Trek to Celestial Garden
It's been a year since I moved out of my parents' house. My girlfriend and I decided to get a condo in the upland part of the city. We spent months researching our options before deciding. We chose a property with a nice city view, but it was still not very far. We could get to the city center in about 15 minutes without traffic.
In the morning, when the weather is nice, I could see from the viewing deck, the sprawling city below. I could make out the newly built luxury hotels near the coast and I could also see a winding bridge, that's considered the longest in the country.
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Aside from the novelty of the view, one of the things I wanted to do after moving in was explore the nearby area. I knew there was a hiking trail not very far away. I also knew there was a unique place called Celestial Garden that could be hiked from where we lived. I've seen pictures of it, and I've always wondered what the place was.
One afternoon, I convinced my girlfriend to go hiking to Celestial Garden. I used Google Maps to tell us where to go. We exited our condominium complex and entered narrow roads, which led us to a trail up a mountain. I wasn't very confident in my ability to lead the way because Google Maps had failed me many times. I was relieved when I saw other people hiking towards the top of the mountain.
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I'm not much of a hiker, but I'm fit enough to climb mountains. Still, I had to rest multiple times to catch my breath and rest my feet. We'd already climbed a considerable altitude because I could see the city when I looked behind me. We continued walking and saw some statues up ahead. The sun was coming low on the horizon which made some of my photos overexposed
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Crossing off my Bucket List
We reached the top and saw the place I keep seeing in the photos. It's like a small plaza made from marble tiles. It had angel statues and small ponds on the side. In the middle, were gravestones. I realized that the structure was an open Mausoleum. Celestial Garden is a cemetery. A cemetery with an amazing view.
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I could finally cross off on my bucket list, hiking to Celestial Garden. I've been really wanting to visit the place ever since we moved into our condo, and I also wanted it to be a hiking date with my girlfriend. We were quite satisfied with how manageable the climb was for us.
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We rested for a bit while looking at the clear view of the city below. I understood why people came here. They came for the view and the relatively quick journey. They also came for the space. If I didn't know it, I would think this was a park where people were having picnics or playing games.
A Cemetery
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There was a statue of the Virgin Mary carrying the Baby Jesus on her lap. She was surrounded by angels and she was seated on a throne while wearing a crown. The statue was stark white and life-size. It was magnificent. But beside it, was a pink camping tent set up by some teenagers.
We walked further and saw the gravestones and more teenagers. They were taking photos with an arch of bougainvillea flowers in the background. I had nothing against the kids though. I know if I were their age and living nearby, I would also visit this place on a Saturday afternoon with my friends. We walked past them and let them be.
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I once read a book that talked about a strange gratitude exercise where you go to a cemetery and just walk around reading the markings on the gravestones. You look at how old or young the people died when they were buried in the cemetery. It's supposed to give you a sense of how precious life is no matter how long or short it's lived and make you more grateful that you are alive at the moment. I wasn't really in the need to be grateful, I was thankful enough to climb the mountain where we were and finally see what this place was.
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We walked past the gravestones and kids playing volleyball and made our way to the spot that had a better view of the city.
A Walk in the Park
The sun was already setting and the sky was turning into soft colors. There was a spot where people sat down to just enjoy the view and that's what we did. We brought some snacks with us, so we took them out and ate.
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More and more people arrived. They weren't just going to Celestial Garden, they were going further, higher up the mountain. As I've said, there's a hiking trail in the area and many people go up there to get an even better sight of the city below. My girlfriend wanted to go up there, but I protested, saying it would be dark soon. I told her we'd go up there next time.
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After having our snacks and taking one last look at the view, we decided to head back down the same way we went. It was an afternoon well spent. The trek was relatively easy, like a walk in the park. But's not just a park, it's a Memorial Park.
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Thanks for reaching this far. I hope you enjoyed this post in some way. I'm now living in Singapore as of writing, and I hope to blog about my first few weeks here. I'm starting to miss home, but I'm happy I get to relive being in the Philippines through writing about my experiences back there.
See you around. Cheers!
