This year’s homecoming was all about spending time with our son whom we have witnessed crawl, sit, stand, babble and grow some teeth from afar. LDP, Long Distance Parents, that’s us and it sucks. But this is how our set-up is for now and as adults, we deal with it.

Since this was my husband’s first trip back home, this was also the very first time that he has personally set eyes on and held our son. It was a special and heartwarming moment; I couldn’t explain the overwhelming joy I felt seeing them both in each others arms.

With all that being said, we had no concrete itineraries prepared for our whole stay in our hometown. Only an excited and grateful heart that we’ll be able to bond with our son and somehow make up for all the lost time. So when impromptu trips pop up,  they are always pleasantly welcome!

One fine Thursday morning, after giving Joaquin a bath, we headed out for a mini road trip to the mountains.

Our destination was Duyan Cafe located in Sitio Lantawan, Barangay Guimbalaon, Silay City. The coffee shop is a few minutes drive from the New Bacolod-Silay International Airport.

We came from Talisay, a neighboring city, so our drive was a bit longer but only by a few kilometers since we passed by the access road. If you will come from Bacolod, it’ll be a 30 to 40-minute travel.

I was sold on the view and the ambiance. The food will just be a bonus but the native snacks they served did not disappoint either, so it was a perfect combo.

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We arrived just before 10 in the morning and we were lucky there was no crowd yet. We got to fully enjoy the view from the balcony, savor the fresh air and inhale the calmness that the mountains bring. Nature truly is the best escape. 

We made a few stops along the road to appreciate the lush green scenery Lantawan has to offer and took photos as remembrance of our mini road trip.

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One week prior to this trip, we visited Rooster Cafe & Resto which is also located in Sitio Lantawan. 

The place was as refreshing and the food was good but we found the short hike to the cafe quite steep except for Mat. 😅 Gone were the days when heights did not worry me a bit. I used to climb trees for a hobby, a lot, and of any kind but my favorite was the arateris or sarisa (in crisp Hiligaynon accent). This is already off topic so I’ll save this story for another time. Hehe! Nevertheless, we still enjoyed our time at Rooster Cafe. 

We had breakfast then looked around and lounged on the hanging chairs while listening to the occasional crowing of the roosters. Yes, there’s a rooster farm just right behind the restaurant, and yes, that’s most likely where it got its name. 🙂

About an hour later, we decided it was time to go home, but Tatay was quite in the mood to drive. Instead of going back the way we came from, we continued driving from Lantawan to Patag then to Silay proper and finally, Talisay.

It was a memorable drive albeit long; Tatay reminisced his growing up years traversing the same path on foot while carrying the Santo Niño going house to house for the Pasticum.

The spontaneous and simplest things are oftentimes the best memories we hold dear.