CEBU CITY – A sprawling bamboo plantation in northern Cebu is becoming a favorite hangout.
It wouldn’t be hard to be mesmerized by the Bamboo Forest in Barangay Luy-a, Medellin as its pathway lined with badges of bamboo trees offers a magnificent view.
Upon entering, one will be greeted by the cool breeze for a very relaxing feel.
Jose Mari Miranda, owner of the 2.3-hectare bamboo plantation, said the Bamboo Forest is a great place for people who love to go outside to enjoy nature. “Families, friends are going here because they want to relax and enjoy nature,” said Miranda said.
Miranda said he didn’t expect that the place would become a tourist spot. “We planted the bamboo trees for our banana plantation. Bamboos are being used to prop up banana trees. But when the bamboo trees started growing, people started coming here. It became known so we just decided to develop the place,” Miranda, president of the Bogo-Medellin Sugarcane Planters Association, said.
The place currently has at least 200 badges of bamboos but Miranda is looking to expand the plantation.
The tourist spot was one of the stops of Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia who led the reopening of tourism activities in northern Cebu last Thursday.
For an entrance fee of P20, one would get to enjoy nature and various Cebu delicacies. Visitors can have their picnics on benches underneath the badges of bamboo or at the several kiosks.
One of the visitors during the ceremonial launching of the place was the family of Julie Lagundi from Lapu-Lapu City.
The Lagundis endured a three-hour travel just to visit the place. Lapu-Lapu is about 117 kilometers from Medellin.
“We like it here. It gives us Japanese feels,” said Lagundi as she and her family pose for photo opportunities while clad in a “yukata” (summer kimono).
The place has also photo booths where visitors can have their pictures while in their Japanese and Korean costumes.
Old tractors and “kawa” (large flat pot or cooking pan) are also displayed in the sprawling plantation.
The place is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Saturday and from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. during Sunday.
Lagundi said places like the Bamboo Forest is great place to escape from the stress brought about by the current pandemic.
“We’ve been staying at home for several months because of the pandemic that’s why we really drove here all the way from Lapu-Lapu to get some fresh air and this place is the perfect place to enjoy fresh air,” Lagundi said.