April 2019
The only places we really wanna visit in Cebu are the Osmena Peak and the hometown of one of our colleagues in Linut-od, Argao. Fortunately my colleagues were like-minded people who also preferred to take a vacation in a laid-back place where you get to breath fresh air in verdant surroundings. I had wanted to go to Osmena Peak even then I just wasn’t able to find time before, until recently when we booked our tickets early. When the day came, we took a bus from Roxas City to Iloilo and boarded the plane to Cebu. It was already evening when we arrived in Cebu City.
Traffic congestion was really bad as the taxi we boarded ferried us to the South Bus Terminal. The driver of the taxi was trying to convince us that he can actually take us straight to Argao faster so we don’t have to take a bus anymore. We were not convinced as taxi drivers in Cebu usually take advantage of passengers. After a while we got to the terminal and had dinner before proceeding to where the passengers were. There was a very long queue and we were told that there was only 1 queue for all trips no matter which bus we will be boarding so we just took our seat and waited ever so patiently. It felt like waiting in queue took longer than the trip itself. Then it was our turn to board the bus en route to Argao which leaves at 12:00 midnight. The trip to Argao took approximately 2 hours. Our friend’s cousin was also in the same bus and headed to the same town we were headed so we did not get lost at that unholy hour.
we slept for just 2 hours because we had to leave at 4:00AM to get to Osmena Peak before sunrise. Although it was really tiring we got up when the alarm sounded and headed to the mountains. It was cold at early morning because the elevation was increasing and it was really windy at the peak. It was a very easy climb but for my friends it was kind of challenging because it was their first time hiking on a mountain.
By midday we visited a university in town to meet former colleagues of our friend and we got to see their facilities. We then proceeded to the mountainous barangay of Linut-od, the 2nd farthest barangay 23km away from the town. It is where the Coal Mountain Resort is located. It offers a very refreshing retreat in a remote area of Cebu, far from the noise and smog of the city. It took almost an hour of bumpy ride through narrow, rough and dusty dirt road. Houses were few and far between and both sides of the road were typically covered with wild vegetation. There were also cultivated areas where there were houses.
The mountain resort is owned by the family of the Vice-mayor of Argao, originally just a family vacation home. Later, they accommodated tourists who want to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life. Indeed it was a very quiet and relaxing place overlooking verdant mountains but with comfortable hotel standard rooms and amenities like swimming pool, internet connection and they also serve reasonably-priced although limited choices of food.
Cebu is known for its historical significance, old catholic churches, shrines, religious festivities, busy streets, guitar, mango chips and otap. There are actually remote areas in Cebu that are really worth exploring, and we discovered many more wonderful things about Cebu during this trip.
Images: Other Journeys 