The partner and I have longed for a chance to go camping yet again. It has been N months since our last one in Sirao Peak and we were itching to go some place else if only to get away from our busy work schedules.
But alas, reality comes up and you have to deal with long hours at the office, erratic work schedules, budget constraints and, just this weekend, the weather. We were raring to go last Saturday and had even already packed up the night before. Except that the skies were all gloomy and gray that Saturday morning and it felt like Senyang was just getting ready to lash out its fury any time.
We would never settle for experience over safety – not especially when there is a toddler involved. So, we stayed at home to, well, catch a lot of well-deserved sleep.
But then again, the adventure itch just keeps coming back. And when you have a brand-new-ish (just recently arrived in the Philippines but bought second from the US) backpack baby carrier, any parent would definitely not want to miss out the chance to try it out. But we’ll talk on the carrier and the shipping stories in another post.
The partner and I agreed to take a walk, off to his mother’s house, which is just a five-minute drive from my parents’ house where we are staying. It’s about a 30-minute power walk but when you have a 10-kg toddler inside a 3kg backpack and a partner who very rarely does exercise (ahem I guess that’s me), you may have to double that time.
According to Google Maps, we walked around 3.5km at around 8am in the morning and another 3km on our way home at 11am. It was hot. And I was wearing a tank top. Aack! No wonder people kept staring at me – I was as red as a ripe tomato!
So there. All I really wanted was to share our photos. I had some trigger happy spurts while the partner was sweating buckets. Haha! I did have a chance to carry the backpack on the way down the bridge though. Oh yeah, did I mention that this day hike involved crossing an 864-meter bridge without shade along the way? We are both not used to wearing sunblock at all but now I’m rethinking my views on that.
But I had so many injuries (that already came up at the beginning of the walk) that the partner pitied me and decided to carry the backpack all the way home. I had blisters and an aching foot – that’s kind of what you get when you don’t know how to walk properly and you don’t wear socks or adjust the shoes that you are just trying to break in (the review deserves a separate post). Maybe that was just an excuse from me. The daughter was already sleeping in her pack halfway our walk home.
On the other hand, I felt so accomplished that day, I decided to do about a week’s worth of laundry for three people all by myself. And while I used the washing machine to get the cleaning done, the rinsing had to be done manually and by the end of the day, my back was burning. And I only realized my legs had gone sore the next day.
No pain, no gain, they say. And we didn’t get to spend a dime for this getaway – hooray!
Did you guys get anywhere (free!) over the weekend? Do share!
XX
Hey Pam, we are looking for that baby carrier here. Ang mahal kasi sa Deuter. π How much is the 2nd hand carrier? Naku, my husband is the one who is always egging me to go camping…. we went on dayhikes pa lang, one in HK and the latest is in Sagada. Add me on FB, dami ko questions hihi.
Hi, Mommy Badet!
So sorry for this very late reply. Pumunta pala sa Spam yung comment mo.
I super love talaga your trip to Baguio. Haaaay, kakainggit. I brought my carrier over at ebay US (second hand) and then had it shipped via pobox.ph. The carrier was around 2k lang but bawi sa shipping (6k) pero if you have more items shipped, medyo magiging sulit siya. I’m not sure hanggang anong age siya pwede gamitin, siguro mga 20lbs max yung load nung bata, I’m not so sure haha. Usually mga 50lbs kasi yung limit both nung child + load of the backpack. I will add you up on FB once I get home! Haha.
Wow! That was a great backpack! Parang gusto ko din sumakay jan! Hahaha. Good thing you’re okay? Sobrang red mo nga sa pictures! Sun burn ang ending nyan kung ako ang gumawa nyan, Heheh!
The carrier is nice h Where did you buy it?
xoxo
MrsMartinez
I got it secondhand from eBay and had it shipped via pobox.ph. I only found one secondhand carrier here in the Philippines; they have brand new ones available in Manila but it costs around 10k which is too much for me.
The “toddler” carrier looks interesting. You can also get a bike. π -edel
We are actually considering that but we still need the budget. Haha. City roads are not bike-friendly though and I am not sure I have the stamina and courage to bike alongside big trucks.
What an adventure! And that must have been a heavy (but beautiful) load on your back. Lol! Don’t forget the sunblock, though.
We are definitely looking on getting that sunblock! We’re also getting protection for the eyes, too!
The photo of your daughter asleep in the backpack is too adorable for words! I think it’s a great exercise and I think you should invest in a sunblock for your and another for your daughter. I read kasi that UV rays can still penetrate fabric barriers.
True. I’m definitely looking for a good one. The last one we used was a little too sticky and when you’re walking under the sun here in humid Philippines, it can get pretty uncomfortable even for babies. We’re also getting protection for the eyes, too! π
Oh my! It must be so hard to carry that load under the heat of the sun! I don’t think I can do that. Galing! π
It was during this post. We tried again last weekend and I think I’m getting better at it. I feel really proud of myself seeing as I don’t ever do exercise in any form.
That is so cool! I used to read about hiking with a toddler on a backpack baby carrier on US-based blogs. You’re a certified loving mom hiker π
Thank you! That is a really nice compliment. I get my inspiration from those US-based adventure blogs, too.
You must have been dead tired upon arriving home :p
I was actually even more pumped up to do the laundry. Haha!
I love the photo of your daughter sleeping. π We weren’t able to go anywhere last weekend, as my partner got sick. Honestly, I wouldn’t be able to walk like that! Good on you! π
I think you get better with time. We did another walk last weekend and I think I have better endurance than I did in this post. π
Wow, I don’t think I’d be able to accomplish this. I love walking but not under the glaring sun and not while carrying a toddler. Haha! You did a great job though.
Thank you. It’s great for exercise, too (and I never have that).
I would probably be able to do this in another country where the weather is colder. XD
Wow! Yo are so brave for attempting to carry you daughter all throughout the walk. When my kids were younger and I’d take them with me for trips, we were on a “no-carrying” policy. hahaha! I just can’t! But i’ve trained all my kids to walk everytime we go on trips, but of course we slow down our pace to help them out. It takes longer but it gets the job done.:)
I actually didn’t. But I had to during our most recent camping trip. The daughter usually doesn’t want to be carried now so it was a surprise that she loves to be in the carrier (it’s only been a month with us). We’re training for future trips that involve going up the mountains. Hehe.
ugh, too many commitments over the holidays, and we spent a lot of our free days at my brother’s wake. I need a break!
How cute naman your daughter falling asleep in he backpack. Does it protect from heat? I actually downloaded one of the pics you posted on FB and showed it to my bff who just had a baby. π
Thanks for sharing, Mommy May!
She is protected from the heat and the carrier actually is roomy inside and has a lot of head space. Had we known about this technology earlier we would have gone up the mountains earlier (and had more time to train/exercise our bodies)! Haha!
Your situation’s totally understandable and since you homeschool, you have all the time in the world. I super envy you, I hope I could find a job from home soon!
Oh so cute. But I am worried about your kid. Is it okay for her to be in a very hot environment? Most of the kids get hubak or whatsoever after being in the heat for a long time (regardless of the shade from that cute backpack baby carrier). So happy for you both. Oh there are three of you.. threeoth.
Hi, Jessica. Thanks for the concern.
So far the daughter did not have any qualms about last weekend’s walk. Well, except probably from the glare of the sun. We really should get her sunglasses for eye protection.
We do try to avoid walking on midday – we just had to go home this time and we had no choice but to walk (I don’t think we brought money then hahaha). The carrier did provide excellent protection for her except for her arms, which I kept pushing inside while she was sleeping, and legs.
At least now we know what things to prepare for like leggings, long-sleeved tops, sunblock, sunglasses, sun hat to protect ourselves and the baby, too.