Why I often go solo camping.

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?"

camping in Al Qudra lakes, Dubai

 I have been asked that question a thousand times but this one deserved an honest answer, considering the question came from the pouting lips and curious eyes that could look into my soul.

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)

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. 

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

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. 

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).

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. 

dad and I in Mt Kitanglad, Bukidnon

Lean on Me

Cute picture, right? hmmm please read on...

I was browsing through my phone pictures and then one picture hit me right then and there. It was something I took months ago and I totally forgot about it. This is probably the most meaningful picture I took. The quality of the picture is not good, it was taken with a mobile phone and I did not give value to it until after major twists happened in the lives of the subjects within the next hour after taking this shot.

I call this picture "Lean on me"

The story behind:

These kids were asleep in this wheelchair when I got in the ER. The first thing I noticed was that they looked so cute sharing the wheelchair. Obviously siblings and tired, all they wanted to do was sleep. I just took a shot just to capture the moment. They might awaken when their parents come, so I took my fone out, took the shot and hurried on 'cause the charge nurse was telling me to relieve RN 1 at the rescucitation room.

There were two patients in the rescucitation room- a couple- parents of the kids in the picture. They were involved in a car accident. The kids must have been asleep in the back seat. They (the kids) had minor bruises and scratches, but nothing serious. However, it is a very sad fact that both parents did not make it. (internal bleeding, punctured lungs) No one wanted to wake the kids up because they were sleeping peacefully while their parents were fighting for their lives.

In their family car, they shared the comfort of the back seat. Now they share the meager comfort of what the wheelchair has to offer for sleep and rest. No one could dare wake them up to a nightmare. Together, they will have to carry on with their lives' "ride".

Taking a closer look at the picture, the little boy leans on the his big sister while she leans on to the wheelchair's arms, which now fills up for the absence of their parents' arms. They have their mom's purse and among the contents are pictures of their happy family. Something tangible that would remind them of happy days.

I could just imagine how these two would take turns keeping those pictures when things get rough ahead. Looking at this from a parent's angle, I could say that all the rules of parenting (if there are any) can be summarized with two words: BE THERE.

For me, this picture is a real tear-jerker and I always pray for them every night. It was the last time I saw them. Their mom's sister took them home while the rest of the family stayed with their parents' remains until they were taken for cremation.

It bothers me to think that when they reached what used to be their home at dawn, there would be no mom to change their clothes and to attend to the scratches they have. No dad to play with them and take them to football games. It would be a place that seemed so familiar, but yet so different.

A mediocre picture, but it did melt my eyes. I hope you spend a lot of family time after looking into this picture. Who knows what's next?

For our kids--- be there!

Al Wahtba dunes

It was a lazy Saturday afternoon when the idea to find this place drove away the stupor I had. The clock factually declared that there was barely three hours of skin-complimenting golden sunlight and the clear skies promised at least an hour or so of blue light shooting. I had no time to waste. Studying the maps in the book and entering the coordinates, my GPS figured it would take 46 minutes to get to my destination. 

The 2016 edition of the UAE explorer off road book features an eye-catching cover picture of an out-

of-this-world landscape that seemingly invites the viewer to go out and explore what majestic treasures the desert has to offer. I just knew I had to go to that place.  An artwork in progress, this barren sea of sand littered with icebergs of rocks that are continuously shaped by mother nature's breath of seasonal winds is surprisingly not that far away from the city. The stunningly captivating masterpiece is centuries old and still far from complete. 

The thought of going to this place may be intimidating to some car drivers since it looks so remote and
the fact that it is in the cover of an off road book adds to the impression that a 4x4 is needed to get there. Reality is, this place is actually accessible to sedans. If fact, I was using my Altima when I first visited this dunes. Located just a few hundred meters from the road, the drive to this area actually is not that bad. 

Photography was the first reason for me to find this place. after a few visits I soon realized that this was a good camping site. Google maps actually marks this as a camp site. Since then, this became my favorite destination for a quick overnight camp or just to go celebrate rest days on Friday sunsets.

These natural formations are delicate works of art. They may withstand baking under the sun, strong winds, sand storms and all the elements but they easily crumble and even walking over these may cause a frack or even break them.  A sad observation I had was that some folks think that these formations are actual rocks and and they drive their rigs over the "rocks". Others  actually break the smaller formations by sitting on them for pictures. 

I was happy to find out during a 2019 visit that the trash left by campers and visitors was actually removed from the area. It is our responsibility to keep places like this clean by taking out rubbish materials with us after enjoying the place.

 

My last visit to the dunes was on my traditional new year's solo camp to welcome 2020. As seen in the video below, I got stuck on the soft sand. Was that an omen of what has to come this year? 

Shuweihat Island

 

It has been five months now since "lock down" has been implemented due the the COVID situation. Although this situation has prevented me from traveling freely, I am thankful that measures to promote our safety from infection has been in place. As  "stay at home" rules slowly ease up and a new "normal" is slowly being implemented, I just can't help but dream of the best road trips I have had in the UAE. I will be revisiting most of them when leisure road trips will be safe again. 

Topping my list of all-time favorite outdoor destinations in the UAE  would be Suhweihat Island. This

Instagram-candy island is located around 270 kilometres west of the capital. The accessibility of the island heavily contributes to the melancholic feeling when adventuring alone, which I find amusing. This rock island is actually reachable by a land bridge that adds to the dramatic approach to what arguably is the most scenic spots on the country's coastlines. Technically being a military base, most of the beaches are fenced off to the public but that does not serve as a turn off to the wandering ones since the accessible areas still make up more than enough for the 2.5 hour drive from the big city. 

Lined with cliffs and beaches, the coastline of this island paradise can be described with a thousand adjectives of praise. I would say, it is like Arizona's Antelope Canyon had a love child with the Maldives. The beauty of the island is highlighted by the pastel colors of the sands, rocks and the clear ocean that emits ever changing hues as the sun traces it's path across the Arabian sky. With the island being barely 2 kilometres wide, photographers can easily move about, taking full advantage of sunrise and sunset landscapes. 

In one of our opportunities of camping overnight a few years back, we have observed that a lot of 

rubbish is left by campers. It is a sad fact that humans leave an ugly footprint in natures masterpieces. Still, a silver lining is that there are more of those campers who are responsible enough to clean up after camp break.

My favorite activity in the island is exploring the cliffs and beaches. It is a unique experience to see the different faces of the beaches within a few hundred meters of walking and "discovering" caves along the cliffs. 

Public access to the island have changed quite a number of times in the recent year. If you plan to visit, doing due diligence of checking online may be a good idea.