A couple of days after I arrived from Vietnam (where I stayed for around a year,) I immediately went back to doing one of my most favorite things in the world – doing a solo round-Cebu motorbike road trip. One of the many beautiful things that i discovered during this trip was Florentino’s Eco-Park in Balamban, Cebu. I knew that my mom was going to love the place. So, the following week, I took her on a quick Cebu highland tour, the highlight of which was the visit to Florentino’s. True enough, my mom loved the place.
So, anyway, this post isn’t about Florentino’s. However, the place plays a very big role in the story that I’m going to tell you. You see, as we were heading home (it was around 4:30 pm,) we saw a lone lady selling fresh vegetables along the road somewhere in Cantipla 1 in Barangay Tabunan. For the uninitiated, Cantipla is quite popular among motorbikers and travelers who usually ply the long TransCentral Highway as it is known as the ‘sweet corn stop.’
So, back to the story. We saw this lady and we decided to buy some eggplants from her. While my mom was buying the veggies, I saw a sign across the road which read Ka-Tilong Sunflower Farm. I asked the lady if she knew anything about it. It turned out that she was the owner of the farm and that the farm had just opened two days before!
So, we decided to cross the road and check the place out.
The place is open from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm. Entrance fee is PhP30 for adults and PhP15 for children.
At first glance, there’s nothing much to see inside the farm. All you’ll see are a couple of colorful ornamental plants and shrubs.
But if you decide to explore the whole place, you will soon find this. It was gorgeous.
Sunflowers are not common in Cebu. So, I wasn’t surprised when the photos that I later posted on Facebook were shared more than 200 times.
Also, sunflowers are just absolutely gorgeous.
While I was taking photos, I mentioned to the owner that it would be better if there was someone who could appear in the photo just to show how tall the sunflowers are. At that very moment, a little girl in yellow shirt and red shorts arrived. “I apil na lang ni siya o,” the lady said. It was her daughter.
This was our first shot. She was shy but she managed to smile. “Mana, kuya?” she asked. I told her that we could try a different angle.
The next thing I knew, it had become a photo-shoot. Haha!
Look! She also happened to be wearing a sunflower hair band!
My mom had to pose, too!
And me. Hahaha!
We called it a day right after this photo was taken. It was getting dark and we were still far from home.
We thanked the lady and her kid for the shoot and I promised her that we would post the photos so that more people would know about her farm.
Have you been to the Ka-Tilong Sunflower Farm in Cantipla? What do you think of the place? Let us know about your experience in the comments below!
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