I live in a town where a picturesque view consisting of a mountain and sea known as the “Sleeping Dinosaur” (photographed below) is but ordinary. Friends and acquaintances who visit this town actually look at me in disbelief when they hear this statement.
But, what is not ordinary for me is the chance of experiencing what it’s like standing on a part of that mountain. Last month, my family decided to visit a small resort in sitio Wagon, Brgy. Macambol, Davao Oriental which I was told to be located somewhere at the back of that mountain. From the town proper, we traveled for about two hours before we reached the place. I thought, “Would you believe that this remote-like place actually has a resort?”. I mean, if tourists even the local ones speak of my hometown, they would immediately think about the white sand beach strip that is Dahican, the view deck to Sleeping Dinosaur, or Baywalk. This small resort, however, is something my town folks would regard as new and a go-to hangout site with far lesser people. This modest place can be booked exclusively as it is actually primarily made for families who want to just get together and chill.
The water in the pool comes from a spring and flows out to the pond situated below it. The photo above was taken the morning after we arrived.
This moon (yes, that’s a moon) displayed its grandeur to us when we came to the resort. My sister and I had a good deal of bonding time with few of my cousins as we enjoyed night swimming until we got tired and decided to continue our soaking sessions in the morning. Few of the highlights of the night include some sharing of an urban legend, sleeping in a huge tent inside a room, and realizing that my cousins have restless kind of sleeping habits. It seemed that I didn’t get any sleep that night because I’d been constantly awaken by their movements not mentioning the fact that I’m a night owl who regards going to bed at 11:00 p.m as still somewhat early.
My eyes were open when I saw the morning light from the window and when I caught a glimpse of yellow and orange rays, I told my sister and cousins we should see the sunrise. They gamely went out of our sleeping quarter immediately. I had to fix myself of course so I went outside few minutes behind from them. Despite the lack of sleep, I didn’t feel any regret in getting up early.
The owner of the place said that there’s a trail leading down the hill although it was more of a cliff for me. I was hesitant to go down because: a) the path was not really cleared yet; b) the thought of climbing up again was not very enticing; and c) the view down there may not be worth the effort. Nonetheless, we still went down because my underage cousins already made their way there and we can’t just let them be there by themselves. Adult duties as they say! After few minutes of trying hard not to slide and roll over the hill, we were able to have a close contact to the sea.
Sunrise is always breathtaking. Hands down to the Creator of the universe. Well done dude!
So yeah, that’s the sea down there all lined with rocks. Yep, maybe we’ll just swim in the pool later.
Everyone knows that going down is easier than climbing up and that’s what we expected. Damn, I really need to get back to zumba for some cardio. I felt nauseated when I reached the resort brought by climbing the steps with nothing in my stomach. Next time, I’ll bring water and a bit of something to munch on when I wander on a cliff or hill again. I. Must. Remember. That!
So… the rest of the day was spent swimming, eating, and chatting with family. I think this year for me have been about reconnecting to my roots again. Had I not been assigned to my hometown for work, I doubt I would be able to visit that place with my relatives. When I were younger, I never thought of how blessed I am that I have an extended family. But today, you know what? I realized that although they’re not perfect, they’re pretty cool… and I live in a marvelous hometown! 😉
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