When I originally wrote this piece in 2011, I thought that this town deserved to be known for its tropical mountain beauty. I even considered it as "world class," and I thought that it was a great thing that the view was, and is, free and very accessible. This point-of-view formed during my early days of "escaping" home with a limited insight of the world.
• The level of romanticization I regarded to these waterfalls were high, because that was from the perspective of someone who would see a roadside waterfall for the first time in his life.
• ...he was not yet aware that—fast forward to 2023—he would fight the demons of his childhood as he tried to break free from trauma and emotional co-dependency.
🇵🇭 SUYO, ILOCOS SUR
This encounter with the waterfalls of Suyo happened in 2010, and I'm now here from the future rewriting this story in my perspective as a grown-old adult of 2024. In 2010, me and my brother traversed the Tagudin-Cervantes-Sabangan Road which I regarded as the "great zigzag highway with cliffs everywhere." My very young self believed that this road would help you forget all your fears and worries. It really did happen to me at that time, though. I romanticized this mountain highway in Suyo—an upland municipality in Ilocos Sur—as something that would surely relax and soothe my soul.
Those were the sweet words I used to immediately describe the scooter-riding memories I had with my brother in Suyo, where I saw for the very first time a series of waterfalls dropping beside the road carved on steep mountain slopes.
In the original version of this blog post in 2011, I wrote that Suyo's way to relax visitors is by showing its numerous waterfalls along the way. The level of romanticization I regarded to these waterfalls were high, because that was from the perspective of someone who would see a roadside waterfall for the first time in his life. I was very young in high spirits. I just escaped the bondage of my teenhood, and the latent effects of childhood traumas were not yet manifesting. I was still in the later process of developing my individuality, and this Suyo visit was something I considered as my first major rebellion as an "independent" individuating young adult—breaking free from the strict rules set by my worrying parents, judgmental society, and religious dogmas.
In 2011, I wrote my observation this way:
The good thing here is, you don't need to hike just to see the source of the water; because along the highway, the waterfalls are readily available as a welcome cool offering to counter the heat of the summer season.
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🇵🇭 SUYO • ME AND MY BROTHER ESCAPED OUR HOUSE AND WENT SCOOTER-RIDING TO AN UNFAMILIAR TERRITORY THAT UNWITTINGLY BECAME THE KEY THAT OPENED THE DOOR TO AN UNLIMITED SELF-DISCOVERY. |
Of course, you can't help but be amazed by these stunning waterfalls. As you travel on this highway in Suyo (part of the Tagudin-Cervantes-Sabangan road) that leads you to either Mountain Province or Benguet, the waterfalls got much better and became even more beautiful.
Every traveler has the reason to stop over these winding and long mountain highway because the views it offers are worth seeing!
Revisiting this blog and rewriting it exposed me back to the old emotions that became my inspiration to write those words in 2011. All emotions were happy, exciting, positive, and optimistic. When my old and happy young self was writing those words in 2011, he was not yet aware that—fast forward to 2023—he would fight the past demons haunting him to the present—trying to break free from childhood trauma, school-based verbal abuse, family pressure, and emotional co-dependency. No one is to be blamed, though. My mother was also forced to become a parent when her father (my grandfather) died too soon. My mom was the eldest child, and she was parentified as a teen who took care of her 7 younger siblings in the absence of a father figure.
My mom also had her childhood traumas from those unfortunate circumstances, and this is the cycle that I am trying to cut now in my generation. I'm trying my best to heal, so that I could also help my mom, my papang (in case he may need one), and my brothers to heal thereafter.
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🇵🇭 SUYO • THE YOUNGER EDMAR WAS ELATED TO SEE A ROADSIDE WATERFALL FOR THE FIRST TIME |
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🇵🇭 SUYO • ONE OF THE WATERFALLS ME AND MY BROTHER ENCOUNTERED IN THIS JOYRIDE. |
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🇵🇭 SUYO • MY LOOK HERE WAS NOT PROBLEMATIC. IT GENUINELY RADIATED WHAT I WAS FEELING AT THAT MOMENT. |
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🇵🇭 SUYO • MY LEVEL OF APPRECIATION IN 2011 WAS SKY HIGH. I TOOK SO MANY PHOTOS OF THIS SMALL WATERFALL BECAUSE I THOUGHT IT WAS VERY BEAUTIFUL |
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🇵🇭 SUYO • MY BROTHER EDISON: MY ORIGINAL TRAVEL BUDDY. |
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🇵🇭 SUYO • OF COURSE, I ALSO NEED MY OWN PHOTO HERE. |
This town really deserves to be known, because its tropical beauty is world class. The great thing is, the views are free and very accesible. All you need to do is to bring yourself here.
What are you waiting for, folks? There's a reason to visit Suyo today!
The words I said in the preceeding paragraphs exuded optimism.
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🇵🇭 SUYO • MY BEST CHILDHOOD MEMORIES HAPPENED IN THE PRESENCE OF MY BROTHER. |
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🇵🇭 SUYO • WITH MY BROTHER EDISON: I COULDN'T VERBALIZE IT WITH HIM, BUT GOD KNOWS HOW I LOVE MY BROTHER SO MUCH. |
► Original version of this article (written in 2011)
Plying that great zigzag highway with cliffs everywhere, you would tend to forget all your fears and worries; because this mountain highway in Suyo—an upland municipality in Ilocos Sur—would surely relax and soothe your soul.
Its way to relax you is by showing the numerous waterfalls it could offer you.
The good thing here is, you need not to hike to see the source of the water; because along the highway, the waterfalls are gifts and offering that give you a cool welcome amidst the hot summer season.
Of course, you couldn't help but be amazed by these stunning waterfalls. As you travel on this highway in Suyo (a part of the Tagudin-Cervantes-Sabangan Highway a.k.a. mountain trail) that would lead you to either Mountain Province and Benguet, the waterfalls got much better and more beautiful.
Every traveler has the reason to stop over these winding and long mountain highway because its view offerings are worth seeing for.
This town really deserves to be known because its tropical beauty is world class; and the great thing is, the views are free and very accesible. All you need to do is bring yourself here.
What are you waiting, folks? There's a reason to visit Suyo today!
LATEST STORIES COVERING 'SUYO' • SEE ALL IN A SEPARATE WINDOW
▼ ILOCOS SUR
▼ WATERFALLS
▼ NATURAL WONDERS
MORE TOWNS OR LOCATIONS YOU MIGHT LIKE TO EXPLORE:
V
S
M
SC
M
C
SM
B
SJ
SD
UPDATE HISTORY FOR THIS BLOG POST
• 2024-April-07: Lay-out version 2023.12 applied. Photos reuploaded with the watermark version 2024.1. Article rewritten in my 2024 perspective.
• 2011-May-11: This post was published.
