We Are Family

Destination : Cebu City & Mactan Island

Date : Sept 22-25, 2006 

This trip was planned before Andre was born. Cebu Pacific had a fare sale so we took advantage of it. Daddy and my round-trip ticket only costs Php 3,304.  We spent a lot of time researching on where to stay, where to eat and where to go. Everything should be planned as we have a 6th month old baby in tow. The itinerary was finished 2 days before our departure. I took a leave from work to pack our things and buy some stuff that we need to bring. 

Overall it was a marvelous time. It was really heartwarming to see our little boy enjoy the new sights and sound. He was so alert the whole time and the pictures can tell how much fun he had.

Friday, Sept 22,2006

Our departure time is at 10 am and we were at the boarding area at around 9:15. Our little boy picked the best time to do no. 2. He did it when the plane is about to take off. Hahaha! We waited until the “fasten your seatbelt” sign has been turned off and we headed to the lavatory. It was quite an experience changing diapers inside the plane. J We reached Cebu at around 11 am and we waited for our luggage. After collecting our things we hailed a cab. In Cebu the cab drivers are more honest. We only paid what’s on his meter.  

We checked in at Cebu Century Hotel. This is at Colon cor Pelaez streets. It is not that impressive but at 780 per night, I can’t complain. The room was large to accommodate 2 double beds and 1 King size bed. There’s sufficient air-conditioning , cable tv,  and hot & cold water. Another good thing is that it is at the heart of downtown Cebu. Very conveniently located.  We had  lunch and had a nap. Even little boy was tired.  Lola arrived at around 4 pm. B.boy had fun rolling in the bed as we connected the 3 beds together. He was so happy. 

We had dinner at Big Mao in Ayala Center. We’re supposed to go to Habour City because we heard that they served the best dimsum in town at an affordable price. Unfortunately, it was undergoing renovations so it was closed.  Big Mao is okay but it is not something to rave about. Service was quick and we got quality customer service. However, food was so-so.  I think there’s a lot of MSG as I got sleepy after the meal.  The price is also expensive considering the quality of the food.  Not worth revisiting in my humble opinion.  

Saturday, Sept 23, 2006

Happy 16^th Monthsary !  J 

We woke up early today and went to Jumalon Butterfly Sanctuary. It was the house of Prof Jumalon, which has some galleries to show rare butterfly and moth collections. It also has some artworks made from butterfly wings. We’ve never seen such a wide variety of butterflies in our whole life. Really amazing! It also has a big garden full of birds and butterflies. At one part of the garden is the hatchery. We even saw a newly hatched butterfly that landed on B.boy’s legs. Our little boy was very amused. 

We went to Fort Santiago after. It reminds me of our very own Intramuros. B.boy had a tremendous time looking at the flock of pigeons.  There are some stores inside which sells pasalubong. Handicrafts, otap, dried mangoes and shell craft abounds. Foreigners also visit this place. There’s also some mini museum that showcases the old pottery and canons. I didn’t get to see much of it as B.boy doesn’t want to be confined indoors. That child hmpft! Hahaha! 

After that, we dropped by the Magellan’s Cross. Not  much to see…just the ceiling.  There are also a lot of vendors selling candles outside. They say that if you light a candle, it will bring good fortune to you and to your family. 

Since it’s already lunch time, we went again to Ayala Mall to find Kaona Grill. We heard that it offers great grilled food. Unfortunately we couldn’t find where it is. We found out later on that it is not inside the mall but somewhere nearby. No wonder we couldn’t locate it. We ended up eating at Food Choices. We had lechon from CNT, seaweeds, puso   (this is rice wrapped in palm leaves) , and tola. It was okay, nothing fancy and not worth a second visit.

We went back to the hotel afterwards. We all slept and at around 4 pm, M0rn1ng and his mom went to Tabo-an and Carbon to buy pasalubong. Grabe! They bought a lot. Yun nga lang nangamoy dried goods sila. It was really a haven of dried goods. M0rn1ng bought squid flakes na super yummy. We didn’t joined them though as I think those markets are not baby friendly. 

We had Dinner at Abuhan at F.Ramos. Finally! We got to eat someplace fantastic. Their Pochero is to die for. Big servings and it tastes heavenly. The meat is tender and the broth is really tasty. Note though that their Pochero is what we know here as Bulalo. If we will be given a chance to visit Cebu again, we will definitely come back to this place.  

Sunday, Sept 24, 2006 - Mathias, Shangri-la Mactan, Tsibog’s 

We woke up early because the meeting at the Kingdom Hall was at 8 am.  Our friend’s friend, kuya Yang-Yang was already at the hotel lobby at 7:30. He was so nice to bring us to the KH as we don’t know where it is.  We attended the Tejeros Congregation and their Kingdom Hall was very cozy. Comfortable din because they have air-conditioning. Although the meeting was in Cebuano language, we are happy to be able to attend and upbuild our faith by associating with them.

We had lunch at Mathias. It is an alfresco eatery. The tables are set underneath the trees. We ordered inihaw na bangus, liempo, pork and chicken bbq, puso and balbakwa.  I don’t know how to describe balbakwa kasi nun lang ako nakakita ng ganun. Basta it is a soup based meal na mejo kulay orange. Okay naman ang lasa but it is not recommended for those with hypertension.  The food was super delish and super affordable. No wonder there were a lot of people dining there. Will go back there if given a  chance. 

After lunch, we went to Shangri-La Mactan.  The weather was very good…di mainit and di rin umuulan. Just perfect for us to hang-out at the beach. Super sabik kami kasi we were not able to hit the beach last summer. Nanganak kasi ako. We bought swimming trunks for B.boy. Kaya lang he was afraid of the waves. Kakainis kasi, he cried nung dinala namin sa dagat. Oh well! Di na namin pinilit. He enjoyed the swimming pool naman.  We just enjoyed the water the whole afternoon.  J

We’re supposed to go to SuTuKil for dinner but we figured out later on that it’s not worth it considering the price. So we just went to that place where Save More is located. It’s along the way if you’re going to the airport. We ate at Tsibog’s. Sarap din food dito and service was fast. We ordered sinigang na baboy, chicharong bulaklak, inihaw na pusit and adobong kangkong.  Price is reasonable too.  B.boy fell asleep on our way back. Since we still have time, M0rn1ng and I went to Cowrie Cove. We ordered some drinks and stayed at this place na super malapit sa dagat. I was telling Morn1ng na yung place is perfect for marriage proposals. Hehehe. Kala ko nga bibiruin nya ako at magpo-propose ulit. Lol!  We just exchange stories, pero for me that was a special moment. Ever since B.boy was born we seldom find time na exclusive for each other lang eh.   

Monday, Sept 25, 2006 

We had buffet breakfast at Tides the next morning. Morning was pleased with the very wide variety of food.  Super sulit talaga sa amin ang buffet because we are such big eaters. Kahiya but we tried everything they have to offer.  The watermelon shake is our unanimous favorite. 

After breakfast, we rode the free shuttle of Shangri-la to the airport. Katuwa kasi kami lang ang laman. We really have to give 2 thumbs up to Shang. The facilities are superb, the food is mouth-watering and customer service is excellent. Sayang kasi bitin talaga kami sa stay namin. We could’ve stayed longer if only we have the extra money. Ganda rin pala yung kid’s zone but B.boy is still too young to appreciate it. Maybe on our next visit.  

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