Balben Family Cove: Exploring the "Hidden Garden" of Lake Sebu
Lake Sebu
The summer capital of Southern Mindanao
"A long time ago, a local princess had a dream of coming to the mountain lands of Sebu. The princess saw a big leaf. When she opened it up a frog leaped out along with a gush of water which flooded the land and became the lake. From the heavens she threw here pythons to the earth which formed the islands at the lake. And in order for the princess to pass by the lake, her brother parted the islands. The name Sebu actually came from the loyal servant of the princess who fell and died on this lake during his service."
(from the upper plateau of the garden: top view of the lake)
Geography and Climate
The placid lake of Lake Sebu can be found in Alah Valley near the municipality of Surallah, South Cotabato. Surrounded by rolling hills and mountains covered with thick rain forest. The total area of the lake is 891.38 km², with an elevation of approximately 1000 m.
The natives
The lake's shores and the surrounding rainforest are home to the indigenous T'bolis, Tirurays, Ubos and Manobos. One of the major tribes, the T'bolis are known for their weaving skills and brassware production as well as fishing skills. The rest of the population are made of Ilonggos, Bicolanos and Ilocanos.
On the way to the site...
Good news, new development projects like road widening are currently on going. So unlike before, it is a lot easier to hit the road.
Sister Germaine's 60th birthday
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Another reason to celebrate!! The Suedad clan, though not complete, still managed to hold a 2 day feast. Aside from Lake Sebu's native cuisine which is the very delicious and very fresh inihaw na tilapia, we also filled our stomachs with Ate Mechi's famous grilled barbeque. Also in the menu - crispy bighead, tinolang manok, but-ong (illongo term for triangle form suman), paksiw na tilapia, biko, fishball, potato fish salad, kalamayhati and so much more!
Everyone extended their best wishes and happy greetings to one of my beloved aunts Sister Germaine
The Garden Tour
view from the Main Hall |
When was it built?
The very first house construction started on July 8, 1994. The second lot was bought on January 1995. There were renovations done to defend the houses from cold weather conditions, more so...to stand the test of time!
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Balben Family Cove Main Hall |
Today, this lake front property is open to public and is now registered with DTI and named as BALBEN FAMILY COVE. Guests can also visit another site owned by a family member located at Barrio Siete, a 15 minute ride from the garden. Best for adventurous persons, the site is best for trekking and mountain climbing. It also boasts a wonderful waterfall where everyone can take a cool fresh bath. (read our mountain hiking adventure)
Floras
Most of these natural beauties are not visible in the cities. Truly one of the lake's precious mysteries.
Garden enthusiasts, landscape architects and florists are all enthusiastic when staying here.
Just choose your dessert!
The garden is also a home to various fruit trees such as apple, mulberry, rambutan, durian, pomelo, macopa, mangosteen, avocado, ponkan to name a few.
stories about fairies, dwarfs, animals, sightings and other mysteries could be read in one of this blog's post (Top 10 Mystical Stories).
Native Blessing
A native ritual headed by Nang Candi was made particularly at the new building as a sign of "cleansing" and to ask "blessing" from the spirits of nature.
Being a witness to this native ritual, I'm confident to say that the place is truly blessed. What happened next really gave me the chill. Just right after the last few words has been said, there was ghust of good heavy rainfall and to think that was a sunny morning. Guess, there are really some things we can't explain, we just have to believe...