Heyy Hivers!
My family and I recently went to Butuan City in northeastern part of Mindanao. It was my first time visiting the city so i thought of documenting our trip and sharing it will you all.
We were in Butuan for 3 days and 2 nights to attend the burial of our distant relative. This trip was planned last minute so we don't have an official itinerary. Our main purpose of going there is to get to know our roots and tour around this humble city.
As we landed in the Butuan airport, i notice that the place is slowly developing into an established city. I always imagined it to be a province-like place with minimal buildings and a lot of trees.
This trip is especially sentimental to me because its my first time meeting my relatives from Butuan. I still cant memorize all their names but i familiarize some of them.
Touch down to Butuan City, our first agenda was to visit the grave of our loved ones. Going to the cemetery, a lot of good memories have been shared about our grand parents during their time. Their kindness, integrity, dedication and hard work are among the qualities i hope to inherit. Although i never got the chance to meet them, I'm sure they were very lovable people.
After our cemetery visit, we then head out to Water Gate Hotel to check in our things and rest for a while. The scorching heat of the sun is one thing i didn't expect here. We also woke up so early that morning so everyone was sleep deprive. So we took a nap. Some of our relatives explored the mall. Apparently, mall giants like SM, Robinsons, and Gaisano are already in Butuan City.
The following day, we attended the wake of our relative. In Chinese culture, families wear white shirt during wakes as a sign of purity, innocence and hope for the afterlife. After the funeral service, white balloons were then released to the sky signifying freedom for our loved one who passed away.
We transfer our accommodation to Inland hotel on the 2nd day because we were only able to booked 1 night at Water Gate since it was already fully booked. This place is more of a rest house than a luxury hotel. My favorite is their man made lake at the center of the hotel. But unfortunately, the water is too dirty that we aren't allowed to swim in it. We tour around the place for the rest of the afternoon.
One thing i realized in this trip is that life is too short and i actually love to travel. Growing up, i always thought that I'm a homebody but i actually love going on an adventure like this one. Its like my adventurous side was finally activated thanks to this trip to Butuan. Who knows where I'll go next.
That's it for the first part of my Butuan blog. Cant wait to share more on my next blogs.
Sending some love and light,
-JaneXOXO
