On July 29, 2024, my family and I went on a trip to Cebu. Want to find out how our trip went? Then, stay with me until the end of this blog. This is makiyumee and welcome to my new blog!
It was around 4:30 am when our ride, which was a black taxi hired by my mother, came to pick us up in front of the chapel of Dayhagon. It was still dark, and the sky was in a hue of navy blue and black. The stars were still out, and thick fog surrounded the whole place because of the cold air.
The moment we got inside the black taxi or van rather, I thought we were going to start our trip to Cebu, but I was wrong. The driver informed us that he was still going to pick up a passenger in Antipolo and Hagnaya. From Dayhagon, the driver picked up the passenger from Antipolo before driving straight to Hagnaya. When all the passengers had boarded the taxi, it was finally time to go to Cebu.
During the whole ride, I was asleep most of the time but when the sun's warm rays peeked through the van's tinted windows, I opened my eyes and I saw that it was already morning. We were in Catmon (if I'm not mistaken) that time and I was already greeted by the fresh salty scent coming from the sea beside the road that we traveled.
But I thought I would be fully awake by that time, but I was wrong. I went back to sleep with my head leaning against the head rest of my seat. I don't know what happened, but I was awakened by the sudden shaking of the van, and I looked outside, only to see that we were already in the city. The road became packed with vehicles and dark smoke could be seen everywhere.
It was around 8 am when the driver dropped us in front of Jollibee in Colon. We paid for the fare before getting out of the black van. The sun was already heating up and my stomach was grumbling, clearly looking for food. We decided to eat our breakfast at Jollibee since it was literally the nearest restaurant that we could find.
We ate till our stomachs were full and when we were done, it was finally time to go to our first destination of the trip—Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño de Cebu, the oldest Roman Catholic church established in the Philippines. Before we could enter the church, the guards at the front gates checked our bags and our things. When they were done, we were finally allowed to enter the premises.
We went straight to the area where we could light up candles and pray. We squeezed our way through the crowd, careful enough not to push other people and separate from each other along the way. When we arrived at the stands where the candles should be placed and where we could also get some candles, I couldn't help but admire how the flowers bloomed in the middle of the place.
I got myself five candles and I lit them one by one before silently praying while looking at the carving of Sto. Niño on the wall. My family and I prayed together, asking for the Almighty's guidance, good heath and of course, graces. After praying, we asked around if there would be a mass since we also wanted to attend the morning mass. While I waited for my parents, I looked around and admired the view of the place.
When my parents got back, they told me and my sister that the morning mass was had just finished and we couldn't help but feel disappointed since we were too late to attend it. But still we decided not to linger on the disappointment since there were still other ways for us to pray and that's where we decided to enter the church.
We walked towards the lobby of the church and searched for the hallway that leads to the altar of Sto. Niño. When we found it, we all got into the line and waited patiently for our turn just like the other devotees that were also waiting for their turn. It was a long line of devotees, but it didn't take that long for us to reach the altar.
Our turn came and we silently prayed to Sto. Niño before exiting the altar. The guard who was assigned there didn't want us to spend much time inside since there were still a lot of people waiting in line. My family and I then found ourselves sitting on one of the benches inside the church.
As we rested and prayed, I found myself looking around and admiring the art style of the church. Talk about aesthetics, the church seemed to be slightly inspired by gothic art and architecture. Churches in Rome are an example of gothic architecture and since this church is a Roman Catholic church, it would be pretty obvious for it to have gothic art and architecture, right?
From a distance, the altar appeared majestic and divine due to the gold accents that accentuated its intricate carvings. The whole structure had an almost spiritual appearance, as like it belonged to another world, because of the way the shimmering features captured the light. The idea of being in front of it as I got closer made me feel in awe; it was like entering a sacred place where spirit and tradition combined to create a powerful but humble presence.
When we were done, we excused ourselves and slowly walked towards the lobby of the church where we cross paths with a group of old Koreans who were also admiring the interiors of the church. We got out of the church and my father hired a taxi towards our next destination.
Want to know what’s our next destination? Don't worry, you'll find out on the next part of this blog. That would be all for this blog, see you all on part 2!
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Nice shots @makiyumee, you really captured the heart of the Basilica.💗🌷
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STOPWhat a nice day !
Excited for your next destination💓
That was a nice day.
The architecture of the Basilica never fails to amaze me.✨
nice church