A Serene Escape: My Personal Experiences in Cebu City, Philippines

 The city of Cebu commonly known as the Queen City of the South is a bustling combination of the urban and the natural. My recent journey to this magical city, especially in the mountainous regions was magical. My friends brought life to the experience, and this will forever be etched in my memory.  Our excursion started with a beautiful ride on a winding route to the hills of Cebu City. The rush and rush of the urban world slowly began to disappear as we were ascending to see urban world begin to be forgotten with the nature around us slowly bringing in an atmosphere of calm. The path was shady and green here; the air was cooler and fresher. There was excitement on the way as we made our way to our destination, a small cosy place which had stunning beautiful scenery of the city below.  After we finally arrived at our view deck, we were able to see a breathtaking panoramic view of Cebu City. When the night constrained, the city bulbs were bright twinkled like the stars were on the ground. It was something that impressed us: the city with lots of lights, each light marking a story, another life, another dream. The landscape of dark mountains and the bright city was a spectacular combination that was almost a dream.  Among the best things that happened on our trip, bringing a few books was among them. We sat in our comfortable corner on a bench basking in the gentle light of nature and the streetlamps to create this rare sense of having the ideal environment to read. The serenity of the mountains is what gave us the chance to be transported to other worlds within the pages of our books. All of us read in a different genre some preferred exciting adventures and others heart touching stories.  As we got entangled in our narrations the laughter and chats here and there filled the air and the pleasure of sharing our experiences with our colleagues came alive. We would sometimes take time to share our thoughts about the plots, characters and themes and this would improve our motive and perception of the literature. It is a lovely mixture of friendship and self-analysis, and this makes the reading even more special.  The beauty of things around us was further complemented by the strong bonds that we had. We were sitting together and recollecting our past adventures as well as our dreams of future. The journey to the mountainous regions of Cebu City was not only the means of getting away, but it was a medium of understanding the value of nature and friendship as well as the simple pleasures of life. I read and spent time with friends in an indescribably wonderful landscape.  I will always treasure Cebu City in my heart not only because it has been blessed with beautiful places but also because my friends and I had our good memories of the tranquility experienced in the mountainous area in Cebu City. I will be back to be sure because there are many more stories to read, and you will find and share here; it is a fabulous part of the Philippines.