Osmeña Peak, Cebu: What the Fog and Fireflies Told Me

I was a groupie person when I was in my teens, so I didn't really get the idea of people opting to be alone and doing things their way at their own pace and time... Until I became so immersed with my books that I have no time to socialize with my long time friends. It felt like I was unintentionally burning bridges...

Sunset viewed on top of Osmeña Peak, Cebu.

Then came a time that books could not satisfy the restless soul in me anymore. I was in for some outdoor adventure and the calling of nature is so strong I could not restrain it further. But there is one problem: the friends that I once had are now either enjoying their own lives or have bitterly forgotten me. It was my own fault for that matter.

A nice view of the wide open space.

There was no choice really, since I couldn't call on for some old company. So I longed to travel alone. But I couldn't be alone on my first adventure, since I have no significant experience on outdoor traveling. Along with a few company and friends, we skirted the heights of the Osmeña Peak, the highest point in Cebu in terms of elevation.

While at the top of the mountain, I witnessed a grandiose scenery even the books couldn't match, an experience even the high fantasy stories couldn't tell and a life outside the four corners of my room.

There was fog that night, and the fireflies accentuated the ghostly backdrop with wraiths of fire. They whispered to me... This could be my life, just like what Gandalf told Bilbo in The Hobbit: "The world is not in your books and maps. It’s out there!"

And this is my journal, my stories and struggles in fulfilling such pursuit.