Lost in the Mist: An Unexpected Road Trip to Mt. Kanlahing, Alcoy’s Sea of Clouds

Hi! It's been a while since the last time I was here. Time sure flies so fast that we are now in the last month of the year. I feel like I owe a lot of backstories as to why I haven't been here for so long, which I'm so ready to pay as I have tons of stories I want to share. But first, let me sort a ton of photos and videos. Lol.

Anyway, let me start with our most recent trip a week ago. Though it says in the title that this was an unexpected road trip going south, it actually took us 4 or 5 months to finally fulfill. This was due to the recent natural calamities, conflicting schedules, and financial reasons that made us postpone it until next year. However, with the news that we didn't have any work for Thanksgiving and Black Friday, we finally decided to make this long overdue trip happen.

With our long list of places we wanted to visit, we were overwhelmed about which one we should tick off first. We eventually decided to visit the viral Sea of Clouds in Alcoy at Mt. Kanlahing.

With very little time, we wasted no time looking for a car to rent, figuring out the location, and planning a possible itinerary. If there is one thing I love about travelling with my colleagues, it is that I don't have to stress myself about planning all these by myself.

Since traveling south would take us more or less 4 hours depending on traffic, we decided to meet at 1:00 AM as we also wanted to catch the sunrise. Mimi, one of my colleagues, had volunteered to look for a car and drive us, as it would save us time and money rather than commuting. Meanwhile, the others drove a motorbike with their boyfriend. With little to no plan, we left around 2:00 AM on a Saturday.

The entire drive went smoothly as there was no traffic and, of course, with Mimi's driving. As passenger princesses that we are, Jeb and I wanted to catch some sleep on the way, but I ended up chitchatting with Mimi and Eden the entire time. Once we arrived in Alcoy, we had a little hard time finding the road leading to Barangay Nug-as, which was our destination. Though we had some help from Google Maps, the road itself didn't have enough streetlights, so we didn't notice it. The good thing is that despite the early time, there were bystanders who pointed us to the right road. So, if you are coming from Cebu City, you should take the road going to the entrance beside the Sta. Rosa de Lima Parish, which is a little ahead of their public market.

The drive from the main road going to our destination felt like eternity. As we ascended the unknown road, we felt like we were bewitched. The cold air embraced us while the darkness refused to admit defeat as it engulfed everything. It was exciting yet scary at the same time.

It was around 5:00 AM when we finally reached the summit. It was a long drive, but we finally made it. Our colleague who's from Alcoy had already told us that the peak is just near the road, so we didn't have to hike that far, but I didn't expect it to be really just beside the road. It was very accessible, and you just have to park your car or motorbike and then ascend for less than 5 minutes from the road.

It was still dark when we arrived, which was perfect as we wanted to witness the sunrise. There were already others who had arrived earlier than us and were trying to find a place to settle, so we also immediately found a spot where we could capture picture-perfect photos and videos for the gram and for memories. We couldn't be more grateful for the perfect weather despite the random lightning we were seeing across from us. There also weren't that many people when we visited, so we really did see the Sea of Clouds instead of a Sea of People. We truly had the time to soak in the beauty it was flaunting. It was a surreal feeling to witness this firsthand.

We stayed for more or less 2 hours, just enough time for the others to rest after a long drive. Once the sun had risen and everyone had their chance to take photos and videos, we decided to descend back to the main road. There, we got to experience another surreal moment of passing through the mist, like being transported to a different dimension.

I don't know what kind of magic it was, but our drive back to the main road took just a few minutes compared to going up. Nonetheless, we made it back safely. Also, as somewhat of a tradition when traveling out of town, we try to make time to visit churches to offer candles and prayers, which we did before heading to our next destination.

At this point, everyone was starting to feel the grumble in their stomachs as we hadn't had any proper meal when we left the city. As I mentioned, this trip had little to no plan as we tried to just go with the wind when we got to our destinations. Unfortunately, we weren't expecting restaurants and diners to be closed at 7 in the morning. The good thing is that the wet market was just near the church, so we decided to check it out and see what we could get to satisfy our hunger. We ended up buying pork meat, a few condiments, and important essentials that we would be needing once we got to the beach or spring where we would be spending the rest of our time before heading back home.

Since we were already in the south, it was a must for us to soak in white sand and crystal-clear waters. We initially planned to dine and relax at Tingko Beach, which was just a few minutes' drive from the church, but we ended up changing location because when we got there around 8ish, the sun was strikingly hot and there weren't enough shades to cover us. Mimi and Eden suggested that we try Obong Spring instead, as there would surely be cottages for us to use. And honestly, we were glad we did because the ambience really took away the exhaustion from the heat of the sun. The cold water was also the much-needed dip we were looking for.

Aside from the mesmerizing view and enchanting experience, there are two more reasons I would never forget this trip. First, the charcoal we bought from the market took forever to burn, which was ridiculous since we were already so hungry. We tried everything we could, but it still took us ages. We only managed to fill our stomachs around 10:30 to 11:00, which was almost lunchtime, so we ended up having brunch. I even joked that we should have just patiently waited for the restaurants to open, at least then we could have had a more decent variety of food. But kidding aside, I think the most fun part of going to the beach or spring is preparing food for everyone, chitchatting, and of course enjoying the meal we prepared together.

The second reason this trip became truly unforgettable was the greatest mystery of all: the missing photos and videos. After every travel, once everyone has relaxed, airdropping photos is always a must. So while we were chilling in the cottage, we started sharing photos and videos. During our stay at Mt. Kanlahing, it was Jeb who took most of our photos, and of course, in return we took a decent number for her. But for some reason, some photos were missing—most of hers. We checked everybody’s phone and still found nothing. When I got home, I reviewed the DJI videos I had, and those exact moments were caught in 4K, yet the photos themselves were nowhere to be found. It felt like we had indeed been bewitched. To this day, it remains a big mystery for us.

That all being said, that's how our unexpected and spontaneous road trip to Alcoy went, crossing off another mountain and tourist spots in Cebu. Even though we are a bit short on time and money right now, we hope that next year we can still conquer more mountains together. And of course, I will be here to tell you all about it.