Flowers at Ubay Green Park magnet for selfies, groupies

Last week, I visited the Temple of Leah and the much raved about flower farms in the mountain village of Cebu City.

So up in the mountains of Busay, about 7 km. from  JY Square in Barangay Lahug, Cebu City, businessman Teodorico Adarna wanted to immortalize his love for his wife, Leah, who was snatched away from him by cancer.

The celosia flower farms in the mountain village

 of Sirao in Cebu City. Leo Udtohan 

Now, tourists and locals flock to the Temple of Leah which has been dubbed as Cebu’s Taj Mahal, a popular tourist attraction in India, built in the 1600s by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in honor of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal.

For an entrance fee of P50, tourists and locals can marvel at the edifice inspired by Roman architecture and Greek mythology with its huge columns at the entrance and gigantic lions that seem to be looking at the city’s panoramic view.

The Temple of Leah is accessible by habal-habal (P140 round-trip per person inclusive of waiting time) and by ordinary car.  From the temple, you can ask your driver to take you to the nearby flower farms at Sitio Tawagan in the mountain village of Sirao, about 10 kms from Temple of Leah or about 17 kms from JY Square in Lahug. 

The red and yellow blooms of the Sinulog flowers or generally known as celosia, flower farms in Sirao are building hype over social media as a new tourist destination in the city.

We were in awe when we saw such scenery with vibrant hues of flowers. The place seems like a “little Baguio.”

“I love it,” gushed Tagbilaran resident Jennifer Sarabia-Pagsiat, a firs timer in the farm. “I was blown away when I saw the flowers,” said another fellow Tagbilaranon Jessica Olorvida.

Cebu’s Taj Mahal, the Temple of Leah in Upper Busay in Cebu City, now

 stands  witness to a husband’s undying love for his departed wife. Leo Udtohan

At the Sirao Garden-Mini Amsterdam, the windmill inspired by those seen in Amsterdam, Germany is the attention-grabbing spot inside the farm.  There are props stationed in different corners of the flower farm, as an added attraction aside from the already Instagram-worthy flowers in the garden so that people can have “selfies” or “groupies” or “ussies” with their loved ones.

The celosia yield red, pink, purple, orange, gold or bicolor blossoms. Blooming in rows, they resemble fire. Celosia is Greek for “burning.”

The Ubay Green Park and Techno Center in Barangay Imelda

 in Ubay town, Bohol, has suddenly become popular 

because of its sun-loving celosia and coxcomb flowers. Leo Udtohan

The owner charge (P50 for adults, P25 for senior citizens, while admission for children below 12 years old is free) visitors to compensate for the inadvertent damage done on the flowers when they take pictures.  One has to pay for beauty; only FB and IG likes are free.

In Bohol, celosia and coxcomb flowers are also found at the Ubay Green Park and Techno Center in the village of Imelda. The park, an old dumpsite, is building hype over social media as a new tourist destination in the province.

The local government unit of Ubay headed by Mayor Constatino Reyes has transformed the place into something “touristic” while reminding residents and visitors to “reuse, recycle and reduce.”  Here, plastic bottles and car ties were turned into pots and decorations.

I’d visited the Ubay Green Park last month but still the celosia and coxcomb flowers are there, and the influx of tourists since last month has doubled for the demand of more selfies and groupies.

Helen Castaño, 40, an OFW, was surprised there were already many tourists when they visited the park with her friends early yesterday morning.

She said they had planned the trip after seeing the news on GMA-7 last Friday which featured the Ubay Green Park.

Castaño wants to visit again, hoping to see more flowers growing in the area.

Melvin Garcia, 27, a motorcycle-for-hire driver for over seven years, said they were happy with the growing popularity of the Ubay Green Park since it means additional income for them.

He said their earnings grew from P500 in a normal day to more than double when they started serving more tourists going to the park since last month.

Garcia said a tourist can ride the habal-habal going to the Ubay Green Park for P140-P200 a round-trip per person inclusive of waiting time.

There is no entrance fee at the park, hence visitors are reminded not to touch or step on the flowers to preserve their bloom.

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