Random Roadtrip | Florentino's Eco Park, Balamban
The sun was either hiding nor showing up but it was warm enough for me. As I was in the car humming to the beats of the radio, I found myself smiling, jubilant of this detour we're about to take. Not having a plan was as spontaneous as this day is about to get. As soon as we arrived in the place, I quickly took photos for memories, and then turned my phone off. I hate that people are always on their phones these days but I'm grateful of the technology at the tip of fingers (says a millennial?! Get outta here) . Argh. What a problem, huh?! Crazy privileged person problem.
I immersed myself in this stunning masterpiece of creation. Took deep breaths - each time deeper than the last. It's been a wonder, I thought, how nature always soothes my anxious thoughts and un-wobbles a few question marks here and there. For the first time in many moons, I felt a
peace.
Truly. It was the weirdest feeling I got since, well, since weird got a place in *my dictionary.
I knew that at some point I needed to let go of "some" baggage that should've been checked-out a long time ago. I had this serene feeling going on and my once-tightened gut got all loose. What liberty is this?! Was I holding back from healing all this time? Why? How do we know what forgiveness looks like? Was it time to move forward - move on?
-A journal entry I wrote about this day
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Hey, hivers! I thought I share a piece of my mind before I write my blog post about this little adventure.
Do you fancy a place to chill someplace in the mountains without going too far away from the city? A place to bask in the surreal beauty of nature and breathe its goodness? A place to dine and enjoy and just.. be? Well look no farther because this gets interesting - there's a relaxing place up in the mountains you can go to, fellow Cebuano! It's dubbed as the Little Tagaytay of the Philippines. Have you gone to Florentino's?
If you are familiar with the Transcentral Highway having been gone that road more than once, then there's a pretty good chance you've already passed by this Eco Park as it's just literally by the road. I've been wanting to visit this place since its "popularity" sometime 2017 and I was able to visit around end of 2018 (that's when the photos in this post were taken).
It was an unplanned road trip with friends, we visited a café in the city and then somebody suggested we go to Florentino's and off we did! That's why I wasn't properly dressed for the cold mountain air. Haha.
The entrance fee was 50 PHP (I'm not sure if this is still their rate now in 2022) per adult guest. I found it a reasonable price as we're paying for the experience, right? They have a store that sells food and drinks in there, but they do not charge for any corkage fee (YAY) - so if you're planning to have a picnic and bring a basket of goods, you are more than welcome! They open from 6:00 AM until 7:00 PM daily Mondays through Sundays. Don't worry, they have a parking space available - you can also park by the road side. If you want to know more, feel free to check out their Facebook for the deets. Hope you get to visit!
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I miss random road trips. I miss my friends. I miss how the sun felt on my cheek as I closed my eyes and basked in the glorious mountain filled with colourful flowers and trees of all shapes, and serenity brought about by the gods and goddesses of nature.
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I hope for a quick nature escape anytime soon though. Fingers crossed.
For the best experience view this post on Liketu