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What a feat. I went camping!
This is a big deal, because I am probably the last person you would think of inviting to a camping trip. I am not the athletic or sporty type, nor am I the roughing-it-up kind of girl. I appreciate nature, of course–I love the beach, the mountains and the woods, but I would never go out of my way to get lost or disappear into the wilderness. I have always been a city girl, so I need the basics: running water, a shower, and a clean toilet–its not much, really. I just have a thing about staying clean.
Anyway, my husband has been bugging me about this for some time now. He really loves camping. And whenever he would ask me, I would usually respond with a smile. He already knows what that means. But then I got an invite from a good friend, and I thought, why not? I might as well give it a try.
And so to prepare for the trip I went to an outdoor-recreation store. I got lost. I didn’t know which was which, and I certainly couldn’t distinguish which was essential. I left, thinking I could just borrow gear and equipment, and even expressed my dilemma at a meeting. It turns out the people I was talking to also handled the brand Coleman, and just like that, I had everything I needed for the trip.
We actually had more than enough for trip. Coleman was very generous, supplying us with a tent, LED lights, a mini table, chairs, and even a floating raft (which we didn’t get to use)! We were also given the little things you wouldn’t normally think of, like protective waterproof cases for our gadgets, extra shirts for me and my husband, table cloth, waterproof playing cards, and glow sticks. These all proved to be very useful. Indeed, the little things count!
And so we were off to Caliraya, to a clean little camping site just by the lake. I have to say, camping is so much fun! Â I really didn’t expect to have as much fun as I did. We are already planning our next trip!
En route to Caliraya.
I love road trips.
And we’ve arrived! The weather was gloomy, and it was just about to rain so we hurriedly pitched out tents.
Beautiful Caliraya Lake.
There are boats for rent if you want to go fishing. Of course, there are bigger boats available.
Hard to believe our ginormous Coleman tent fit into this!
Unpacking the tent.
Carlos shows me what to do.
There was no instruction manual, but it was easy enough to put up!
Setting up our Coleman tent that can fit 5 people.
Meryll and Torto setting theirs up.
Coleman even added Camp Pads so we were comfy in our sleeping bags.
Tadaaaah! Our Seaview Tent! (That’s the model name by the way, haha I am aware we were at a lake.)
Pia and Karlo’s tent.
Our lovely view.
We’re all set! This was really comfy. And our tent was huge–we could literally stand inside. This LED light was very cool, it can turn into two separate lights, just detach them from the case. And I am such a newbie, the camp pads were supposed to be baligkad haha.
Cooking time! The boys made a wonderful dinner while the girls chatted.
So fun to be a girl haha. With Meryll and Pia.
Our yummy dinner: shrimp pasta, beef salpicao and half-eaten prosciutto, which was our appetizer.
For dessert: we made smores by the bonfire!
The next day: it was freezing cold.
So peaceful.
Our mansion of a tent. Those stilts are not part of it, by the way. That is part of the clothes rack that I had in the car. We didn’t see the extra pegs of the tent until the next day.
Yup, the tent had a patio. Â Those two chairs are also from Coleman.
The lake mirrors the sky. So pretty.
Our breakfast: we had sunny side up and scrambled eggs, bacon and corned beef.
Breakfast while making kwentuhan.
Caliraya Lake.
Must remember to bring one the next time.
Its 11:00. Time to pack up. (Thank you, Cookoo for this super cool Bluetooth smart watch! Ill be blogging about this soon.)
The boys put away the tents. I was obviously taking photos haha.
The tent was so easy to pack away.
Such a fun trip! We are happy campers!
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This looks like so much fun! I’ll definitely try this one time. You make it look easy!
Thanks! It really was fun. Something new to try! 🙂
Your photos are so nice! My parents have a place in Caliraya. Let us know if you ever plan to go back so we can time our trip there and invite you guys to chill by the dock. 🙂
Thank you Cat! 😀 Sige, I will let you know. Maybe one of these weekends! Thanks for the invite!
Love this post Kelly. The photos were so nice. I also love long drive and nature 🙂
Thank you Nanzy! 🙂 Appreciate your comment.
Thanks for replying Kelly. I’m such a happy follower of your blog 🙂
Hi Kelly!
My wife has been following you on IG thats where we came across this blogpost. We’re planning on a different summer adventure for our family of 5, away from overcrowded beaches and hotels.q I’m interested in this post re: camping in Caliraya. May I ask where this is exactly? Is there a need for reservation? How do I get in touch with them? Aside from camping, any other activities you may suggest? Thanks…hope to hear from you….
I will check with my friend! She was the one who brought me there. Sorry for the late reply. 🙂
Got it! The place is called SURF KAMP! 🙂 Look it up on Google. Its a great place to pitch a tent/light a bonfire!
Hi Kelly, just being curious..the guys you were with, are they somehow a distributor or seller of coleman products? Really cool to go on camping with all those gears! I was there last Sunday too (with Coleman gears too!)
I met with the distributor of Coleman before the camping trip and the brand was nice enough to lend me their gear for the trip. 🙂 It was really great to go camping with all the products–made the trip so easy and convenient.
I’m off to Caliraya this weekend. Getting excited reading this blog post. Cheers!
Hope you had an amazing time! 🙂 Caliraya is beautiful!
Hi, I also recently bought camping gears and been planning to go on camping with family this labor day weekend! Reading your post convinced me that Lake Caliraya is the perfect place! Just one question, is there a decent bathroom within the area? I also have a thing for cleanliness 🙂
Hey! Hope your camping trip went well. Unfortunately there is no toilet at Lake Caliraya (at least at the camping site where we stayed). So I suggest you bring a long skirt with you (or malong) so you can pee freely. Its a hassle, but you gotta do what you gotta do! There are some “private spots” where you can go, just make sure you have a pee buddy so you stay safe.
We plan to go there this weekend. May I know if we need to pay for entrance fee? Thanks
From what I remember, we paid a minimal fee. 🙂 My friend arranged it so I cant recall how much.