My friends who are now living abroad share a similar problem with how they spend their weekends, or more accurately, how they're not spending their weekends. They say their lives now are filled with boring weekends with nothing to do. They also have to make tremendous effort and planning when they have an opportunity to go out during their weekends.
Maybe it's the fact that they're living in a foreign land or that they don't have a lot of friends. But one of my friends is now a permanent resident and she said that it's just different in the Philippines. And it's true. It's strange worrying about what I would do on the weekend because I am assured that there will always be something to do.
Invites from friends, spontaneous decisions to go to the mall, plans to visit the nearest tourist spots, or random reasons to just go out. There are countless chances to go out during the weekends. Sometimes, I even have to reserve some weekends for deliberate rest.
I guess I'll find out for myself if this problem only really exists outside the Philippines once I decide to go abroad to pursue my Ph.D.
SIRAO FLOWER GARDEN
To prove this point, I can recall a time when out of the blue, my colleagues from work decided to explore the mountainous part of Cebu City. We all had nothing to do during the weekend, so it was decided. We didn't have to plan hard for it. We were just going to Sirao, and that was it.
Maybe one of the reasons why spending the weekend outside is so easy in the Philippines is that everything is accessible. Not everyone has cars but we have public transport that can take you anywhere you want to go. We have jeepneys and tricycles that drop you off wherever (along the route) and whenever you want to, regardless of traffic rules.
We also have motorcycle taxis and vans that take you to far-flung areas. On the day of this weekend excursion, we took a van that would cross the span of Cebu, taking the mountainous route through the middle of the island. After driving for almost 20 km from the city center, we got off at Sirao. Our first destination was the famous Sirao Garden. From the drop-off point, we still had to walk for about 15 minutes to the garden.
It was a lovely summer day, a wonderful time to visit a garden on top of the mountains. I have been to Sirao Garden multiple times, and there's always something new about it during my visits. For one, the flowers were different. I think they plant different flowers depending on the season. They also harvest some of them and sell them in the city.
During this visit, there were a lot of purple flowers, pink spider flowers, and white peace lilies. The place was also filled with human-sized bird nests that remind me of Bali. The famous hand sculpture was still around, which I believe is also inspired by Bali.
The garden has seen many chapters of my life. Just as the flowers are replaced every season, I visit the garden, and my memories planted in it are replaced with new and better ones. During this visit, I am reminded of the joy and lightheartedness when you're with friends.
SIRAO PEAK
We didn't stay long in the garden because our next destination was the nearby mountain. From the garden, we headed to the peak of Mt. Kan-irag or Sirao Peak. I remember the trek to be an easy and quick one, so that's why I suggested it to the group.
There was a clear path that we only had to follow to get to the top of the mountain. It helped that the soil was dry and solid. The only challenging part of the trek was a rocky and steep path that we had to traverse using our hands.
We passed by a No Trespassing sign that made me worry. Apparently, the peak and a large portion of the mountain were private property. I told my companions that we had to be quick, or we would be chased out.
We emerged from the foilage and reached the peak. It had a prime view of the city on one side and more mountains on the other. After savoring the view for a short while, we headed back to the foot of the mountain.
CHARLIE'S CUP
Our next destination was a popular coffee shop and restaurant located in the mountainside called, Charlie's Cup. We took a motorcycle to go there, and we passed by houses that sold a lot of plants and flowers. I told one of my friends that we should buy some for our mothers before going home because it was Mother's Day that day.
We arrived at Charlie's Cup and the place was just starting to fill up with people. A lot of families decided to spend Mother's Day in the restaurant. We ordered their famous breakfast dishes, Spam fries, a slice of cake, and some lemonades.
We ate our lunch with a view of the mountains while being cooled by a fresh breeze. It was a good way to rest after our morning trek.
The place was already filled up by the time we finished our food. I would have wanted to stay and relax, but it was difficult to do that with all the people around. So we decided to head out and look for plants.
On the way back to the city, we stopped at a house beside the road that displayed plants for sale. I chose a rose and a Mickey Mouse plant for my mother. I knew she didn't have those yet and that she'd be happy to receive them.
I returned home carrying the plants from the mountains. As expected, my mother was elated upon seeing my Mother's Day gifts for her. I decided to spend the rest of the day to rest and relax.
If I thought that that weekend excursion was special and rare, I would have spent some time during the day thinking how lucky I was to be able to spend my weekend on it.
Maybe it would also do good to not have a lot of activity-filled weekends in your life. It would make you more grateful for weekends well spent.
