Overnight Camping in Taptap, Cebu City

I lived in Cebu City for more than two years. However, because of the ongoing pandemic, I have yet to visit the Queen City of the South. Beautiful mountains, stunning waterfalls, and pristine beaches await you in Cebu, which is famed for its rising tourism. Even when the quarantine and lockdown have been lifted, and tourism is back on track, I still wasn't able to explore much to my dismay. However, I'm still lucky enough to experience and visit some of the beautiful places in Cebu City.

My previous colleague and housemate, Argine, invited me to Taptap. She knew I hadn't explored Cebu City, so she wanted me to come with her. It's overnight camping with her coworkers, which means I'm an outsider - her plus one.

We went to their office first to get the food and other items we needed for the camping trip before heading out to the campsite. Then it was off to Taptap Camping Site, which was about an hour away from Business Park, Cebu City.

There was no trekking or short hikes as it was right next to the highway. When I got out of the car, a breeze welcomed us. It's been so cold for the first time in a long time, and the wind that caresses my skin feels lively. When I stepped into the decks and containers, I had to be fascinated by the greenery. The view alone was relaxing and refreshing. You can only see the panoramic view of the countryside. The cityscape was hidden behind the mountains. However, some of them are huge towering structures that can be seen from a distance.

The deck was spacious, even two large tents can still fit on the deck. However, neither of us brought a tent, so the ten of us fitted in the two large compartments that serve as the bedroom. However, the other container, which was supposed to be a double room, will be a storage room. And the comfort room was located downstairs, at the back.

After several minutes of entrancing the magnificence of nature, it was time to prepare lunch. It was rather gloomy. Everyone was busy with the food preparation before it starts raining. Luckily, a few minutes later, the sun was out from the clouds - from gloomy to a summery day.

We had our lunch at past 2:00 PM. We had shrimp, stuffed squid, pork liempo, siomai (a popular food in Tisa), ngohiong, and roasted chicken. Some of the food was saved for dinner. After the sumptuous meal, everyone spread out and started doing things. Since I'm not a very social person, I went into the container and grabbed my book. I read until I fell asleep. When I woke up, it was already sunset, and everyone was outside, waiting for the golden moment while playing card games.

They invited me to play cards. Unfortunately, I only know Solitaire and 'Unggoya' (pair of cards). That's when they decided to change the game to Exploding Kitten. I'm not a fan of card games, but this one becomes one of the exceptions. I was the first blood for the first three rounds. You could tell I was still getting used to the game. But in the fourth game, I won. I used some of my brain cells to develop strategies for each of my moves. From Exploding Kitten, we then played the Imploding Kittens. The game got more exciting and difficult, and I didn't want it to end. The game goes on, and the darker the sky gets, the colder it gets. Every time the game was over, I'd go back to the container to put on my jacket first. Then the socks. And finally, I had to swap my shorts for jogging pants.

While we were playing, some were preparing our dinner. The game was put on hold when it was dinnertime already. Hot soup was served for the cold and breezy night. Since there was Kimchi, meat, and lettuce available, I decided to have a samgyupsal dinner. After digging in, we immediately continued the game, while others played Charade, a guessing game. We went on for an hour then they decided to have some chitchat and booze. This time, I didn't join the fun. I just lie down and star gazed. An hour late, I went inside the container to sleep.

I woke up early and waited for the hues of oranges to spread in the sky. Though the weather was being uncooperative, we were able to witness a breathtaking view with an orchestra of nature and the cool breeze caressing our faces. We watched the magical hour full of wows. It was a perfect moment to pause and just enjoy the moment. As the sun came out, we all savored its gentle warmth blended with the refreshing air.

It was almost 7:00 AM when everyone decided to prepare breakfast. As the sun rose higher, the heat intensified. The huge umbrella was not enough. For this reason, we had to transfer below the deck. There was enough space where we can cook, place the tables, and even lie down. While waiting for the other food, some of us played charade. We played by teams with categories: Disney Characters, Disney movies, and the Animal Kingdom. The game ended when breakfast was ready.

It was around noon when we decided to go home already. How I wish I could spend another night in Taptap. All things considered, it was a fun weekend experience at the mountain.

It was an efficient way to reset my body clock. I hope to have an overnight stay either in the mountain or at the beach to take a pause and reset.

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