There's a different sense of pride when your town has a place where you can chill, treasure time with a friend or a family member, or just enjoy your own solitary moment.
In our town, we have Lasang.
Lasang is a Visayan word that means forest. It has become famous locally because of its chill vibes and beautiful view of our town's bay. It was a wonder why it's only recently that I came to finally realized to check it out.
But the idea came to me to visit it not just in the early morning breeze, but also during the afternoon's golden sunset! Of course, a place is most beautiful when you share the panorama with friends, so both times, I came with friends and even my family! Let me share with you how both went!
A week ago, my church friends and I decided we should go to Lasang early in the morning to enjoy the view and each other's company. I am always up for such experiences, so I agreed to go at 5 AM. As Ellen, the lady on the right side wearing a hoodie, had work at 8 AM, she had an hour to spare, so we decided not to walk up to Lasang, as this is an uphill location. She drove her car, and we were the passengers. We were the first ones to reach Lasang, although it was already almost sunrise; however, there was no sunrise view here.
Lasang usually opens at 6 AM, but because we were already calling out the staff when we arrived at around 5:30, he did entertain us. We ordered puto maya and sikwate, a common Boholano pre-breakfast meal! This duo is still a go-to for our locals, and if you go to the market early in the morning, you'll find the local restaurants offering these, and the tables are always packed!
Menu here:
Honestly, I was surprised by their menu options! I was expecting, but look at what we were offered! I am even glad they have rice bowl meals!
Anyway, as we waited for our orders, we did a little bit of tour around the area, with just the three of us there, it was liberating!
The owner's house with amakan walls! They have tire seats on the ground as well as other seating options! But they have several hammocks to try!
Here's Jessica on their rattan and net hammocks. It's cool to stay here and just think deeply about life while watching the view over some hot drinks!
Now, let's look at the view! Here's what we could see from the right side:
What you are seeing is the mountains of Kankuka! Since it was still early morning, we could see some fog from afar! It looks cool, and by the way, the temperature here was also a bit cold, so it was just perfect to have some hot chocolate!
More views:
Jessica's pointing at the mountain opposite us, and that's the Cabantian Hills! The view of Guindulman Bay as well!
Spent an hour talking about anything and everything under the sun! I am always glad to hear their life testimonies and what we have gone through, the previous victories over the challenges of life, and so on. It felt like we were just there for a few minutes because, as we checked, the time already showed six! It was time for Ellen to go.
Jessica and I were left, and after around 30 minutes, we also went ahead and walked down the hill back to the main road. Here's a shot I took while on our way down:
That was our first time going to Lasang, and then just a few days after, our youth members also craved Lasang, so we decided to go this time for the sunset view! And this time, we decided to walk from the main road up to Lasang.
Here's our group photo at a bridge called Titanic in our town; we took a shortcut! It was still 3:45 in the afternoon at that time, and so the sun was still up!
Reaching the top was a little challenging; I realized it was really steep, but I was glad the hike didn't last too long. Our hike took 45 minutes and as we reached Lasang, we were greeted with these views:
Kankuka Hills:
Casbu:
Guindulman neighborhood with smoke from houses; bet they were prepping for dinner!
The sun slowly descended, and we ordered some snacks like shakes and fries, overload nachos, and sikwate and puto maya again, of course!
Then, as we waited for our orders, we played UNO! We played two rounds while watching the sunset! It was fun to be with these Gen Zs!
A few moments after, our orders arrived! Everyone seemed to be hungry and thirsty from all the walking! Servings were good for 2-3 people; the fries were cooked well and crunchy, and they came with their mayo-ketchup sauce.
Nachos and the puto maya came too. The nachos were just the normal chips from the grocery store, topped with some cucumbers, onions, and tomatoes, as well as overloaded with cheese and mayo sauce!
The sun was pretty as it went behind the mountains. The Lasang lights were turned on. There were more and more customers coming; some were there for snacks, while a whole family came to have dinner!
After the second round of the UNO match, we headed back home. It was fun, and I look forward to another hike session! Perhaps we could go for another one soon!
Thanks for reading!
J U N E B R I D E
Boholana | Cebu | Philippines | Travel | Photography Enthusiast | Calligraphy | Art
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