Traveling with my Rixie Mae even once a week will surely make a good and memorable impact on her life. Although we cannot afford to travel by plane, well then I can give her the best experience that can be felt by the nearby towns or barangays with amazing views that offer her the finest of their beautiful spots. This time, our journey is more educational as I let her explore the places that give her an incredible experience and surely these will be kept in her memories archive.
The Morning Delight
....and I was awakened by the "bringggggg" sound of the alarm clock. I had risen full of excitement as we have been planning last week with my co-teacher bloggers that we will be hiking this weekend. The moderate hotness of the sun that we have this day was perfect to travel. We can experience another sightseeing of wondrous nature that will bring delight to our inner peace, another wonderful experience in reconnecting with nature, appreciating the meaning of life, and cherishing the quality time that we have spent together.
Let the Excitement Begin
Welcome to Campitlok. This place has its most visited mountain. It is named Mt. Campitlok which was taken from their place's name. This was our itinerary and it is located in San Antonio (Binabag), Bogo City, Cebu. The starting point of our walk is behind the main road which is easier to find for the locals or tourists who planned to visit the mountain. It was @jobeliever who arrived first. She too was exhilarated about this journey. After I parked my motorcycle along the highway, @callmesmile arrived. His brother drove for her so it would be convenient for her to go.
As we started our trek, the dense foliage enticed us without any doubt. It seemed that I was tugged to start immersing myself in nature's incredible beauty. The freezing fresh air caressed our skin and we were allured by the natural landscape of nature.
Not too far from the entryway, I was surprised to see the small creek amidst the huge trees. On the left side of the road, the centennial deep well is quietly positioned on the edge of the small stream where the locals are enjoying taking a bath in its cold fresh water. This is the source of water for the residents who live nearby. For the first time, my child was able to appreciate the depth of the deep well.
We preceded our journey. The arduous pathway indicated challenges in going up as it is bumpy and tricky. However, I was not bothered by this strenuous path as we were trekking on going up and I was inspired by Bans Hoffman's quote too which says, “Stop worrying about the potholes in the road and enjoy the journey.” Everything was truly enjoyable
My child had spotted the grandfather together with his gentle carabao. The size of the horn shows how old is this already. This is said to be 2-yr old and is used to be his loyal partner in earning a living. The strong and sturdy body of the animal is capable of plowing the field easily.
Life in the province is truly amazing. In the morning you will be awakened by the chirping birds of the birds, early to rise to feed the domestic animals, people living here are far from pollution, and healthy and fresh air can be breathed daily. This healthy lifestyle brings serenity to one's life.
The means of transportation here is the habal-habal (motorcycle with passengers sitting closer to the driver). Students were riding on this in going to school while others preferred to walk to save money because the habal-habal is a little bit costly.
As we proceeded I have taken a snapshot of these Aspin (asong Pinoy or Filipino dogs) resting silently. They are used to humans and never bite strangers like us. These dogs love to stay outside so they can have total relaxation too.
It is one of my dreams to reach the apex of the mountain. I'm just waiting for the perfect time for this to come. I was delighted when this dream became a plan when Miss Smile initiated it and informed me that we will have our mountain climbing. Without any doubt, I accepted the invitation and invited Miss Jobelle another teacher-blogger to join us. And yes, it was truly realized.
This is the long winding road we were on. It appeared to be an extensive walk however as Izaak Walton says, "Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter." Thus, this trek was effortless and enjoyable.
Finally, we reached the bottom part of the mountain. Time to climb up to discover what goodness is being offered once we reached the summit. We never wasted our time and started climbing toward the top.
High endurance is needed here for it to be successful. Good thing, there were stairways profoundly made by humans so it would be better to go up. Initially, I was perplexed why there were stairs. And maybe the revelation will be found later on after the climb.
It took only 40 minutes of walking in reaching the highest part of the mountain. It was such a breathtaking walk. We used to stop from time to time as we were trying to catch our breath. While we were ascending, we were prohibited by Miss Smile to talk because this will shorten our oxygen.
The overlooking picturesque view of green scenery brought us amusement and it was priceless. We can see how splendid nature is, and gazing at its natural landscape was incomparable.
At last, the touch of Mt. Campitlok's apex. To witness the magnificent view of the world, to be on top is one of the best sites. Being on top brought us hilarity. We have taken this opportunity to take some shots on the top of the boulders and feel the moment being on high. What an incredible feeling that we got. It was so great to be here witnessing the heaven touch on top.
I was able to take a panoramic view of nature's impressive view. We were totally captivated upon seeing the incredible green scenery, the blue ocean, and the clouds slowly moving that appeared to be reachable by hand.
I didn't know that the rocks at the summit are very sharp. One wrong move can hurt us terribly. They pierced our footwear, thus we need to be cautious so it won't hurt us.
We may encounter the steep and sloping parts of the mountains but this made the journey more meaningful and challenging. It brought fun and lessons to be learned. My child was able to experience this fantastic journey and it was indeed fabulous.
Later on, we found out that the summit has inhabitants. Then I come up to the realization that the stairways were profoundly made by the locals so the residents on the top will have convenience in going up and down. The essence of Bayanihan is truly immeasurable and this is something that Filipinos are known for.
After we safely descended the mountain, I explored my child to the centennial water spring we met along our way. We spotted kids enjoying themselves to the fullest while they were taking a plunge into the emerald-green water that was truly soothing and relaxing. It reminded me of my childhood years when I used to visit this place before.
This adventurous trip brought self-satisfaction, relaxation, and comfort to my inner peace. My child was also learning how to embrace the importance and the value of loving nature. There was genuine camaraderie between my co-teacher bloggers too although this was our first time to be climbing on the top of the mountain. We were able to spend time chit-chatting, sharing our desires and plans, and laughing out loud as if we owned the universe.
After this trip, there was fulfillment and went home with happy smiles on our faces.