Hello, Hive!
We are now at the start of our month of October! How was your September so far? I hope it ended well.
As we proceed with the next coming days of October, I want to close my favorite month of the year (September) by sharing one of the memorable acts that I did a few weeks ago: Embrace spontaneity.
As much as I enjoy going outside, I am not a fan of not following my To-do lists. If things get too overwhelming, my best option would be to sleep and not move an inch until I feel better. I always depend on that coping mechanism for a long time, until COVID-19 came and my resting place suddenly became my working area and the major source of my stressors.
In that case, I find it hard to relax without feeling the guilt of not finishing any tasks on my desk. I love my work as a teacher, but the whole setup made me repulsive to feel the fun and fulfillment that teaching always gives me. I believe I needed something else.
I woke up early on a Sunday morning to settle orders in my online business. I thought it was another serious day to catch up on all my missed tasks. I opened my Instagram stories and saw a post from someone who had his breakfast with his friends in a cafe called 21 Kilometers Cafe. I was, in a way, envious that they started their day with a super nice view of the mountains, not to mention their mouth-watering breakfast meals. I can't help but search about the place on the Internet, saw that the cafe is located in the mountainous area of Cebu, informally coined by Cebuanos as Busay, and shared the details to my teammates in Limpyur, hoping that sometime this year we can visit the place and enjoy the scenery.
To my surprise, one of my teammates, Wilbert, thought of going there later in the afternoon! As much as I was excited, the discomfort of doing something unplanned crept in. For this Sunday, I planned to catch up with all the presentations that I need to finish for my upcoming Monday classes. Also, I am eager to exhaust all the remaining energy left to do my least favorite task as a teacher: to check papers online. The thought of these virtual papers to check made my stomach churn - deep inside, I believe I cannot push through with the checking because of the low motivation that I have. After much thought, I finally decided to give up the homebody personality, drop everything for a while, and seize this break to just breathe some fresh air.
Our short trip started around lunchtime, which means that we need to fill our hungry stomachs first before we went up the mountains of Cebu. I took this opportunity to tell Wilbert and Archie that I badly want to eat lunch in one of my favorite go-to dining areas before COVID-19, Snakyard. I had a lot of failed attempts to eat at Snakyard a few weeks prior to this during our Sunday Free Delivery moments in Limpyur. I told myself this time that I won't miss this chance! It so happened that Archie tried Snakyard last month and he loved it, so the three of guys agreed to go here. We visited J Center Mall in Mandaue as it is one of the branches that is near to my place and is constantly open despite the restrictions due to quarantine.
I was glad that the store was ready for the new normal. We filled in some forms and sanitized our hands as we placed our orders on the counter. Ugh, the Snakyard smell! How I wish I am good with words so that I may be able to accurately describe the scent of the atmosphere. I just truly missed this place. I am not thrifty when it comes to food, by the way, so despite the pricey meals that they have, I still drop the bucks and savor the flavor that fitted so well to my taste buds.
So, I requested Wilbert to take a photo of me with my favorite dining place at the back. I somehow regretted putting a mask here; my facial expression was not highlighted that much (lol). I unintentionally decided to wear my "teacher's get-up" for this dining out (Every time I go to school to teach, I usually wear a very colorful tucked-in polo, dark jeans, and leather shoes that makes a sound when I walk).
As much as I am starving, I think the food can wait - Picture time first before anything else. Hahaha. I just find this moment memorable for us because things have been going well here in Limpyur Essentials, and I thank my teammates Archie (on the left) and Wilbert (on the right) for making everything work despite the challenges.
Look, guys! I know it sounds exaggerated, but uuuuggh I love this so much from the bottom of my large intestines! I believe that my digestive system was so happy accepting everything in this meal. Hahaha. This is a meal set that you can order in Snakyard containing a pesto pork chop, a portion of carbonara pasta, and rice. I bought my drink from a nearby pharmacy because their drinks are somehow overpriced. Luckily, I was not penalized for bringing drinks outside their store. Haha.
After we had our lunch, we proceeded with our roadtrip to Busay. It was a very good idea from Wilbert to open the windows and the car's roof (I don't know how it's called, actually) to really feel the fresh air and somehow detoxify the sore feeling of working at home. I actually have a video peeking out from the roof of the car and looking at the scenery as the car pushed itself against the increasing incline of the mountain. unfortunately, I do not have the luxury of time to post it here because I am not really in a super creative mode to make the video organized in this post.
Here is my view from the backseat of the car. I love how everything was wide and open; the green surroundings made my eyes calm and relaxed. The air started getting cold as we reached higher and higher. The trip was somehow long, though. From the name itself, 21 Kilometers Cafe took us about 45 minutes from Mandaue City to reach.
I love how Archie's hands look carefree in this pic! He, too, was also enjoying the air that flowed against the car.
After the long and therapeutic drive, we finally reached the destination. It was my first time to visit 21 Kilometers Cafe. I was surprised that the place is small in size. When we arrived, there were people lining up to have their coffee sessions done inside the cafe as well. We patiently waited for our turn while chatting a lot of things about personal life and business.
I found this creative work on the wall outside the cafe. I agree with what it says. Despite the distance, I think the whole spontaneous escapade really made my day feel better.
I decided to roam around the area while Archie and Wilbert were waiting for our turn to enter. I noticed that there was a fraction of the mountain near the place, covered with a protective net to prevent any falling objects that may endanger anyone that passed by the road. It was actually my first time to see that kind of thing, so I was impressed by how smart civil engineers are in establishing that technology for the protection of mankind.
As I walked a few meters away from the cafe, I noticed a small vegetable stand that truly caught my attention: their fresh and super red tomatoes! Yes, I love putting tomatoes in most of the dishes that I cook and eat at home, so I decided to inquire about the price per kilo. My goodness! They just sold it for half a dollar per one kilogram. This made me somehow regret that I live in the city, where all the prices of vegetables are super expensive.
Look how fresh their tomatoes are! I also decided to buy one soursop fruit. I love how it tastes and it also reminded me of my father every time I eat it because we have a soursop tree in our backyard which he planted when he was still alive. I do regret buying one fruit only because it was perfectly ripe that I even finished more than 50% of the fruit for myself.
They also sold the soursops for half a dollar per kilogram. Super cheap, right? Perfect for a fruit shake, smoothie, or just plain eating.
I also took pictures of their abundant supply of green tomatoes and sweet potato. I did not buy sweet potatoes because it is not the variant that I like to eat.
They also have eggplants and rambutans with them. Wow, this place is truly perfect for those people like me who crave fruits and veggies. Their prices are cheap as well since the farm is just nearby. Soon, when I'm rich, I'll definitely buy a property here in Busay so that I can grab these minor but very relevant benefits.
I wasn't really that bored while waiting for our turn because I was happily distracted with the fruits and the veggies that I saw nearby. After buying tomatoes and soursop, we were called for our turn to enter the cafe. I quickly managed to grab a seat next to the window and asked Wilbert to take a photo of me.
The wall designs are typical of a cafe here in the Philippines. I just like how it is strategically placed on the cliff of a mountain. The place inside was less crowded because of the restrictions on the number of people inside.
I just ordered two cookies and a cold chocolate drink because they don't have breakfast meals at that time. It's fine, I also had eaten lunch in Snakyard already so I decided to eat a little.
We patiently waited for our turn to sit on the table near the balcony where the overlooking view can be visibly seen. When we had our chance, we quickly did picture-taking since there might be some new customers that would also want to take a picture in this spot.
I don't find this a decent pic, actually. I don't like how it turned out (laughs). But you know, it may be the way it is. I still find my view captivating, though. That's the most important thing. My expression said that truth about what I felt though - I am happy and relieved with my decision to be here.
The picture on the left shows the small area towards the balcony, while the one on the right shows my perspective when I sat on one of the chairs near the table overlooking the mountain view. I find the place relaxing as it did not emit the usual vibe of coffee shops in the urban environment. It had a super fresh atmosphere that cannot be competed against any other cafes in the downtown city. The place was also well-maintained in such a way that only a few people can get inside and stay, which means that you feel safe.
We took this opportunity to talk about our future business plans, as well as assess our performance so far as a starting small business online.
My eyes loved this view so much. Imagine what my Sunday would be like if I persisted on staying at home and did another round of paperwork. Being a teacher checking papers and doing stuff beyond working hours truly sucks. I'm still working on ways to make my checking experience easier, though. I'll get there. For now, I'll savor this moment.
My Limpyur Essentials team! I look so formal here; my teammates look gorgeous with their fresh and youthful get-up. With this outfit of mine, I always get called "sir" instead of the usual "Kuya" or "bai" that any male Cebuano gets called at. Hahaha. I also appreciate the beautiful background. Truly, this is proof that Mother Nature is the best Instagram filter.
This was my view of the counter. They placed a plastic as a form of barrier between the cashier and the customer. The menu list was pasted in the wooden table so that customers can just read their orders at a safe distance. I find the whole setup simple, decent, and enticing.
I took a snapshot of the other end of the balcony. I guess this was the perfect time to look at the mountains, chill, meditate about life's beauty and uncertainty, and let go of thoughts that make you feel anxious and lost. Thank God, I was able to breathe.
We decided to go back to the city at around 6:00 PM so that we can eat dinner in the comfort of our own homes. This is the last picture of the outside view of the cafe at night. As we went down, the cold breeze of air made the closing part of the trip memorable and therapeutic.
So that's it for my spontaneous Busay trip! Indeed, the unexpected ones are always the most memorable. I guess I need a lot of work in unlearning the discomfort of having to do unplanned activities. I guess I'm starting the path to embrace these forms of mini-adventures and be able to let loose my inhibitions even just for a day. Thank you so much for reaching this part of my blog.
I'll meet you again in my next posts for this month. Adios!
About the Author
Jay Malila
A Filipino chemical engineer working as a Chemistry and Research teacher to Senior High students. Aside from his full-time job, he explores his "frontiers" as he begins to start an online business, do private tutorials on professional courses, and work as a financial advisor. He aspires to influence the youth through his vocation as a teacher, as well as deliver compelling ideas through his own blogs and other forms of content in social media.
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Wow, thank you so much!
Jay! You look like you had fun here! How can you write 2k words in one sitting? Amazing ✨
Fresh pa ang memories and feelings associated ani na event, gwapa. Hahaha.
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