It's been a while since my last post - not so long, but yeah, hahaha.
Starting the Year in the Province
San Remegio Cultural Center and Leisure
How was your holidays? I hope you enjoyed it, whether with your friends, relatives, or family, and started the year 2024 happily and full of hope. As for me, I had a great start of the year. My vacation at home in our province was my much-need detox from the city life. What really also made my heart happy was I got to enjoy again the sunset at the beach. I got to enjoy the fresh air and just take the slow pace of life at home where birds were singing and trees were dancing while reminiscing about all the happy moments, as well as the silent battles I've won last year. I hope we will have a prosperous year in 2024.
First Hiking of the Year
Anyway, I'm writing this blog to finally share my first-ever weekend hike with my go-to hiking buddies and others who are friends of @ybanezkim26 and my first-ever blog post this year.
Our journey had begun at the famous meetup location at Talamban mercado near Gaisano Grand Mall. Everyone first gathered at the Jollibee fast-food chain and had their breakfast while waiting for the others. When everyone arrived and finished breakfast, we started right away.
We were 14 in total – yes, quite a lot, and it was fun. A few meters away from where we began, we reached the starting point of the ascending road – the moment of truth, I must say. We took deep breaths because we knew it would be the first challenging part of the day, and yet, we weren't wrong about it, hahaha. The first ascents are usually the hardest ones, at least for me.
The trail we took is probably the one that offers a lot of fruit we can grab while hiking. I personally got a lot of Tamarind and ate it while walking; that satisfied me with its sourness. And Kuya Kim even brought home 2 pieces of Guyabano – not really sure if that was 2 pieces or 3 pieces, though, hahaha. There are some guavas also, but unfortunately, they're still super green and tiny.
Our first-ever stop was this view deck where we could see the whole city. The place was wide and huge – perfect for camping, but I'm not quite sure if camping is allowed there. Nevertheless, the place is perfect, especially during the night because you can see the city lights. After everyone was satisfied with the pictures they had taken, we decided to go back and went down to the lake that I've been wanting to see because @mariasalve keeps on mentioning it, hehe.
On our way to the lake, I felt excited descending, but half of my mind was not so because I knew we had to take the back trail, and it just means we have to climb back again up the mountain, and the elevation there was no joke. But it was fine because the reward was worth it, and you can see in the picture how worth it the lake was. Look how pretty it is. As per Ate Salve, this is her dream retirement place, where she can live peacefully away from the city. Take note, this is not just an ordinary lake; there are living creatures under it - a lot of fishes.
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After minutes of enjoying the lake, we took the back trail. From there to wherever that place we've gone to, a lot of things happened: trail doubt, river trail (which we weren't sure if that was still a river, haha), and slipperiness because it rained the day before. After hours of hiking, we finally reached Sitio Baugo. It was already noon, and it was slightly raining, so everyone decided to eat our lunch in a small carenderia there before proceeding to Budlaan Falls.
Unfortunately, I did not make it to Budlaan Falls since I had to go to the airport. My elder brother was flying somewhere far away, and we wouldn't see him for 6 months. Of course, I would cancel anything just for my loving brother.
Among the 14 hikers, only 6 hikers continued to the falls and covered a total of 17 kilometers. As for me, I had just 11 kilometers – not bad for my first hike this year after relaxing for about 2 months, hehe.
So, I hopped on a motorcycle going back to Gaisano Grand Mall Talamban and paid 70 pesos to the driver. Then, I rode a jeepney going to Gorordo for 22 pesos. When I got home, I rested for a while and prepared myself for another destination of the day – the beautiful Mactan-Cebu International Airport.
Bon Voyage, Brother!
As soon as I arrived at the waiting area of the airport, I saw my Mama, Papa, my elder brother, my sister-in-law, my nephew, and younger brother. We had small talks and laughs, took photos, and a few moments after, we had to say goodbye and gave a hug to my brother. I prayed that his flight be guided by Him and reached his destination safe and sound.
That's basically the happenings of my 2nd weekend of January.
Here's to more hikes, family gatherings, and successes for 2024!
LET'S CLAIM IT!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Hello there! I'm Danah, a Marketing Services Associate by profession. I'm an adventurous person, always seeking to discover new experiences and extract valuable life lessons from each of them. I'm passionate about dancing and performing on stages in front of the crowd. I thrive on exploring the great outdoors and capturing memories.
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