities was the great expanse of pristine white sand
beach fronting Discovery Shores itself. That, night as we dined and
drank on beachfront, the winning teams were announced. Our crew took
top spot. But if there was one that should have gotten it’s own
trophy, it had to be the Isuzu Crosswind Sportivo. The car is a
champ.
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