Hi guys! How's your September so far? Honestly speaking mine is in slow motion. I feel like I'm in this limbo and I hate this because I am someone who lacks patience and wants to get things done right away. Don't get me wrong though because I am into something productive, though this isn't something big. I'm in momentarium waiting for declarations but I'm still looking forward for amazing things to happen.
Anyway, let's get over the drama and push away the heaviness in this post. This post is really overdue but here's a short bla-bla-bla about how my friends and I used a one day holiday for an exciting adventure. We decided to go hiking at the Osmeña Peak.
If you haven't heard of the place, it's the highest peak in Cebu located at Mantalongon Dalaguete Cebu. The peak is approximately 1,000 meters above sea level. Dalaguete is about 85 kilometers from Cebu City.
As you can see in the photos, the mountains look almost similar to the Chocolate hills of Bohol but differs because the ones in Mantalongon are thinner and has a sharper tip. It is also rocky that it reminds me of a description written about Mt. Olympus and Aunt Lyssa's home. Funny how the place made us feel like we're one of the cast from Game of Thrones hahaha
It was raining the night before we went hiking and I was really scared we couldn't make it because of the weather. As scared as I am, I went calling my friends 2 hours before our scheduled meet up. LOL. I remember that was 4:00 AM in the morning and not one of them was answering my calls,so I was like WAHHH..'Lord,are they still sleeping?' I was really scared and I can only imagine how down I'd feel if we weren't able to make it. So glad my BFF Shiela texted me an HOUR later to console me and inform me that she's getting ready! We decided to meet at the bus terminal at 6 in the morning, but because of some instances we gathered at the terminal at 8. There are four of us going to the place by the way (my bff Shiela, my friend Cherry, and Cherry's bf Anthony).
It was a little hard for us to get some reliable information about how to get to the place (e.g the bus fare,etc.) because most of the things posted online are either not updated or confusing, that means we just took the courage to know what we have to know by ourselves. More exciting right?
To prevent you from the same dilemma, here's a "How To Get To Osmeña Peak" information I prepared for you, if you ever plan to visit the place. Of course there are so many ways to get there, but what I wrote below is how we got to the place. What's written below is basically from our experience. If you know other/better ways to get there, then feel free to comment it below.
How To Get To Osmeña Peak: (***With some tips and info.)
1. Take a bus going South at the Cebu's South Bus Terminal. We took a bus going to Dalaguete because according to the bus drivers at the terminal, no bus will stop directly at the peak.
- The bus drivers said you can actually take ANY bus going south. You just have to stop at Dalaguete's highway where some motorcycle drivers can take you to the peak.
- We took a ride in an airconditioned bus and it cost us 110 pesos. There are rides available from bus with no air condition and it's just a little bit cheaper than the airconditioned ones. That explains why we took the latter :)
- The bus stopped us in front of Julie's bakeshop. The bakeshop served as our landmark.
- The ride from the terminal to Dalaguete took us approx. 2 hours or more. Some people said it took them 3, but I think depends on the situation.
2. Once you get to Dalaguete's highway, take a motorcycle ride going to the hiking area. You don't have to worry about getting a ride because a lot of motorcycle drivers will offer you a ride. Even to the point of being so annoying and "bastos" just to make you take their service.
- The motorcycle ride cost us 200 pesos, that's for a back and forth ride. We were fetch by the same drivers going down at Dalaguete's highway where the bus stopped us. We also took a bus going home at the same place.
- Some people we know said the motorcycle drivers can drop us at the Mantalongon vegetable market and we can just hike all the way through the peak, that way, we can save half from our motorcycle payment. But believe me, the vegetable market is way too far from the hiking area and the road going there is too steep and rocky. I think a motorcycle ride will really save your day.
3. You don't need a "pro" guide in hiking because local children living near the peak area can take you to the peak for 50 pesos. Be kind to give the kids something to eat too :) They'll be very happy!
- While hiking, wear a proper hiking attire. It is also best to bring a jacket or a sweater because the temperature is really gonna drop once you reach the peak.
- If possible, wear a good hiking shoes like a real hiking shoes. My friends and do not have any so we really had a hard time. There are absolutely no trees to save us because there is none in the area. I failed miserably in looking for an alternative cane at that time haha.
- I think it's better to visit the place in summer. It is really not a joke to hike on wet season but I think it's more adventurous! ;)
4. We went down in the same way we got to the hiking area. We asked our motorcycle drivers to wait for us. No waiting fee charges.lol
Mantalongon is considered as the vegetable basket in Cebu, so it's no wonder why so many vegetables especially cabbages were planted all over the place. They sell vegetables at a lower price in the vegetable market (seen above) too. We didn't buy any because we were out of time and money. hehe
Cheers to my BFF Shiela who took so many selfies using my camera ahahhahaha Hi BFF! :p
Anthony is such a bummer! He went way,way ahead of us with our tour guide while we were catching our breaths. hahaha He's a real sport by the way. Cherry is so lucky to have him. She doesn't have to sing to him "if-you-wanna-be-my-lover-you-gotta-get-with-my-friends" LOL.
I love how solitary this photograph looked like. I wish I am the guy in the pic.
Even though it was wet and slippery all over, the place was all clear until we got to the peak where we experienced zero visibility. It was so cold above and my tummy started feeling weird. The cold weather also triggered the pain in my tooth so I took 1000 mg. of pain killers going home. Psycho lang?
It was so hard to take photos because of the strong winds. There was even a time where we think we're gonna fly. I'm not even kidding. I would even take a jump shot photos if the wind didn't behave that way. I just couldn't risk my camera falling and flying away. kebs!
We were riding in the motorcycle as we saw this marvelous grotto of the Virgin Mary. It's so beautiful and haunting. Our driver was so kind to stop to let us pray and take photos. Thank you Kuya driver!
You're welcome :) See you soon.
I was very thankful that we got home safe,sound and happy. I'll never forget the holiday adventure that we have for the rest of my life. I hope more eyes will realize the beauty of Cebu by visiting the peak.
Good luck everyone, don't be afraid to seek your own adventures!
love lots,
Tin
