FEATURE WRITING CLASS : descriptive feature

San Remigio: The Rural Bliss

By: Maelette O. Masbate

 

“When I go out into the countryside and see the sun and the green and everything flowering, I say to myself Yes indeed, all that belongs to me!”  ~Henri Rousseau

What better way is there than to spend your soul-searching and stress-relieving activities on a sheltered and nurtured paradise somewhere in the north. Known to have the longest shore-line in Cebu , San Remigio is definitely the place to be. With just a two-hour drive away from the metropolis you can already experience the life away from all the hustle and bustle of the city. This hidden paradise do sure has a lot to offer not only to its natives but most especially to its patrons and first-time visitors.

Having my native roots in this place, I definitely can bear witness to how this silent sanctuary can make you appreciate more the life they have in the rural. Waking up in the mornings while listening to mother nature’s orchestra is the best way to stir you up from your dreams. While in the middle of the day, the perfect masterpiece of God would then behold in front of you like a valuable piece of art work in an art museum. When twilight arrives, the exquisite splendor of the setting sun will then make you marvel the mystery behind it. And when evening comes, you would then be dazzled with how amazing the nights can be with all those sparkling jewels covering the skies above.

To give you a more vivid picture of the splendor that lies behind this unparalleled place allow me to share my little adventures of the different places that I have been in San Remigio. To start things up, let me take you to the place where I made some of my child hood memories, the humble baranggay of Argawanon. This is the place wherein me and my other cousins spend our early mornings drinking hot chocolate and eating pandesal. When it’s time for us to take our bath, we would then go to a nearby deep well to have our shower. Since Facebook’s Yoville, Farm Town , Pet Society, Crazy Planet and the likes are still unborn during those times; so we spend our leisure time playing Hide-and-Seek, Slipper Game and all those other childhood Filipino games that are on their way to extinction as of the moment. Before we hit the sack later in the evening, me and my younger cousins would then lay outside my grandma and grandpa’s veranda making figures out of the stars above.

Another place that I have been in San Remigio that surely made me be pleased about mother earth is in baranggay Batad; this is where the family friend of my grandfather resides. One sunny morning, the family was invited to the house of this family friend of ours to take part in what they called as “gango” wherein they would try to get or “collect” fishes from the fish nets near the mangroves. This was my first time to be in waist-high sea water with an above-the-knee mud! I was both so nervous and excited during those times that I can’t help but let out a giggle from time to time. I was so excited seeing those fishes, crabs and other sea creatures that I knew would become our sumptuous meal in a little while. I was nervous at the same time because I was thinking what biting-creature I might come across with while being immersed on that muddy water. On that adventure, I was also able to experience maneuvering the “bangka” for my self; though the water was just enough to keep the boat afloat and my father was just near me while I did my “paddling stunts”. Aside from my chance to get acquainted with the sea, I was also able to try getting the fruits from the singuelas trees. Even though I wasn’t allowed to climb up high on the branches, but still I did enjoy and just satisfied myself eating and reaching out for the fruits of the easy-to-reach branches.

The next adventure I’m going to share is the one I had in Hard Rock Beach Resort in baranggay Victoria . I sure did enjoy the ride we had on the way to the said beach resort. The road there was like on that of a roller coaster, but it was a lot of fun though. The beach resort was in a way in resemblance to that of Dos Palmas in Palawan wherein they have some “floating cottages” as what is shown on T.V. I wasn’t able to try swimming in the pool though since we just happen to drop by to see the place and though I went back there after a year or so, still I wasn’t able to go swimming again because the weather was not that good when we arrived there. Maybe the next time I’ll be there would finally be my time to take a plunge into their pool.

Another nice place that I was able to visit was the Verdemar Golf Course. That was my first time to see a golf course up-close and personal! That is why the moment we stepped on the perfectly-manicured grass my younger cousins and I immediately went running around the golf course with our bare feet.  They also have a swimming pool there and of course, the white-sand covered beach.

Aside from the must-see and should be-visited places in San Remigio, another enjoyable occasion in the place is the town’s fiesta which is Celebrated every 16^th of May. This merry-making is one thing that you should not dare miss in this place especially now that they have made their festivity more fun by having their own festival, “The Lapyahan Festival”.

Apart from the breath-taking sceneries that San Remigio has to offer, they also have opulent sea foods that would surely satisfy your appetite and not to mention their local delicacies like bibingka.

Even though I have been going back and forth from the city to my father’s native town since I was young, but I do believe that San Remigio has still a lot more to offer to its locality and to its tourists as well. In fact, an existing renowned beach resorts that have been acknowledge by Cebu ’s local tourism is found here, the “San Remigio Beach Club”. I have never been there though but maybe, before the year ends I will be able to set foot on that place.

I bet you all now want to see for yourself this hidden paradise in the north, right? So if you have any future plans to pamper your self andget away from the city noise, or if you just want to relax and chill with your friends or loved ones, or if not, you just want to try a different place then I suggest you visit San Remigio. I guarantee you not only a silent sanctuary but also a perfect get away from all the mayhem that the urban-living brings.

xoxo,


Mae =)