Hi there people of HIVE! It's me again, Aaron. Let me start off this post by extending my gratitude to everyone who has been supportive in my first week at HIVE. I did not expect a lot of wonderful people who share the same interests in travel blogging as I do. In a span of a week, I was able to virtually travel to various places through my fellow travel bloggers here at HIVE. I had the chance to have a glimpse of Thailand, Romania, America and was taken to various destinations that I haven't even heard of before.
Special thanks to 
In my previous travel entry, A 24-Hour Getaway - An Overnight Camp at the Pristine Lambug Beach | Uncovering the Secrets of Lake Bensis, I had the chance to take you to a beach and a lake which we traversed in a span of 24 hours. I was really pleased to share that not-so-distant memory amidst this pandemic. That was a really fond memory from me.
Today, here I am at another attempt to share to you my recent travels pre-pandemic. Let us traverse through the majestic mountainous area of Busay, Cebu, Philippines.
SIRAO PEAK or MOUNT KAN-IRAG, BUSAY The Perfect Family Day Trip on One of the Prominent Mountains of Cebu
To those who have been to Cebu, you might be aware of a famous tourist spot called Busay. It is located in the mountainous region of the province which takes you on an uphill mountain tour filled with various top-picks you can choose from. This place is continually being stormed by local and foreign tourists due to its rich, picturesque sceneries and exciting adventures. Truly, this area is teeming with attractions.
Transportation here is quite tricky for the inexperienced, though. You either need to have your own vehicle or rent a car/van in advance if you don't have one. You could also hire motorcycles to get you around. A lot of motorcycles "habal-habal" are paraded just along the main highway which takes you uphill. Most locals prefer to do the latter as it is easier to get by and is perfect for those spontaneous day trips. And it is that exact spontaneity which urged us to have this adventure.
You see, this trip to Sirao Peak occurred on a hot early summer's day. We hadn't planned anything for the day to be exact and initially preferred to stay at home. The day was really warm and humid, and we could feel the heat course through our old wooden walls and thin roof. I was sure I turned the fan to the highest possible setting and had an entire liter of bottled water nearby to make up for the heat. To make things worse, our entire village suddenly sustained a black out! And that is how our family day trip began - a warm summer day, a village wide black out and a family eager to find the means to escape the blazing heat.
"We have to get out of here!", I exclaimed. I could not bear to imagine being under that condition. Even if I fan myself the entire time, I considered it to be totally unbearable. "Why not go to Busay and spend the entire afternoon there?", an idea hit my sister, 
We wasted no moment to proceed with our plans. I had to be persistent with my father who was afraid to ride a motorcycle for fears of untoward accidents. Those kinds of things are fairly common in steep mountain rides though so I could not blame him. Luckily, when we got there, we were able to come across very considerate motorcycle drivers who assured us of our safety. At the foot of Busay, near JY Square, loads of drivers can be seen offering their services to those who need a ride uphill. We insisted that they drive as safely as possible and avoid overtaking as we were more after our safety than getting there fast.
They were very amenable with our request though and even offered us a fairly reasonable price. We were able to secure a deal of Php 500.00 for each motorcycle ride back and forth our destination. We needed to hire three since there were seven of us. One motorcycle had to take in 3 passengers - me, and my two brothers - which is kind of a challenge despite my youngest brother being really small. He was able to fit at the front of the motorcycle. This is probably his first time to do so. It was evident that he was very excited but also half scared with the experience.
The peak is approximately 1 km from where we left off. It took us roughly 30 minutes to get to starting point of Sirao Peak. The ride was thankfully very smooth and safe. The drivers did as we asked of them and prioritized getting there safely. I took videos on the way as I enjoyed the view a lot. I am sure my family did so as well, despite fears of sustaining an accident, God forbid. They dropped us off at the closest entry point to the peak.
Finally, we arrived at the closest entry point to Sirao Peak, also called as "Mount Sibugay". Through the years, this has become a popular destination for polished and amateur mountaineers alike. Owing to its close proximity to the city compared to other peaks, no wonder is has gained a lot of attention. For more experienced hikers, the peak is reached through what is called "Budlaan - Sirao Peak trail". This would take hikers approximately 3-4 hours to arrive, traversing through waterfalls and forests to get there.
My family had no prior experience with hiking so experiencing the original trail would be really difficult for them. Even if they did, this trip was totally unplanned so we decided to take the easy way. To those who are interested to experience the trail for themselves, it is definitely a great experience. However, in our case, instead of taking the time to hike through the trail, and up the peak, we opted to just stay where they dropped us off. Nevertheless, the view is breathtaking.
As soon as we arrived, we ran across the wide open field like savage uncultured children. We would have intended to reach the peak as planned, but seeing as how the plains before the peak was beyond mesmerizing, we opted to stay there for the rest of the day. After all, all we wanted was to spend a relaxing afternoon together.
The high altitude offered a cool breeze which was enough to tighten your pores. I could feel the wind brush my face. I just wish we could experience the same sensation back at home. It is the fresh air away from the harsh polluted cities that really makes you appreciate the isolated mountain areas. I didn't take a lot of time to acknowledge how refreshing it all was. This was exactly what we came here for - an escape from the furnace our house felt like. I was glad we made the choice to come here.
Examining the view, all we could see were the luscious greens the mountains had to offer. Trees erupt sporadically across the plains which allowed a lot of room for the vibrant grass to grow. What we saw was a serene panoramic meadow which was nothing short of being picturesque. Looking even further ahead, you could even have a glimpse of the mountain ranges not far from where we were standing. We could not ask for more but an almost 360 view of immense natural beauty.
Enchanted with the beauty we saw, we decided to drown ourselves even more with the view. What better way to do that than to set up our tent at that exact site and rest our eyes on the delightful meadows right in front of us.
We picked the closest tree which offered us adequate shade for the afternoon. There weren't many people around the area which meant that we had the luxury to chose as we wished. Who would have thought that this area is not at all filled with people. It was a really good idea that we brought with us our trusted tent and a yoga mat which we could use to lie on. We had a fair amount of shade under what appeared to be a Narra tree.
I enjoyed the idea of us staying here out in the open. Since I also have a detachable hammock at home, I made sure to bring it today. My brother helped me to attach each end to stable portions of the tree branch for us to anchor on. Knowing simple knots through scouting proved to be extremely helpful for traveling. I ensured that my brother would get to know some basic knots as well in case he may need it someday.
The process was relatively easy as we only needed to make sure that the hammock was tied securely on the tree. It did take us a few minutes to find the right spot but it was ready in no time.
Of course, I insisted that I take the first turn on it. I fit myself comfortably and hoped that my knots were secure enough. It would definitely be comical to see me fall off. Fortunately enough, I was pleased to still find myself suspended in the air. There is a serene feeling of laying back on a hammock, your body flexed like a baby, legs elevated in the air, as you gaze into the green open meadows and bright blue sky. Call me exaggerated, but I could spend the entire day here. In fact, I would even love to spend the night.
I have been learning to embrace the philosophy of Mindfulness Meditation lately. It is a mindset which calls you to "be in the present". These teachings suggest that achieving joy and happiness involves taking time to notice the little things that make up life - the sound of the wind, the heat of sun's rays on your skin and notice the feelings that you feel at the exact moment you are in. I just lay there on my hammock and did exactly that. And true enough, I guess I was enveloped with a comforting feeling of being blessed to be alive, to see the wonders of the world right before my eyes.
We did not have a lot of time so we just took turns on the hammock. Soon after, my brother took his turn. Having nothing else to do, I scaled up the tree and remained there for thirty minutes or so. From way up, the view was pretty much the same but you get to see the surrounding mountain ranges much clearly. The air remains to be fresh and cool. If not for the ants and random bugs that crawled into my shirt, I would not have gone down for a few more minutes.
As you can see, the meadows were simply heavenly. The grass was really vibrant and perfect for an outdoor activity. As my siblings were still children, I took this as an opportunity to get them up and running on their feet. Children these days often only have their electronic devices to keep them entertained. My siblings fall victim to that truth. There aren't many open fields and plains in the city so this is a really good opportunity for them to enjoy the rare experience. I wanted them to exercise their gross motor abilities and I had the perfect activity for that.
I invited my siblings to a silly game. I tasked them to bow towards the ground, place one hand over the other, flexing the bottom arm to hold the opposite ear. The rules were simple. We were to spin around while facing the ground to the count of ten. Afterward, we were to race ourselves towards the finish line. It sounds fairly easy when you look at how its done until you do it for yourself. You will be surprised how your world turns upside down while you run forward.
It was crazy hilarious to have to do this. After counting to ten, we began to race each other. I was a bit surprised to see my vision play tricks on me. It was as if the world shifted to the right and my weight being drawn to the same side. I was laughing the entire time while I was running. I reached the finish line first, owing to my long strides. Subsequently, it took some time for me to recover from feeling nauseated and dizzy.
We took a couple of minutes to rest. It was not caught on video but my brother almost fell off a small depressed area because he was not able control himself as he was rather dizzy. I would have wanted to do another round, but it proved to be a dangerous activity. We laughed about it as we remembered how funny we looked like. I decided maybe it was enough rough play and proceeded to have a short snack and enjoyed the view.
Not far from our tent, we could see a carabao, an endemic Filipino water buffalo. These gentle creatures were primarily useful in native agriculture in the early years of Philippines history. As tamed but very powerful animals, they could help farmers plow the fields. This carabao was peacefully grazing the grass and occasionally taking a dip into the nearby puddles. I bet this is also the first time that our youngest brother has seen a carabao. He was greatly interested to know what is was. My mother made sure to answer him.
It's crazy how much you can do in one afternoon, in an open field. May it be to set up a tent, lie on a hammock, run around the plains, climb a tree, have a picnic or just bathe under the sun, Sirao Peak has much to offer. What could have been a boring day at home without electricity turned out to be a fun-filled family day trip in the mountains.
I was pleased to know that my parents really enjoyed our short getaway. They were even thinking of getting a lot somewhere nearby with the same view. The uphills of Cebu truly have an enchanting effect on you. Maybe, someday in due time, we could go back to this place and enjoy ourselves once more.
Not long, the sunset was among us. As I always reiterate, I love looking at the glory of sunsets. I would have wanted to stay a couple more minutes after the sun disappeared but my father made a very sound decision to head home as soon as possible. This is due to the fact that the motorcycle drivers who drove us to the peak were patiently waiting for us. And while it may not be extremely dangerous for us to head back at nightfall, there is some risk involved as some roads do not really have adequate street lighting. We just had to get to back down before 6:00 pm or we would have a hard time getting back home because of the traffic jam.
We soon dismantled our tent and removed the hammock from the tree. We also made sure to perform aftercare, not leaving a trace of trash behind. We weren't really tired as we were simply relaxing the entire afternoon but sure enough, it was necessary to head home. We took one last look at the beautiful twilight, the long ranging mountains, the vibrant grassy meadows, and had one last feel of the fresh cool breeze. I took a final notice of how I felt and acknowledged my presence amidst this beauty as we slowly descended back down.
So I guess that's it. That ends my family day trip in the mountains. I hope you enjoyed browsing through the photos and joining me reminisce this short journey. If you have reached this far, thank you so much for reading. See you soon.
🍺Live like a templar 🍷 | ⚔️Serve like a knight💉
Every writer needs to have his pen name. In that case, welcome to josejirafa's blog.
Aaron is an aspiring travel blogger whose dream is to visit the world's most famous tourist spots. A thinker and frustrated philosopher, Aaron spends his days off learning about himself, others and the world. He enjoys discourse about philosophy, politics, religion, emotional intelligence and has an aptitude for being vocal about his point of views. Although a registered nurse by profession, Aaron has an inclination for business and finance.