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Sunset in Osmeña Peak

I love sunrise and sunsets so I was really looking forward to catching the sunset in Osmeña Peak.  It took long though and we even thought we won't be able to catch it but when I saw the sun peeking among the clouds, I got excited. 

Gradually, a tinge of yellow orange spread among the clouds.  

As time lapsed, the tinge of yellow orange grew darker and the space it occupied grew bigger.

Unfortunately, it became so foggy and rain was threatening to rain down on us and it was also beginning to get dark so we had to leave without seeing the sun fully disappear in the horizon.  

Below is my parting sunset shot.

Sigh.  I bet it would be so pretty when the sun has fully set.  

On the Summit

The above is my favorite shot among my Osmeña Peak photos.  It is a stolen shot of our teenage guide.

Here's another shot of him with his friend who joined us halfway through our trek  Both were so nice and he (our teenage guide) even volunteered to carry my rather heavy backpack and would look back to make sure I wasn't left behind (This is because I was at the end of our line in the group as I took time in taking photos.)

They also became our resident photographers.  To reward him, instead of just giving him Php 50.00 as agreed on at the start of our tour, I gave him Php 150.00 so he can also share part of it to his friend.

Osmeña Peak

Osmeña Peak is Cebu's highest point.  

A very important tip:  Before starting your trek, make sure to clarify where you want to be dropped off because there are different starting points.  A trek can take thirty minutes or two hours depending on where you started your climb.

My friends and I initially got lost.  Thank heavens we met a group of children and one of them volunteered to be our guide to Osmena Peak at Php 50.00. 

Along the way, I saw this wild purple flower that has been my favorite since I was a child.  Seeing it brought back poignant memories of me going to Agcawilan with my dad. 

Moving on, we encountered this water buffalo or carabao.  It is by the way our national animal and called kalabaw in our language. 

We also met this shy cow.

We also passed by fields of cabbage and sayote in trellises.

These wild yellow  flowers were also all around the place.

Here's its close-up.

Once, when I was so tired from walking, I stopped dead on my tracks and look back and the view was just amazing:  colorful houses against vivid greenery and a clear blue sky.

And we finally reached the peak.

Sadly, the view when we're fronting the sea is against the light so our photos came out in silhouettes as shown in the recent two photos above.

The view on the other side though was okay.  Looking down, the mountain range looked so much like Chocolate Hills though they are pointed as against the rounded ones of Chocolate Hills.

It was a really breathtaking experience to get close to the sky and watch the beauty of of God's creation.

The sunset was the main reason that we came here but I will make a separate blog post about it.  Here's a teaser photo though.

Unfortunately, we couldn't linger to watch the sun completely disappear on the horizon as fog had settled and it seemed it would rain.

Going down, I chanced on these cute lavender flowers.

These plants also caught my attention.

We also passed by this basket of newly harvested cabbages.

Seeing this cabbage made me think of a giant green rose.

As we were finishing the trek, I found this house surrounded by trees.

And this dog that looked absolutely adorable.

Tips to those who want to climb Osmeña Peak.

• Better to wear leggings instead of shorts to protect your legs from itchy plants and insects.
• Wear something light during the climb but do bring a sweater because even if you sweat during the climb up, once you reach the peak, it can get cold.
• Bring an umbrella and a flashlight in case it rains and dark is already settling while you're still on your trek down.
• Make sure to get a guide but be sure to not get duped by paying more than Php 50.00.
• Bring some snacks or candies for sustenance and a bottle of water to quench your thirst.

Kyleville Resort to Kyleville Extension

So people won't get confused, I will explain that there are two Kylevilles in Dalaguete.  One is Kyleville Resort that is almost across Jossie's Carinderia and the other one is Kyleville Extension that is in Mantalongon and because Osmena Peak is near Mantalongon, we decided to stay there after our climb.

To get to Kyleville extension, Jean arranged for our transfers with the reservations officer of Kyleville Resort.  It was not free though as we were charged Php 350.00.  But they were very accommodating because they let us pass by Dalaguete market to buy supplies before dropping us off to Kyleville Extension.  

Our mode of transportation was this private pick-up that belonged to the owners of both Kyleville properties.  Angel was kidding that during this Sumilon - Oslob and Dalaguete trip, we rode everything from planes (just them as they came from Singapore and Manila and I'm from Cebu), a taxi, a bus, a banca, a tricycle and now a private pick-up.

After buying hotdogs, eggs, corned beef, bottled water and spices and seasoning for our dinner and breakfast, we drove off to Mantalongon.  The drive was pretty laid-back because the view of such lush greenery was soothing to the eyes.

The view of these mountains made me more excited for our Osmena Peak adventure.

The owners of both resorts were so kind that they also allowed us to just drop off our things at Kyleville Extension then bring us to the foot of Osmena Peak.  Unfortunately, there was an ongoing road construction and a big equipment was blocking the road and would take some time before it would be done with its work that our driver politely asked if he could leave us there since he had other errands to do.  We said yes because there were habal-habal (motorcycle) drivers who volunteered to take us there instead.

Lunch at Jossie's Carinderia

When we arrived in Dalaguete, it was already past 1:30 PM so we decided to have lunch first before going to Mantalongon.  

Lunch was at Jossie's Carinderia since our accommodation's restaurant is not yet open.  As we were ordering, we were kidding our British visitor Fiona at how she had not eaten a proper meal since she arrived in the Philippines as yesterday's breakfast were the cookies and sandwiches and Oreo that I brought with me while dinner was that fish we asked Manang to cook in Oslob.  Our breakfast was also from a carinderia and the only "normal" meal she got was our buffet lunch at Bluewater SumilonIsland Resort.  She just laughed and was a good sport about it, especially when Angel explained that the place that we would be dining in was a Turo-Turo or "Point-Point" since to order, one had to point at the food s/he liked in the the display.

Below is my order of pork chop.  Yeah, I know, I had this for breakfast but this was the only pork that I liked in the menu.

I also ordered this.  I am not sure what it's called but it's shellfish meat in coconut milk that reminded me of our cooking back at home.

Total cost of our meal is Php 805.00 for 5 friends and Manong driver.  It also included our drinks and mangoes  and a Selecta Cornetto each for our desserts.  Cheap but yummy.

Oslob to Dalaguete

Dalaguete is three towns away from Oslob and the last stop of our Sumilon - Oslob - Dalaguete 2012 summer getaway.  Our  main reason for going here was that it is the entry point to Mantalongon where Osmena Peak (the highest point of Cebu) is.

To get there, we arranged for our transportation with the tricycle driver who picked us up from Sumilon to bring us to our Oslob accommodations.  We were surprised though when the following day, it was his father who showed up.  "All my children wanted me to just rest as they think I am too old to drive.  They did not know that I feel I am getting older and weaker if I do not do anything," he replied in the vernacular when I asked him why it was him who picked us up from our Oslob accommodations to bring us to Dalaguete.  

To anyone who wanted to follow our itinerary, I suggest you do the same as transportation is very difficult to get  and arrange in this part of Cebu.  You might balk at riding a tricycle but it is actually more convenient that waiting for buses that ply these route since buses have a schedule and a fixed route so it won't drop you off and wait for you while you take pictures of the areas' tourist attraction.

Oslob to Dalaguete is about an hour of travel via tricycle.  Cost is at Php 1,500.00 but this already included tours of Oslob's church, ruins and cuartel as well as of Boljoon Church, Escuela Catolica, Bell Tower and Plaza Bermejo.

Below is the picture of Manong.  Sorry for the photo quality as I took this as he was about to leave.   

Plaza Bermejo

Right across the church is Plaza Bermejo, which has a really lovely view of the sea.

There is actually nothing (no activities or facilities) in this plaza except for the view of the sea.