PHOX 2022 is Lit
It was early morning of October 21 at General Nakar. You can hear the rumbles of diesel engines in our overlanders. People are all gathered to take part in one of the most amazing events an outdoorsy person will eagerly join.
Our Ford Ranger Wildtrak Overlander at General Nakar, Quezon before the event
Petron Philippine Overland Expedition 2022 Mototesto or PHOX 2022 is an event where overlanders will experience the thrill and adventure of being part of the overlanding community, which was to our surprise has around 200 camper participants. It shows that overlanding is now starting to get known in the Philippines.
With our Ford Ranger Wildtrak Overlander rigged and ready to start the event, along with fellow campers and their rigs, we started our journey towards our campsite 30kms inland from our assembly point at General Nakar Municipal Hall.
Our Overlander on the muddy trail
Truth be told, we thought that it was just a simple trail of rough roads and small streams but man, are we wrong! Because of the past storms the Philippines had experienced, the rough roads were so muddy that if not for the 3.2 liter turbocharged diesel and the modified suspension of our Wildtrak, we would be asking fellow campers to winch us out.
As a popular phrase from a television series goes, “papunta pa lang tayo sa exciting part (we’re just getting to the exciting part)”, there were seven rivers! SEVEN! that we needed to cross and to add to the thrill of those uneven river beds and steady and strong flow of water, we lost our license plate!
Overlander in action crossing the river
Overlander at the campsite
But it was worth it, by the time we were at our campsite and the adrenaline pumping in our veins from all that overlanding, an instant camaraderie of fellow overlanders was formed. The constant story telling, laughter and drinks that we shared, along with the ideas and suggestions from their adventures in their rigs, it was worth losing our license plate crossing the river.
Some of us even had sunburn while participating and having fun during the event. And to add to all of that fun, we slept comfortably on the Wildtrak with its rooftop tent and awning tent.
There were also times that we’re able to stroll by the beach near our campsite, those moments made us realize that wherever and whoever you are, when you are a part of something and find your fellows you’ll experience adventures like no other.
Some of the rigs of the campers at the beach for a photo op
