THE HIDDEN BEAUTY OF LARENA

 

              We cannot perfectly behold the real beauty of a place by merely looking at its eye-catching sceneries but by also cultivating its arresting history.

                 Before we will going to recount about our experiences, let us first divulge the chronicles of the place where we have visited--- Larena.

             Larena is one of the six municipalities in the province of Siquijor, Philippines. It is currently under the leadership of its municipal mayor, Hon. Danny Villa. Old people said that it was formerly known as “Canoan”, interpreted in the Visayan term, “Kan-anan” or eating place, during the Spanish period but latterly changed into “Larena” as it was named after the island’s first Filipino governor, the late Hon. Demetrio Larena. Moreover, it also had its own traditional festival called the “Canoan Festival” in honor of the fiesta of its patron saint, St. Vincent Ferrer which was celebrated every 3^rd day of May.

                  Furthermore, one of Larena’s prides is the continuous development of one of its educational institution, which is the Siquijor State College. This institution is known not only when it comes to producing professionals in different fields but by also producing students who exile both in academic and extra-curricular activities.

            

           Going back to our trip, well, we did not consider it as a real trip but rather a walk in order to take a glimpse of Larena.  From school, we took the path to the portside by foot. It was 9 o’clock in the morning and the sun was glaring, however we did not mind it for what we were thinking was to be able to reach the place. Upon our arrival, the eye-pleasing horizon greeted 

The seawater was sparkling due to the beaming sunrays. The place was indeed free from garbages except for some dry leaves scattered under the trees.

            When we went nearer to the port, the Lite Shipping had already arrived. We saw some people who were busy carrying their backpacks, cellophanes, and paper bags who we reckon contained “pasalubongs” for their family and love ones.

      Speaking of “pasalubong”, located at the portside was Larena’s Tourism and Pasalubong Center. There, we saw different sweets such as banana chips, piniatos, peanut coated, pulvorons and the like. There were also different things we could use as decorations in our living room. Some of these were cute ship-like decorations made of sea shells designed in a creative and unique way. There were also little guitars, tumblers having the name “Siquijor” printed in its body and many more. We also found accessories like bracelets, knitted pockets and some were made from sea shells as well. 

           

           We could really say that Siquijodnons were rich in uniqueness and creativity. But what really caught our attention was the “Lana Panagang magical oil” which believed to be used in healing “hilo” or poison. We knew that our island was widely known for having folk healers who were capable of performing witchcraft and both for healing natural and supernatural maladies. “Lana” was a medicinal oil usually concocted from coconut while there were also some made from different kinds of roots. Some people said it boiled whenever bad spirits were present. Well, we have that in our house but we did not see it boiled. For us, this medicinal oil was one of the things that were only and found in Siquijor for we even knew some people from other places who used to buy it everytime they visit the island.

Well, after visting Larena’s tourism and pasalubong center, we headed to Prince Hypermart. It was opened last December 30, 2016 and had its grand opening last March 2017. Its main branch was in Cebu, Philippines. Many affordable garments, foot wares, kitchen wares, foods and many more were sold in an affordable price.

Afterwards, we took a look on the Green Monkey Bike Rental wherein there were many motorbikes for rent. Tourists could rent those in order to tour the island.

 As we continued walking, we became partially exhausted considering the fact that the sun was indeed glaring at us as if it was giving its full energy. But still, it was nothing as long as we enjoy walking while taking pictures and making fun with each other. At the street side, there was a woman selling various kinds of fruits and vegetables. Upon the sight of the fruits, our stomachs growled and we suddenly felt like we wanted to grab those and eat as much as we could.

After that, we’ve gone to a mini-restaurant which is the Jo’s Chicken Inato. Whenever we wanted to have the feeling of entering a big restaurant, it was one of the best places to stay. It had actually a nice ambience which brought unexplainable comfort.

The last place we’ve visited was the Halo-halo and Food Hauz at Bagsa, Larena , Siquijor. It was about noon and the weather became hotter, perfect for a very cold dessert.

Their halo-halo was worth 75 and 95 pesos. It was so delicious and affordable as well. Honestly, if only one person will going to eat the whole bowl of halo-halo, for sure, it is really worth it. It felt like we did not want to eat our lunch because our tummies could no longer accommodate for more.

Generally, we could say that even though it was the simplest trip we have had, it was quite fun after all. We are Siquijodnons and we’ve been to Larena a lot of times or shall we say, almost every day; nonetheless, there is something in this place which gives us the feeling of wanting to discover and explore it more.  For us, the real beauty of a place is not only seen through its beautiful sceneries but by how a person embraces its uniqueness and simplicity because a simple thing becomes great to those who use their heart to feel rather than seeing it in their eyes.

Members: 

Jaira M. Balanay

Charmaine Anhao

Zaisa Caspis

Marney Barot

Rejane Tingcang