Who's up for a weekend in the mountains, surrounded by vegetable farms, a natural stream and pine trees? No internet in a secluded solar-powered cabin.
Imagine yourself in a valley with a completely unfamiliar landscape that tricks you into thinking you flew to a foreign country for the weekend. Natural breeze of fresh cold air free from pollution of any kind. Quiet. Just you, your family and nature.
Dahilayan Kubo is available for rent. It is located in Barangay Dahilayan near Kumaykay River Farm.
In Dahilayan, there is no need for air conditioning. Fleece blankets will get you through the night. The temperature goes down, stars stand out against the velvety night sky and fresh produce are abundant everywhere.
A dear college classmate turned best friend invited our family for a weekend here in their mountain home.
We were huddled inside the thick quilt, frozen cold inside a 2-bedroom bamboo hut or what we call bahay kubo. There was a natural stream behind the property nestled in a small valley in Dahilayan, an hour drive away from Cagayan de Oro, in Mindanao, south of the Philippines.
The children ran around outdoors all afternoon and swam in the backyard stream. They played with dolls inside a small tent while us adults were either sitting at the long bamboo table immersed in hearty conversations or taking a nap on the custom built bamboo benches on the porch.
Sugba means To Grill
The scent of grilled meat and vegetables filled the air. The caretaker brought home fresh organic vegetables from the nearby farms and we used some of them to create a home cooked dinner.
Kids had fun playing and swimming in the natural stream at the backyard.
At night, we had light. We brought in an ice chest to keep some of our drinks cold. Recently, they have installed solar panels to equip the house with low-voltage lights and power outlets for basic charging and small low-voltage appliances. We cooked on a gas stove and enjoyed home-cooked meals here. There's a barbecue pit behind the house for sugba as well. Our friends showed us how fun it is to stargaze at night and discover constellations.
The next morning, the greatest pleasure I had was drinking coffee at the large covered bamboo porch with endless views of organic vegetable farms. I excused myself and went for a morning stroll alone in nature which was intoxicating for the spirit in a really good way.
So this is what off-grid living is really like. We were supposed to stay for one night but we ended up relaxing there throughout the entire weekend. Our batteries were fully recharged when we left. I was away from my phone the entire time except for taking pictures I highly recommend unplugged getaways like this.