In my last post, I've listed details of how we're nailing it, keeping the relationship in its finest shape despite the irrevocably busy lives we live. Just to give a recap, here are the tips I've listed before: first, setting a relationship goal, second, identifying the activities to ensure we achieve our goal, and lastly, following through on schedules.
One of the various activities we've identified was having a picnic somewhere peaceful but not too far away from the city. I think it was my idea to add this activity to our list. We initially scheduled our picnic last February but a lot of things happened; consequently, we had to reschedule.
Finally, we were able to push through the picnic last March 26, 2023. Just like any other Sunday, it was a sublime Sunday. I'm not sure if the same applies to wherever you may be reading this post now but here in the Philippines, Sundays are usually the slowest day of the week; there's barely any activity to do. In my case, Sundays are for going to Church, doing some hobbies like painting and cooking, and taking afternoon naps and binge-watching a series in Netflix. The day prior to our picnic, we attended a Toastmasters District Level Public Speaking Contest; it's kinda draining so we slept until late in the morning.
GB suggested Apollo's view in Liloan. On the other hand, I wanted to go to Cascades Nature Park in Compostela, which is a little farther up north of Cebu. When we checked out Apollo's View on Google, it's overlooking Camotes Sea. The view was stunning but there were no trees. It might be too hot for a picnic at 2 PM. So we went to Cascade's instead.
When we arrived at Cascades, I was a bit surprised since it's just a few meters away from the highway. All along, I thought it's far and difficult to access. Cascades Nature Park occupies a massive land area with the following amenities: a swimming pool, a grass lawn/open field spanning from the entrance up to the pool area with huge trees, and an inland lake. Cascades' website says large lake but it's no bigger than 3 basketball courts so I don't think it's large enough to use such an adjective for their marketing. It can be very deceitful. In the lake, you can enjoy any of these activities: Kayaking, Paddle Boards, a Canoe, and a Pedal Boat. There's also a bar and grill where you can order food!
GB and I bought pork liempo (grilled pork belly), fried chicken and brought rice, snacks and drinks so there's no need to buy anything from the Park's restaurant. GB bought a picnic mat in Shopee so we're definitely all set for the picnic vibe!
After eating and checking out the rest of the Park's amenities, we sat, read on the picnic mat and even took a quick afternoon nap under the shade of the tree. We went home at around 5 in the afternoon.
Entrance Fee to the park: Php 200/pax
In case you are interested to check out the rest of their services, here's the link to their website. :)