NEW CUYO, ROXAS, PALAWAN
We spent some time in Roxas, Palawan. We visited New Cuyo, where hills, farmlands, fruit-bearing trees, lush crops and peaceful community are surrounded by nature.
A quiet goodbye to my father’s land that once held a piece of our family story
New Cuyo, is a barangay in municipality of Roxas. (We visited here 3x. We went to our land 2x. Last visit, we just stayed at the junction. The community here is friendly and welcoming.
On this trip, I was with my papa and mama (December 17, 2012). To get to our land, the road going to New Cuyo is connected to the National Highway. From road junction, we rented and rode a motorbike. It was my first time to ride a motorbike on a bumpy road. I was so scared during the ride, especially when it was a little uphill. I honestly felt like I was going to fall off or be thrown out of the motorbike at any moment :). It’s funny to think that while I’m riding the motorbike, I was like, “Maybe I should’ve just walked instead.” But then, after a while, I realized, “I kind of I want to do it again (๑˃ᗜ˂)(๑˃ᗜ˂)!!!” I usually drive my own motorbike in Manila, but this experience was completely different. Still, it turned out to be a fun and adventurous ride and I can go back to the junction by riding the motorbike again. That was really fun and unforgettable, I still remember it clearly and that’s why I’m sharing it here (✿˶ˆᗜˆ˵)♡. It took us for about 10-15 mins for the motorbike ride. When we reached the barangay, we had to walk for 15-20 minutes to get to our land.
One last walk around our land
According to my papa, back then in the 1970s, it was his first time boarding a ship to work as a seaman. He used to send his allotment to my Lolo Irineo and Lola Sebastiana. My grandparents, being very frugal, saved the money well and used it to buy land from my papa’s hard-earned remittance.
It was really nice to know that my grandparents were so ♡thoughtful and so caring in how they gave importance to Papa’s effort. Instead of using it on themselves, they used it for something they thought was more important, invested in and bought land. They knew how much Papa worked hard at sea, and they respected all Papa’s sacrifice and effort. So they made sure it didn’t go to waste.
The land is about 6.9 hectares. The place was quiet, green and peaceful. We walked around and saw a lot of trees, like coconuts, paper trees, mango, banana, casoy (cashew) and different kinds of crops. Even though we didn’t grow up there or live on it, it’s been part of our family for a long time, since before my dad got married. With a heavy heart, my parents had to sell it. When an urgent need came up. The land served its purpose when needed it most. A bittersweet parting, but even if it’s no longer ours, it will always hold a special place in our hearts. It wasn’t easy but there’s a quiet knowing that it was the right thing to do.
We tried to look for a smaller piece of land, maybe about a hectare, but we didn’t find any. But, we did find a portion of land in El Nido, which we’re so happy and we’re really thankful for (。♥‿♥。)☆
Someday, if by any chance, If God wills, I’d still love to have a little piece of land in New Cuyo too with a small vacation home close to nature. If God wills… ☆☆☆
Nov 19, 2012- Dec 18, 2012
Nov 26, 2012- Dec 1, 2012 – Cuyo Island
Dec 8, 2012- Dec 11, 2012 – El Nido
Dec 17, 2012- New Cuyo, Roxas
