We knew Calaguas was paradise. We had pictured it in our
minds, crystal clear azure waters, and pristine beach with powdery white sand.
But what we failed to consider was we needed to camp out to fully enjoy this
place. Living in Los Banos during our college years does not necessarily equate
to knowing how to survive the wilderness, in this case an island off the coast
of Camarines Norte. Although we occasionally hiked Flat Rocks, Mudspring, and
Peak2 in elbi, we have never camped out nor joined any camping trips.
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| Photo from bayshorespringfest.webs.com |
Don’t get me wrong, we can rough it out in the wild,
cowboy kung cowboy.. but.. I don’t even know how to cook rice with a rice
cooker, more so in an open fire! The only survival skill we know was the art of
opening canned goods using a knife. This skill acquired from years of not
having a can opener, and eating canned goods kapag wala pang padalang
allowance. So if you are organizing a
camping trip, but have never been a girl/boy scouts, take heed of these
advices:
In retrospect, we should have brought the following gear that
could have made our life a little easier.
Bed: tent; sleeping mat; pillows; blankets
Light source: personal flash light; butane lantern or
petromax
Kitchen gear: portable butane stove, pots and pans;
knife; ladle; disposable plates, cups, spoon, fork; dishwashing paste with
sponge; grill; seasonings and condiments
Miscellaneous: trash bag (for trash or to protect your
bag during boat travel); water jug
 |
| Photo from www.123rf.com |
Use your charm and
ask the caretaker to start the fire
Starting a fire is not an easy feat. Save yourself the
trouble and bring a portable butane stove. But if you don’t have one, make sure
to bring charcoal and a lot of paper. I also learned that you need an enclosed
space if you will use coals for cooking.
Learn to cook rice
over open fire
We were stuck eating soggy improperly cooked rice because
we were too dependent on rice cookers. So I googled how to cook rice when we came back and this is what i learned:
-
Ratio of rice to water is 1:2
-
Once the rice starts boiling, minimize the flame
by removing some of the coal
-
Let stand
in the fire until upper portion is cooked
You can’t go wrong
with canned goods
Need I say more?
Have fun
I’m lucky to have crazy friends who are willing to put up
with anything. We have been dorm mates turned roommates turned housemates
turned forever friends (so cheesy..haha).
We passed our time beach bumming, chillaxing, and of
course doing cool stuff like these..
a.
Rolling in the sand to achieve that “kutis espasol
na yakap tingin”.
b.
Forming a cheer group.
c.
Perfecting the customary jump shot.
d. Kahit anu lang na weird pose.
I read a post stating that Calaguas was his happy place and I definitely agree! Calaguas is truly a paradise.
Traveled during Summer of 2011.
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