Continuing from the first part, the vistas in my father's home province (Busogon, San Remigio, Cebu, Philippines) are just spectacular. If you didn't have anything to do, I think you'd be staring at the stunning views for hours. In this particular visit, I purposely went out of the house and appreciated the view from the vantage point.
On our little excursion to find a spot that my brother wanted to see, we ended up seeing other amazing landscapes. We were at this hill where my father frequented because he planted some Elephant grass for fodder. The little grass on the hill looked very well-tended you'd think it was maintained.
We gave up on searching for "the spot" and just appreciated the views that we encountered. We made our way back to the house through a different route and we were offered different angles of the mountains and plains around us. I couldn't get enough of the vistas and the sense of awe I got from witnessing them.
Coming back to the house, my mother mentioned about a particular waterfall that was in the area. She said she saw it on social media. My father said it was located near a particular land that my grandparents bought. He said it wasn't that far and that we could trek over there if we wanted to. I wanted to see the waterfall for myself. And so, we were off to the second excursion of the day.
We passed by some cornfields along the the way and I was mesmerized by the yellow tassels of the corns. They looked golden under the bright sunlight. My father's family used to plant corn before but I was told they stopped doing it because their soil was not fertile anymore. As a chemical engineer, there are things I know that could be done to supplement the nutrients in the soil. Maybe in the future when I'm inclined to do agriculture.
We continued our way and we passed by a well. I looked down and saw that it was almost dry with very little water at the bottom. My aunt said that the well had dried up some time ago although they can still get some water from it for their livestock.
We reached a place with tall coconut trees and my mother said it was the planned location where the water lines would be connected towards my father's house. The houses in this part already had constant water supply.
I remember before, we would get water from rainwater and wells. I also remember that rainwater does not wash off soap easily. I now know that this is because most soaps are designed to be used with water with some amount of minerals.
I also remember the sharp taste of natural spring water and how it smelled oddly of boiled eggs. I now know it's because of the sulfur in the water.
We reached a small hill where one side was where the river flowed. A portion of the land belonged to our family although it wasn't really a good location because it was sloped. It did have some plants such as coconuts which could be harvested and sold.
We heard the trickling of the water and we knew we've reached the river. We followed a path that went downstream before crossing the other side and walked the other way. The river and the forest was magical! The water was clear and there was so much foliage and greenery. I could imagine fairies hiding in the leaves and in the water.
We continued walking upstream and everything was just covered in green grass, ferns, and moss. The ground was a bit muddy and we had to be careful with each step. My mother and my brother's girlfriend (back then) were busy looking for wild plants to take back with them. They found a plant with a strange flower and took a few.
After a few more minutes of hiking, we finally arrived at the waterfall. It wasn't big. I didn't expect it to be. The water was dark and brown, and wasn't very inviting although my mother said she saw on Facebook that there were people who swam in the water. There was this small cave beside the falls big enough that maybe a person could fit inside. My father joked that upstream, there were Carabaos bathing and all the filthy water flowed through the waterfall.
I didn't mind the cloudy water. The trek to the river and the waterfall was satisfying. I got to see new places in my father's hometown that I haven't been to. We made our way back to the house through the same trail and I think I slipped on muddy soil. Fortunately, I wasn't injured.
My father's home town is remote, did not have electricity for so many years, and still does not have water. But it's rich in magical moments and places. All you have to do is to walk around and look around. There is magic everywhere when there is nature.
And that's it! Taking you for taking part in this two-part recollection of the Magical Moments at My Father's Home Province through the photos that I captured. It's been a while since I visited and I hope I get the chance to go back there soon. I really enjoyed writing this post in Amazing Nature and I'll be sure to post more future content about my precious moments with nature.
See you in the next post. Cheers!
