LAST week, I gave a report on the Archipelago Run from Marikina to Camiguin, a distance of over 1,500 kilometers. Thursday, Nov. 12 was the sixth day of the run and the first day on the way back to Manila. The four-vehicle caravan started out from Cagayan de Oro at 8 a.m. and arrived at the Lipata ferry terminal in Surigao at around 2 p.m. For the first and only time, the group was not anxious about ferry ride, as we have made prior arrangements with Engr. Proserpina Coro, the Lipata terminal supervisor, and Reynaldo Almeda, Port Management Office manager, before we left the ferry two days before. The caravan arrived in Liloan after the three-and-a-half hour trip, at 9 p.m. The caravan stayed over again at the RikaMae Inn and started for Tacloban the next morning at 4 a.m.

Breakfast was at Cindy's in Tacloban at 7 a.m. After a short stop at the market for binagol, the caravan proceeded toward Catbalogan. It was intermittently drizzling and the road was wet, as it was full of surprises--potholes, portions under repair and buses that hogged the middle of the road.

As we entered Gandara, the lead vehicle, the Tamaraw FX, was forced off the road by a speeding bus in a curved portion of the road. The FX plowed into underbrush and stopped a meter short of a robust coconut tree on the side of the road. Hidden by the thick roadside vegetation was a ravine.

The other vehicles--the Kombi, the L300 and the Hi-Lander--passed by, surprised by to see the FX on the wet shoulder, with its passengers standing outside the vehicle, shaken but unhurt. In no time, the 15 men in the convoy gave the FX a thorough inspection, reinstalled the loose battery cable and pushed the FX onto firmer ground. Then the FX got onto the main road using its own power.

The party continued on toward Calbayog, in high spirits despite the mishap, feeling lucky that they kept to a comfortable 40-50 kph speed, which allowed the FX to take a "soft" landing. Somebody mentioned it was Friday the 13th on the radio, but it didn't scare the group.

The group took out lunch at Calbayog's Bread Mix Cakes and Coffee Shoppe and pressed on toward the Allen ferry terminal, 70 km away, getting there at 1:15 p.m. Chances of getting on the 3 p.m. and 9 p.m. ferries were bleak, as the quota for light vehicles was already filled. The group backtracked to the San Isidro ferry terminal some 20 km in the direction of Calbayog, after an advance party determined that the 9 p.m. San Isidro ferry had room for four light vehicles. The caravan checked into the ferry terminal at 5 p.m. The ferry took off at 9:30 p.m., allowing the group four-and-a-half hours of card games, videoke and food, while the designated drivers worked on the clearances and permits. Jun Ellis was the only one who diligently washed the thick accumulation of dust from the FX.

The two-hour ferry ride was rather rough, as the boat undulated with the sea. The machos in the group whiled away the time drinking beer on the top deck. Others watched for shooting stars, debated about the nature of the UFO that hovered overhead, or slept below deck.

Upon landing at Matnog, at 11:30 p.m. the group proceeded to nearby Irosin, 23 km away, in search of a hot spring resort to spend the night in. Naga City, some 256 km away, was just beyond reach for the caravan that was on the road as early as 4 a.m.

The group found the Mateo Hot and Cold Springs Resort, but it was too late in the night for lodging to be had. For the first time during the run, members of the group pitched tents, while others slept in their vehicles. But not before several members of the group enjoyed the hotspring pools, which came in two temperatures--warm and hot. Silently floating in the darkened pools ringed by tall trees and looking at the bright, myriad stars, was a terribly heartwarming experience. Irosin was not on the Run schedule, but everybody enjoyed this pleasant surprise.

Early morning was another opportunity to savor the hotsprings. At 8 a.m., the group promptly left for Naga City, where City officials and media people awaited the caravan at the Naga City Youth Center. In Juban, Sorsogon, just 30 minutes out of Irosin, the FX's engine suddenly stopped. Under-the-hood inspection showed it had overheated. The mechanics in the group pooled their heads to solve the problem. After some time, the Kombi and the Hi-Lander proceeded to Naga, leaving the L300 with the FX. Eventually, the FX had to be submitted to a local auto shop in Sorsogon for repairs and the L300 followed to Naga.