LOCATION:
Compostela, Cebu (northern part of Cebu)
FESTIVAL:
Caballo de Compostela (July 25)
FEES: (as of September 2009)
Jeepney Fare from Cebu to Compostela (est.35.00)
Tricycle Fare from Poblacion to Q Park (25.00)
OTHER PLACES TO VISIT:
Estaca Bay Beach Resort (formerly Stakili Beach Resort)
Green Lagoon Park
Amihan Beach Resort
Blue Hibiscus Beach Camp
Mulao River
Strolling after an exhausting day at school, I realized I wanted to go somewhere outside the Metropolis. With Roel, Johan, and Edrel, I suggested we go visit a friend of mine in Compostela. It was around 7 in the evening and mentioning the idea intrigued them. They're all adventurous at heart which was why I have always loved their company. Not only do I get awesome adventures with them, I also get intelligent conversations with these guys.
As I was saying, I introduced the idea to them, and they all agreed. Now, the problem was, where will we stay, what will we eat, who will be our guide, and how much money will we spend. But when one is excited, these things don't matter anymore. Excited, we rode a jeepney going to the North Bus Terminal. It was already dark so we rarely saw buses heading north. Luckily, we ended up riding this pretty cool bus heading for Danao. On the bus was much more fun than I ever thought it would be. Having goofy friends around really makes a trip merry. With the cold wind blowing on our faces, we were all smiles.
Arriving in Compostela was easy (haha), I always remembered the place by its landmarks. Going north, looking left, you'll see the municipal hall. The public park and the public market were on the other side by the coastal area. I sent my friend Niña Rica a text message informing her that I was in town. Unfortunately, my cellphone battery went off. Good thing that there was this store which allows people to charge their phone by paying per hour (can't remember the store). So, the good news, Niña was able to contact me. We headed straight to where she was hanging out during that time. It was her friend's birthday and it was funny because we seemed to be crashing the party. We met a few acquaintances. Sorry to them.
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Newly-found acquaintances. Niña's seated a seat away from me . She (wearing white sweater) is seated beside Evic (wearing black). Johan (wearing purple) is seated behind me. Roel is seated on the floor. The one standing is the pretty birthday celebrant.
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After the celebration, Niña introduced us to her brother-slash-sister Recca. We had barbecue for dinner, talked all throughout the night and slept at a pension house. They decided to bring us to Q Park. The four of us had no idea what they were talking about. We thought it's a resort or a public plaza or their hang-out. We were confused as to why we had to get up early. Recca mentioned that if we wanted to visit Q Park and see its beauty, we had to get there early and beat the sun before it gets hot up there considering there weren't any stores. Good thing I had my bag on, we bought huge bottles of Nature's Spring Water for the trip so as to quench our thirsts when we get there.
It was 4 in the morning and we left the pension house. We walked our way to the market for the early "painit", someone was selling hot cocoa and the local sticky rice, otherwise known as "puto". After the savory meal, we then talked about Q Park and headed there, we had to ride a tricycle it was less than 50 pesos. So far, the costly thing we ever paid for was our pension room which was 500 pesos considering there were more than 2 of us. I was grateful the fares don't cost more than a hundred pesos.
It was dark, there wasn't a glimpse of light but we still made our way up. It was exhausting then it became exhilarating to see the view from where we stood. All we saw were trees, mountains, the breaking of the dawn; we felt the chilling wind, the fresh breeze. Looking at it for minutes was like an addiction. Then the first light struck. It was different, really different from the morning sunlight or the afternoon sunlight. It was not painful on the skin, it was not painful in the eyes, and it was not like any other. The sky, the grass, the wind, everything felt breath-taking. I was so sleepy, but I couldn't feel my eyes wanting to shut.
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| Captivating sight |
Our legs were tired of walking but knowing that the hike was as exciting as when we got the idea of visiting Compostela, there was no stopping us. We knew there were a lot of things awaiting us on top of the mountains. We probably were walking kilometers but my eyes were feasting on everything there. I wasn't even sure if we were still in Compostela after the long hike. We descended the second mount and was soon feeling exhausted. Upon reaching a chapel, I thought that was it. I would have loved to hear mass that morning, but there weren't any, instead, they prayed while I took photos of the place.
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| Chapel's altar |
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| The chapel's back view. Surprisingly, the chapel had a little path heading backwards and towards the mountain - a mountain which had stairs going up |
We thought the hike was long enough, but eventually, climbing the stairs felt much harder and longer. Our feet were probably shouting already if only we could hear them. Haha. But you see, every time we look at the view, the higher we got, the better the view became. The wind blew behind us, in front of us, beneath us. Again, we were amazed at how the view made us feel invincible. We wondered how it was like to get up there in the middle of the day. People probably weren't able to appreciate the beauty of not just the view but the breeze that the trees gave. In the photo, we were almost reaching the top. Edrel, far behind us, waves her hands, Roel in front of her, getting a grip of the rails, me, feeling my knee, and Johan, smiling for the adventure.
When we got to the top. That's when we had a glimpse of what was to be seen. She, of all the beautiful sight, deserves to be in that rightful place on top of a mountain - looking over people and giving them a sense of happiness. Whatever we felt upon watching nature was not even close to what we felt upon seeing her up there - so tall, so majestic. I looked at her and was awed by her. Awed because such humongous images require skill and time.
The view got better. The air was better. I could live there if they'd allow me but after minutes of staying there, we knew we had to leave before the sun's rays got painful.
I highly suggest that you visit Q Park early in the morning. When it's 9am, the heat becomes painful to the skin.
Not only did Q Park have the tall Virgin Mary, it even had the Stations of the Cross. No wonder Q Park is so large, it has to be large for the devotees who visit the place. Sacrificing and taking the long hike is something that'll give you the spiritual rejuvenation you need. In Q Park, you can do a lot of things, either going up to see the Mother Mary or visiting the stations by hiking all throughout the vicinity or on the other longer path which we didn't visit which leads to the 3 crosses. Next time, I've got to visit the three crosses.
