This breathtaking panoramic landscape, enveloped with an expansive grassland was hidden away like a treasure placed from a distant altitude waiting to be found. And yes! We found it around 20 kilometers from Danao City proper. The west side is a vast highland with a Batanes type of view while on the east side merges the blue sea water and the green mountain. It is a perfect place to chill out, lie down, loosen up and breathe some fresh thin air on mountains.
Hey Hivers! It's me, Marycris. Join us as we are about to share how we spent most of our Holidays.
HOLIDAYS IN THE MOUNTAINS ARE GOOD FOR THE SOUL
Being surrounded by the sky-high mountains has a powerful effect on connecting us in something deeper. With just the prevailing serene and the lush green ambiance in the mountains already give us an incomparable sense of relaxation and revives our soul. Somehow, mountains fill the void of our hearts and bring us inner peace.
It was Holiday in the Philippines and so we plan to do some relaxation from the tiring week. We have two options: either to visit beaches or mountains. With the thought that since this is gonna be a long weekend in Cebu, majority of the people will be planning for a beach trip and so, we took the mountain route.
We set off going to the mountain around 6 AM and 45 minutes later dropped by my sister’s house in Brgy. Dungga (part of the way in going to the mountain) in which she was cooking some tempura, squid balls and fried siomai for our snacks the time we arrived while my supportive father was grilling pork, chicken and bangus for our lunch.
I changed into cycling outfit and strolled around the area with SIDLAKDANAO landmark- the tagline in my hometown which means SHINE BRIGHT DANAO CITY while waiting for the other members of the family we invited ( my sister, my brother in law, my 2 nephews and 1 niece).
We planned to hike Mt. Mago which the start of the trail also located in Barangay Santican but unfortunately it was raining the night before so it was not recommended to push through. Maybe in some other time soon.
We arrived at the picturesque scene of Barangay Santican around 8:00 AM. The view was just breathtaking! It was my fourth time going in that place but I am still in love with the view and I felt happy, revitalized and inspired. It's true that nature releases some endorphins and makes us happy. We hiked until we found an area to take a rest. At some point, I asked my self: Am I really in Danao? It feels like I'm in a completely different country like Switzerland or NEW ZEALAND? HAHA. I know I maybe exaggerating but then I felt a sense of proud that my hometown has this kind of beauty to offer.
Interesting fact: Actually this place is one of our options when we were still planning for our pre nup shoot. So to all couples out there, you might consider this place for your pre nup location especially if you are having drone shots. This would really bring us BATANES and Switzerland Feels.
THE TRAIL GOING TO THE MOUNTAIN
The trail going to the mountain was never easy. You just have to pass through some rough, rocky and muddy roads and only experienced motorcycle riders are advised to take the route. However, some roads are already under construction so it is not bad as the first we went to the place.
SCENIC VIEWS TAKEN WHILE GOING TO THE MOUNTAIN
I find our motorcycle ride as an adventure itself because of some uneven roads roads going to the destination but these scenic views while riding has given me the chance to be in touch with nature’s beauty at a glance.
THE DWARF VILLAGE
We knew that we are already near Santican when we see this landmark which we personally named as the Dwarf Village together with our collage instructor when we first visited the place. It was just small houses built in light materias which shows us how simple the life has been in the mountains.
FARM ANIMALS IN PLACE
We also noticed some group of horses, carabaos and cows which I find it very cute to watch.
MAN MADE FOREST VIEWS
We planned to go to a picnic at some areas in the mountain but unfortunately my sister forgot to bring the picnic materials since they were in a hurry before they left. And so, they suggested to take some snacks and coffee in Balwarte ni Vossing which is approximately around 30 minutes downhill ride from Barangay Santican. While heading to the restaurant, we passed on some green foliages of mahogany trees lining up the road and ferns crawling in to the ground which feels like we were on mad made forest attraction in BOHOL.
We had a sip of coffee and hot chocolate and ate the snacks my sister has prepared at the restaurant. We immediately head back to the mountain and had our lunch in Barangay Oguis and rested at my sister's house while preparing to head back home.
I felt so relaxed after our trip. There is really no denying that mountains have healing powers. We are planning to climb more mountains and I cannot wait to share this to all of you. That's it for now and see you on our next blog.
THANK YOU FOR READING THIS POST!
CrisLandingOnÑo is a couple who created this blog to build a place to store precious moments and memories and share backpacking travel experiences, life adventures, wedding budget tips, food trips, marathon tips, and many more. .
Inspired by the famous Korean drama on Netlfix “Crash Landing On You”, Marycris and Niño are two opposite beings crashing to each other.
They are a couple who never says no to new adventures. So if you are inspired by what this couple just wrote here, an upvote is pretty appreciated. STAY TUNED for CrisLandingOnÑo's new episodes to be released SOON!