Queen of the South
I can’t vividly remember some of my memories when I last visited my province, the place where I spent half of my childhood years—Cebu. I’ve been wondering how Cebu was, how was our family, what has changed from the last time I visited. I miss visiting my province so when me, my mother, two of my siblings, my cousins and my aunt decided to book a flight (thankfully, the fare was not that pricy) to Cebu, to say that I was ecstatic is an understatement. Finally, after how many years, I will be able to see the Queen City of the South who has 44 towns, including Talamban where our house is located, and seven cities, urban centers and countryside, islands and mountain ranges, age-old crafts, and new technology. As we got near our destination, seeing the sea and lands of the place,and as the pilot informed us how close we are from landing, I was so ready to face my hometown and meet my relatives once again. When the plane finally landed, after a long walk from the inside to the place where we will get our luggage, we went outside to wait for my Tita and my cousin’s husband who’s driving the jeepney. As I let my eyes wander to the place, I then realize that this trip will be like walking down my memory lane of when I was younger.
Swimming was our first activity for that day. The place was located in Amara, Liloan inside a peaceful and quiet subdivision (I swear, it’s like a ghost town minus the foggy and scary atmosphere). It was daylight that day so we got to appreciate the place. Two-story houses are being surrounded with field of grass and trees. The resort was so clean, quiet, peaceful and alluring. What adds up to the list of why I like the place is the veranda, facing the beach. It was indeed a good place to reminisce or write. This place is a great family outing or friends get away after a stressful week. Our next stop is at Papa Kit’s Marina and Fishing Lagoon which is also located in Liloan. There are a lot of activities that can be done in this place like Zipline, hourseback ridding, Jungle Obstacle, wall climbing, hanging bridge, wakeboarding, aqua sports and fishing. The only activities we did was zipline, jungle obstacle, hanging bridge and fishing. I did not joined them in enjoying the zipline because I was too scared! It was so high and I feel like anytime soon, the rope will give up and drop me on the sea. After then, I regret not overcoming the fear and bad thoughts I’m picturing in my mind. Call me kill joy all you want but I did not, again, tried fishing with them. I was just looking at them while they kept on shouting and fooling each other that they got a fish on the hook. Why, you ask? Well, I really don’t know. One thing I remember is that I don’t think the fishes like me and that I might drop the rod. While I was typing this, I realize how foolish I was. Anyway, the night caught up our fun time in Papa Kit’s. They bought the fishes they got so that we can cook it for dinner and finally continue our journey towards Talamban.
My cousins and my Tita didn’t come with us in our house in Bario Binaliw, instead they stayed for the night in one of our Tita’s house somewhere in Liloan. As we bid our good night’s and see you tomorrow’s, the jeepney hit the road towards Binaliw. As we went close to the place, the surroundings became familiar to me and I can almost remember the day when I was still young. I also saw this narrow road where I remember was the way towards my nursery school. We passed through the tall and rocky mountains, houses that my mother knew the resident of it, and the villages (some of it was new to my eyes). We finally reached this road that in my opinion is dangerous. The road wasn’t that narrow but if the driver overestimated his turn, the jeep will fall into a deep ravine so when we made a turn, I inhaled deeply and held my breath until the jeep was driving straight again. The anxious feeling was worth it when we reached the place. The jeepney will take this short and rocky passage between two houses, serving as the right of way passage towards my grandfather’s land. When we finally came to a stop, my cousin and my Titas welcomed us with a warm smile and hug, same goes with our Lolo. They first talked to us in Cebuano but only I can’t understand them very well so all I did was replied a smile. “Di ka na kahibalo mosulti ug binisaya?” they would always ask me and my reply was always a nod. I’m envy of my brothers though, they still know how to speak in Cebuano but I can only understand some of it (just talk to me slowly so I can follow). As my mom and her sister talk, I wander around the place. Too bad it was night time so I can’t see much of it but I remembered some detail and I was happy nothing much has changed in the place. I saw the stairs up towards my grandparent’s little house where I first lost two of my tooth. I got a lot of tease after that and got to have this childish nickname that I don’t want to include here. I saw the place where I used to play with my cousin. The night was full of reminiscing about the past hilarious events and was full of “do you remember”.
On the following day, we went to Cebu’s BBQ Heaven: Larsian, located at Fuente Osmeña. It consists of several stalls and I’m telling you, the people here are so friendly and welcoming. They are so good with persuading you to eat to their stall. This place was frequently visited by locals and tourists and is usually crowded at night. They have grill area in the middle of the place where all the barbeque, no matter what stalls they belong to, are being cooked. My cousin and her partner own one of the stalls in Larsian so when she learned that we were having a vacation in Cebu, she immediately told us to visit their stall in Larsian and to spend our dinner there. Spoon and fork isn’t much used in this place. Instead, they will only give you a disposable plastic glove which is part of the barbeque experience. The place was a bit untidy but the atmosphere the store owners and workers give us, customer, made the stay worthwhile, plus of course the delicious meal they served. I recommend you this place, you will not regret coming here. We also went to a restaurant in Ayala Center, Idea Italia where we celebrated Lola Garden’s birthday. We call her Lola Garden because she usually send us request from Garden’s of Time which is an application in Facebook (and that’s the history of it). Going back, we had fun celebrating her birthday and enjoyed the food served. We also strolled along Ayala. We got to enjoy walking under the moon, laughing through our jokes and teasing each other. It was one of the nights I won’t ever forget.
The most unforgettable place we went to is Simala Shrine in Sibonga Cebu. It was one of the most beautiful Shrines I ever saw. The structure was a castle-like type and attached on the right side facing the church was two stairs wherein the stairs on the right is the way up the church while the left side of the stairs was the exit pathway. The place was enchanting especially the inner part of the church. On the outer part, on the right side of the church, there you could offer prayers and light colored candles which each have corresponding prayers. The atmosphere of the mass area was so holy and peaceful that you won’t find it hard to talk to God and pray inside. The statues found inside are also attractive same goes with the paintings in the ceiling! I am telling you, when you will be having a vacation at Cebu, do not forget to go to Simala Shrine! It is just one of the religious places where most Catholics go to with multiple reasons. We also visited Santo Niño de Cebu where we attended the Sunday mass. Since the church was damaged by the earthquake, the mass was held in front of the church. It amazed me with this attitude of the Cebuano Catholics. The earthquake did not stop them. Instead, they found a way, though inconvenient for some because of the severe heat from the sun, to still celebrate Sunday mass. I noticed that some people lacked discipline and consideration because as we walk through the crowded entrance of the Church; some are pushing one another and some aren’t concerned enough with the foot they were stepping into. Also, the outside of the church wasn’t that pleasant and tidy. The last place we went, and probably my “most awaited place” that I really want to show my cousin, is the Golden Haven Memorial Park located at Binaliw. I’ve never went to all the Memorial Parks in the Philippines but so far, the Golden Haven in Cebu is one of places I love. The place just represents the people who are buried in there; peaceful. I appreciate the aesthetic of the place and how relaxing it is. There is a short but complicated and dangerous path near our house and that’s where we took. We also had the time to visit our relatives in my mother’s side and also in my father’s side. It’s funny because it seems like every house that we see, they were our relatives or close family friend. Our journey ended there and I can say that with just a short period of time, we got to enjoy every hour, minute and second together. I did not only have the chance to bond with my relatives but I also got to appreciate the beauty of Cebu. It just held so many memories which is a part of me and I won’t ever forget this place that is dear to my heart. Now, 3 years had passed, I can’t wait to visit the Queen of the South again.