Daanbantayan is well-known for its pristine, white powder-like sandy beaches and unique cultures. I have been living in the Northern Cebu for almost 10 years and I kid you not, this was my first time seeing this place. All I could feel was a wave of serenity and peace wash over me. We had to go there because of an event in our church, which led to many people filling up the venue. Daanbantayan certainly looks like a place filled with progress and abundance.
Compared to other places here in the north, there are much more spots that can allow you to have time for yourself, so I'd recommend introverts to go around here. The people are really nice too, if I must add. Once we got there, my attention was pulled to the seaside, just near the municipal hall and park they had. Me and my friend decided to go over there and we were instantly welcomed by the breathtaking view of the sunset and the low-tide sea. There were benches displayed from the opening to the end of the pantalan and we took a few pictures there to capture the beauty of such a rare occasion for me to witness, which is seeing sunsets. I know it might sound weird because although we also live by the seaside, I guess it's easy to tell that I don't go out often, including my family. We hardly ever go out, only on special occasions that require us to go to unfamiliar places. So that moment definitely ignited a spark within me, considering that the timing was perfect when I just finished taking my final exams.
Moving on, my mom treated me and brother to a nearby ice cream shop. Me and my brother got a classic vanilla ice cream with chocolate drizzled on top as we walked around the park. From there, we took a lot of pictures, filmed videos for memories, and had deep conversations about life. Me and my friend continued our way around the park and played on the available playground that was open to public. Actually, we saw a very nice playground there with upgraded equipment and such. However, we were not allowed to play there which made me think that the opening has not been done yet. We came around very eye-catching swings, wherein I don't even know if we should call them swings because we could hardly sit on them, and we also sat on these circular chairs that rotated several times, making us both dizzy.
We shared a few laughs and played tag with the other kids around there, and went on with snapping photos and taking a chance to look at the beautiful sceneries around us, especially these colorful fairy lights wrapped around thin trunks of trees in front of the municipal hall. After that, a friend of my parent's invited us over for dinner so we went and ate a lot of delicious food. Their specialties were pancit, lumpia, binagoongang mangga, and adobo, classic Filipino favorites.
It was already 9pm once we got home. I felt really exhausted after the day's continuous activities. Nevertheless, I enjoyed them and needed that time to regain my composure and relax after a long 2-week off the community and my personal life. From this day onward until school has not yet returned, I guarantee that I will keep writing blogs and become more active here on the community since the school year is already coming to an end. Thank you so much for reading this blog! I really enjoyed writing this a lot. For our third stop, I would first like to leave some tips and techniques on studying; the ones I used to prepare for our final exam which might come in handy if tests are coming up for you too! This is Gia writing to you, see you again soon and have a great day!