The lure of the greens was too tempting to resist. The sound of cicadas from the motorbike ride with Cebu French Riders that I talked about in my previous post was a comforting memory. Being lost in the wild became our recent weekend thing. Our consecutive weekends as of late were nature-driven motivated by a need to recharge from spending many hours working in front of the laptop.
Who am I kidding? I miss blogging and taking photographs, even if it was a just random photo taken during the cruise from my mobile phone.
One Saturday, a dear friend from the motorcycle group offered to lend us a motorcycle and invited our daughter to join their family picnic in Alcoy so that we could enjoy a "couple date".
@iamyohann and I seized this unusual opportunity to explore the back roads I have never seen before. This was an activity we used to enjoy profusely before we became parents. An escape from the routine, or something like that.
We waved goodbye to our daughter and then we cruised along Ronda Taloot Road, of Southern Cebu.
Ronda - Ylaya Road to the Back Roads on the Mountains of Argao
When we were living in Argao, we crossed this mountain road countless times but there was a particular small path that I have always been curious to try which reveals a rough off the beaten path next to rice paddies.
(Clockwise L-R): The small path, a quiet countryside clearing up ahead, a carabao resting under the shade
A farmer plowing his field with an albino looking carabao under the heat
The sun was high up and this stream was a welcoming treat to cross.
We drove on various types of terrains that sloped upwards and downwards revealing breathtaking views from time to time. What was a big surprise for us, was at the heart of these mountains that are in the middle of nowhere came a wide concrete highway which turned out to be Sibonga- Argao Vegetable Highway
We continued driving and by then we were somewhere in Argao headed for Mantalongon.
We both found it weird to find an empty highway that is completely lost.
The views are amazing there.
Dragonfruit plantation
Some paths were not visible on the map. There was also no internet signal in most places.
Somewhere in Butong, Argao on the way to Coal Mountain Resort, we spotted this old Balete tree
It looked quite dark in the photo. We found groups en route down to the valley where there was a natural spring who were all set for a lunch picnic.
By then we realized it was almost lunchtime but we still had a long drive to do.
We found this stunning landscape randomly and I couldn't help requesting @iamyohann for a photo.
Mantalongon and Dalaguete
These mountain roads are all connected and the more remote we went, the more scenic the view became. Mantalongon is the vegetable basket of Cebu and is known for vegetable farms planted on the cliffs. As we neared Mantalongon, the temperature dropped despite the strong sun.
Mantalongon, Dalaguete
Descent towards the town of Dalaguete
We didn't stay long in Mantalongon because it was past lunch hour and we were both famished. We made a unanimous decision to have lunch at the Dalaguete Boardwalk right in front of the church, at the town center.
Our friend recommended a Japanese restaurant to try but we couldn't find it. We found this place instead and were smitten by the name. Barko which means ship in our language. Bar Ko also means my bar. It's a play of words and after checking out the various food kiosks in the area along the seafront we decided to go for Bar.Ko.
They serve Filipino cuisine with generous portions
Yohann ordered a Pinoy version of chicken curry while I ordered my favorite Lechon Kawali or Deep fried pork belly with Pinakbet, a northern Filipino dish of sauteed mixed vegetables in shrimp paste sauce.
The weather quickly changed from sunny to cloudy but I wasn't ready to leave immediately after lunch. I needed my caffeine fix so we stopped by this recommended coffee shop called Kioskofi right in front of Dalaguete Church.
To our surprise, my daughter came up behind us. At the terrace, we spotted our friends enjoying a coffee break, before heading back home from their Alcoy picnic. The perfect timing was so cool! We lingered there for a while until the rain clouds decided to appear.
We had two options, we either choose to return towards the easy route - Ronda Ylaya Road or choose a more challenging one. Our adventurous selves picked the latter. We waved goodbye as their van drove away.
Alcoy to Alegria Mountain Pass
We've been living on the island for many years but we had never taken this road beyond Narra Park before. The path was rough with deep puddles that would be challenging for a car. There were road widening construction taking place which was both a good thing and a bad thing. The road leads to a forest reserve deep in the mountains.
The rain clouds were closing in but we, fortunately, had a splendid time enjoying the jaw-dropping views before they arrived.
I couldn't help myself from saying "wow" throughout the trip. My photos didn't do the beauty of this road justice.
Nug-as Forest Reserve
We stopped by Nug-as Forest Reserve to check it out but there was no guided trail and it started to drizzle. Nug-as Forest Reserve is a 1.6 hectare protected timberland, dubbed as Cebu's national treasure.
It started raining and we realized we forgot our raincoats. The clouds started covering the hills. What the heck, let's get wet!
My phone died beyond this point. The ride from here onwards became more challenging which I will talk about in my next post.
Thank goodness for weekends! This was by far one of the best weekends I've had in a long time. It was a desperate need to recharge and those moments spent with my husband being soaked under the rain, grilled under the sun, lost in the middle of nowhere were energizing.
Thank you for reading!
