Taken from my facebook post dated 19 June 2017.
Last month, while entangled in one of our random tight embraces, my better half looked up at me and tightened her arms. She asked, "why do you always go camping alone in the desert? You always say it was safe, but aren't you scared of spending nights all alone in the middle of nowhere?"
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| camping in Al Qudra lakes, Dubai |
I took a deep breath and gave my most honest answer to that question:
"Because I miss my dad."
Those close family friends who witnessed our wild, crazy, action-packed adventure known to many as "childhood" will know exactly what I meant.
We grew up in the comforts of the boondies. If you find a map of Mindanao and placed your finger in the very center, there will be a big fat chance that you are pointing at the place where we were raised. (that depends if you gave big, fat fingers)
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| our home in Bukidnon, Philippines |
Dad loves the outdoors. He highly appreciates nature and as expected, passed it on to us kids. We didn't have much but he taught us that there are a lot of ways we can go for what we wanted. He showed me how to use the sewing machine by making one project- a tent! We used that tent for over a decade in hundreds of camping activities.
I was barely six when we would camp wherever we wanted to. He taught me how to build fire for cooking and camp fires that would last the whole night. He would be roasting whatever meat he packed while handing over corn or eggplant to be roasted by his vegetarian son.
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| Al Fayadha, Abu Dhabi |
He taught us how a good tool can be a lifesaver and how important it was to keep everything in tip-top condition. He showed me how to take care of my knives, guns, multi tools and the ride.
On camping nights, he would point out the stars and tell stories around
the camp fire, also stressing the importance of watching each other's backs while sitting facing each other and enjoying a meal in the dark. He would ask me where would be the best spot to pitch a tent and give me tips and hints like "what if it rains, will we get soaked?" "will the wind blow hard on our tent if we pitched it here?" "how far should the fire be to keep us warm and will we have some smoke to drive away mosquitoes?" "will we be sleeping on roots and pebbles" "would you like to wake up facing the sun tomorrow?" (and gives me my first compass) "would you be breaking camp under the sun or under the shade from a tree?". He then makes me responsible of keeping my boots accessible in case we need to get up in haste and also to secure them from creepers before taps.
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| Jabel Jais summit, RAK |
the camp fire, also stressing the importance of watching each other's backs while sitting facing each other and enjoying a meal in the dark. He would ask me where would be the best spot to pitch a tent and give me tips and hints like "what if it rains, will we get soaked?" "will the wind blow hard on our tent if we pitched it here?" "how far should the fire be to keep us warm and will we have some smoke to drive away mosquitoes?" "will we be sleeping on roots and pebbles" "would you like to wake up facing the sun tomorrow?" (and gives me my first compass) "would you be breaking camp under the sun or under the shade from a tree?". He then makes me responsible of keeping my boots accessible in case we need to get up in haste and also to secure them from creepers before taps.
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| solo camping under the milky way, Razeen deseert, Abu Dhabi |
I also miss our trail bike rides in the mountains. He trusted my riding skills even when my legs were too short for his Honda. On some Sabbaths, he would pack suman, binaki, puto or bread that my mom and sisters made and announce that we both will spend time in nature. That meant a whole day of exploring the forests of MVC, with a challenge of finding water springs to drink from and saving our packed drinking water as last resort. That explains why I love long motorcycle trips.
On our rest stops, dad would tell me of his solo camping adventures when he was a student, which inspired me to do the same (without their permission and knowledge).
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| camp in AlMazraa, RAK, UAE |
Those were the years when life's most important lessons and skills were passed on.
So... why do I always go on solo camping trips?
Because I miss my dad.
Being alone and far from home, camping gives me time to unwind, reflect on life's lessons and mistakes and to plan for my family.
I'm looking forward to another camping with dad next year. By then, with my better half's permission, a little wide-eyed dynamic munchkin will be tagging along to start his ritual of passing on the hobby and skills. This time, I'm doing the cooking- unless dad finally outgrew the idea that Sardines and noodles were perfect camping food.
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| dad and I in Mt Kitanglad, Bukidnon |
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