I was first introduced to
the great outdoors living from one tent to the next, hiking from one mountain
to another as a member of the UST Mountaineering Club during my college days.
To this day, I can still clearly remember the sight of the cloudless sky at
night inhabited by glittering stars, and hearing nothing but the buzz of
insects around us. I became hooked to that kind of life that it comprised all
of my wonderful college memories more than my academic endeavors itself.
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| #CampVibe Campsite |
Fast forward to my recent outdoor
camping experience: Late afternoon and, at the onset of sunset, temperature
ranging between five to nine degrees while a heavy downpour makes the already
glacial environment even frostier. Hands freezing, I pitched the tent barely
enough for me and my then-girlfriend to crawl inside. The whole night we stayed
up wondering if we would get hypothermia. Almost freezing, we struggled to
slumber the whole night and ditched our plan of cooking sinigang. That was at
Mount Pulag almost a year ago. The next day we awoke to a dew-rinsed morning
greeted by a fantastic sight from the mountain peak.
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| Poler Outdoor Stuff products on display |
Slowly, we made the final
approach for the peak and were gifted by a more mesmerizing spectacle. We both
agreed to go hiking more often. Since then, I’ve seen my
plans for another outdoor incursion get botched in favor of the normal manner
of traveling, of backpacking and staying indoors at hostels. I can see my
outdoor life at my rear-view mirror—slowly fading away, same way as my tent
gathers dust in my storage room back home.
I was reminded of my love of
camping at the great outdoors when I saw the rows of Poler Outdoor Stuff tents
pitched neatly at the beach head of Anvaya Cove in Bataan. I reckoned with my
advancing age and diminishing leg strength, I would not need to hike mountains
to enjoy the great outdoors once again. With the Philippines surrounded by
beautiful beaches, the idea of camping out on a beach acted as a perfect way to
kick start my love for nature-based adventures again.
That timely reminder never escaped
my fellow participants as well. Travel writers, photographers, chefs, and other
professionals who attended the two-day, second Poler Camp Vibes were also
reminded of the importance to escape our monotonous existence in the big
cities. To some of them, who even brought their whole families, being closer to
nature gave them a blueprint on how to introduce our bountiful natural
resources to their kids.
And this is what the Poler
Outdoor Brand wanted to convey, “To reignite the spark for adventure and exploration.
To show a strong passion toward
galvanizing an adventurous
life.” The brand also intends to bridge the gap between action sports
and traditional outdoor activities through their adventure-centric marketing
strategies.
Poler Outdoor brand
executive JC Alipo-on explains, “Poler Outdoor Stuff dedicates its existence to
providing a line of versatile gear
and apparel that is equally fun
and functional and
apt for everyday
use in the
city as well as your next trip
into the wild. The
brand even introduced
its #CampVibes motto, which
imbibes one’s awesome adventures
with distinctly positive
outdoor vibes from
rock climbing, skateboarding, surfing, motorcycling, to
picnics, road trips, camping on the beach, and so much more!”
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| Masterchef Asia contestant Chef Lica Bautista Ibarra |
As the curtailing light of
the beautiful Bataan sunset sweeps the skyline, the participants eagerly
awaited the night’s dinner prepared by Asia Masterchef contestant Lica Bautista
Ibarra, who prepared a delicious dish consisting of elote (Mexican grilled
corn), grilled churrasco beef kebab, grilled taco chicken kebab, smoke pulled
pork tortillas with capsicum, cilantro, onions, chimichurri, crema, and lime. A
dining area set up in the center afforded the participants to enjoy the food
and create conversations among each other.
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| #CampVibe Dinner |
After our sumptuous dinner
came the first set of #CampVibes games participated by the mostly younger
participants followed by an open mic music jam and film showing. The rest of us
just chilled around sitting on the cool soft sands of Anvaya Cove Beach while
taking turns making smores by a classic bonfire—with an ice cold beer in hand.
The next morning, after the
Zumba session, which I was forced to partake, the participants engaged each
other in a friendly competition as they race each other through the mini
adventure course during the Poler Awesome Games Challenge. Some of the
participants included teams composed of parent-children tandems. The dads and
the moms delighted at the opportunity showing their kids all the fun stuff they
can enjoy in the great outdoors as opposed to limiting their leisure time to
playing electronic gadgets.
The mini race was won by
professional surfer Luke Landrigan and his son Kai. The father and son duo set
off ablaze on the paddling part of the race to get the first clue a hundred
meters to the sea and never relinquishing their lead after that.
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| Poler Executive JC Alipo-on awards Pro surfer Luke Landrigan & son Kai as the winner of the Awesome Games Challenge |
During the awarding ceremony
JC Alipo-on highlighted further the brand’s mission and added, “Poler Outdoor
Stuff believes that any trip can be a life-changing adventure for as long as
one enjoys the journey and picks
up rich experiences
along the way
and they are
more than happy
to accompany one’s inner adventurer the Camp Vibes way!”
During the two-day event I
also get to check out Poler Outdoor Stuff’s various products such as tents,
sleeping bags, backpacks, shirts, and other adventure items at their showcase
booth. I got myself an easy open backpack for my future trips but other than
that, I acquired my outdoor camping mojo back.
After I returned home, I
took out and cleaned my dusty tent and proceeded to make plans for an upcoming
camping trip this summer. I may not be able to keep my promise of going on more
hiking trips with my ex-girlfriend, but I see no reason I shouldn’t let my
inner adventure let out the Camp Vibes way.
* This article appeared in the May 22, 2016 issue of Manila Bulletin's Lifestyle pages *
