Northloop D1 | Dec 20 – 21, 2025 • Bolinao, Pangasinan

Finally found the time to write about our last getaway of 2025. This post is long overdue. Dec 19 was our last day in the office and the holiday shutdown started. We resumed work on Jan 12, so we had quite a bit of time off. Asis and I decided to spend the holidays on the road and did a north loop with our bb Ochre. It was also the first long drive for the car we bought in 2024.

That trip with my little family was one for the books. We were prepared and also not really. No proper camping equipment and no roof rack yet, so it was pretty crowded inside our Jimny. But we managed, and honestly that made it even more memorable. Here’s how Dec 20 went:

• Bought an awning and a cooler on the same day we left. Stopped by a friend’s place for a quick get-together before heading out around 15:00.
• Arrived in Bolinao, Pangasinan at midnight to find all the resort gates already closed. No bookings, no plan B. We ended up sleeping in the car on a vacant lot after hours of searching.
• A TODA man who turned out to be a tanod saved us with access to the barangay hall comfort room. Big thanks to him.
• At 6:00 we headed to Rider’s Camp, the place we originally wanted. Gate was finally open. Pitched the awning next to the car, reclined the seats, makeshift bed sorted. The campsite was really nice. Common bathroom and toilet, a shared sink for washing stuff, and a few kubo rooms and cottages. Only a few people around, which was perfect.
• Canned tuna and rice for brunch, steak for early dinner. Brewed coffee and tea, the latter from my first package from Obubu Tea Farm’s tea club, the last shipment of the year.
• Soaked in the sea, floated around, watched the clouds. Dragged the camping chairs to the beach for sunset. Mostly stayed up and made the most of the time there.
• It was Ochre’s first time at the beach and he did not love it. Struggled on the sand, he also kept humping every dog he met, wouldn’t listen when we called. So we put him back on the leash. That night he was still adjusting, barking at little noises or maybe things we couldn’t see, and kept switching spots in our small car. Thankful for the cool breeze though. No sleep plus sweaty would have been a whole other level of miserable. lol

It had been a long time since our last camp, so despite everything, it felt really nice. Hopefully next time we’ll actually have the right equipment.