Walked in Ayala Cebu to Buy a Hammock

Hello everyone!

This was exactly two weeks ago. I had a scheduled hike and a hammock is required because there was no space to pitch a tent on the mountain that we would be climbing. It was two days before the climb and I still don't have a hammock, so I asked @mariasalve where I could buy one. She was supposed to be with us on this climb, but there was an emergency with James Glendon, so it was automatic that she can't climb.

I actually asked them many weeks prior as to where I could buy a cheap hammock, but I kept delaying until two days before the climb. I didn't have a choice, but to buy wherever there was available even if it was not the cheapest. I chatted with @mariasalve while I was on a jeepney to Ayala just to be reminded of the name of the shop. She recommended Backwoods Outdoor Gear Shop in Ayala. I was confident and thought that the shop is in the mall itself, but got shocked when I checked Google Maps that it was almost a kilometer away from the mall. It's at the end of the property. The sad thing is that I already got off the jeepney at the terminal. I had no choice but to walk.

These photos should have been forever shelved in my Google Photos since I didn't have a plan of posting these. But as I was writing my next post, I find these photos to be necessary in telling that story. I can think of this as a prerequisite to that post. I just find it ironic that I have to roam around the concrete jungle before I can explore the real jungle two days later. It's interesting that one day, I was treading the paved road and then two days later, I was exploring an almost uncharted territory. I just realized now how beautiful of a contrast that was.

I'm happy that I took photos at that time. As Glebert would have put it, your photos are your currency especially if you're a blogger. Come to think of it, if I got lazy and didn't take photos, which I am most of the time, I wouldn't be able to tell my stories better. I haven't realized how introspective that walk was until I started writing a post that I still haven't finished and it's now in its second week in my drafts.

Anyway, let's focus on the walk itself.

I have not gone to that part of the city in a while. I was familiar with the place since I frequently visit the area back in college. Considering it was years ago, I noticed a lot of changes. One, the buildings are now much taller than before. Two, traffic is now heavier compared to before. Last, the construction of new buildings seems to be consistent now.

Before reaching Backwoods, I passed by an empty lot where the food stalls of Sugbo Mercado in Ayala are located. There were a lot of people in that afternoon. Some were jogging while others were just sitting on the grass and having a lazy afternoon. It was such a sight to see, but for some reason, I only took photos of an empty lot. I guess it was another introverted moment for me.

I finally reached Backwoods after a few minutes of walking and immediately bought the reason I was there in the first place. Backwoods is just a small shop that's specifically catering to the outdoor lifestyle. I'm amazed that they have rental services. You can basically rent any outdoor gear if you don't have plans of buying.

They don't have any other options for the hammock and it was the expensive one. My budget for a hammock was just Php 1000, but I bought the hammock at Php 1700. I did bother about the price too much because I was excited to have my hammock and try it for the first time.

I took a few more photos at the shop and then left after paying for the hammock. You have to stay tuned for the hammock experience in the upcoming posts. For now, here are the photos of the shop:

Before going home, I met with Alton to buy the necessary items for the climb that weekend. We bought snacks and mostly canned goods for our meals. We agreed to a meal plan a day before, so we just bought all the items on the list and we were confident it was good for three days. It was so traffic on the way home that I immediately went to sleep without having dinner. It was one tiring day.

I guess that's all for this post. See you at the next one! I'll upload the first part of the climb tomorrow or on Saturday.

Kim Ybañez

_{Welcome to Kim's small corner in Hive. He is a chemical engineer by profession, but a blogger by passion. He is a wanderlust and an adventure seeker. Join his quests as he visits remote destinations, climbs mountains, tries new and exotic dishes, and explores his country (The Philippines). He's also a trying-hard photographer so stay tuned as he shares his photos and his thought process while creating them.}

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