CEBU: My first flight WITHOUT parental guidance!
Dear Diary,
A year ago in this same month, I was the girl who was up for anything impromptu. Uncertainties didn't scare me one bit that when my college friends booked a flight to Cebu, I volunteered myself in. During that time, I was just finishing my last few units in college.
I had no concrete plan on which career path to take, my dreams were so vague, nonspecific and all-encompassing. Like, I've always been in the passenger seat letting other people take over the wheel and improvising along the way. The only thing I was confident about was that by November, I'd already have a job and by March, I'd have enough pocket money for it. Why I was confident is because I did land a job even before I decided to go back to college. After graduating, my plan was to rest a bit and cherish this achievement before diving back in to work and maybe start working for the rest of my life.
Tried different things last year. My friends and I started our own video production team, considered relocating to Clark for a family owned business and going back to an 8 to 5 job. Clearly, nothing lasted for more than a couple of months. I was the epitome of a millennial (could be even worse) and I was afraid to never know where my heart was nor have any dream to chase.
Don't get me wrong, it's not that there is nothing I wanted to be, but because of wanting too many and not focusing and excelling in one certain field. By December, my round trip ticket to Cebu was almost down the drain. Finally was a job that offers the best of both worlds. Sooner than imagined, I was already on my way to the airport.
Batanes was my first flight without parental guidance; these are the first plane tickets I bought with my own money and it was even on sale. #SorryNotSorry
Say you landed at Mactan International Airport at around 10am and arrived in your hotel at Cebu City around 12nn, what would you want to get for lunch? Easy. Lechon! Everyone was hungry but we managed to drag our feet to the nearest lechon place from our hotel - Zubuchon.
We were nine on this trip so imagine how many cameras we had on our hands and how many photos we had to take before we could actually taste Cebu's pride. Don't be fooled by those smiles. At that moment, we were dying to take a bite of that lechon.
At night, we decided to have pizza and wine at La Vie Parisienne (Parisian Life).
Everywhere you look is IG-worthy. I could not stop taking photos all around.
This is the mini pizzeria outdoors where they serve brick oven baked pizza. Délicieux!
Seats upstairs are quite romantic, don't you think?
Even though the sun had set, La Vie Parisienne brings vibrance to the night.
Plenty of wine...
And more!
Disclaimer: the place looks expensive but it won't actually hurt your wallets. ;)
On our second day, we woke up at 3am (others woke up even earlier or didn't get to sleep at all) as our next stop is the controversial Oslob.
The whale sharks were absolutely lovely but I didn't dive in. If you are planning on doing this activity, I suggest you read articles online first about these creatures. #Cebutanding
Next stop is a 15 to 20-minute hike from the road, the Kawasan Falls. Compared to my previous hike [Ditumabo Falls], this was a lot more child friendly (if you consider bringing a kid OR consider yourself as a child) as there is a safer path wherein you don't have to cross currents and hang on to ropes to reach it.
The weather was actually gloomy that day. Of the four days we were at Cebu, this day was the chosen one to have drizzled causing me to lose my voice. Nagbibinata ako the following day. I almost sounded like a man.
We ended our trip with seafood at the nearest restaurant on our way back to Cebu City and headed to the public market to buy pasalubong - daing, chorizo longganisa and dried mangoes to name a few.
Third day was beach day. Our group split in half, others went on a city tour while I obviously chose to go to my natural habitat. A bit disappointed that the beach was manmade, but it was cool because the day tour from BE Resorts Mactan offered a full set meal, access to the beach and to their infinity pool. It is an hour and a half away from Cebu City, close to the airport.
For dinner, we went to Sugbo Mercado at the IT Park. It's like our local Mercato.
But no, that's not all. What is Friday night in Cebu City without experiencing Sentral? After all, it's a city. As Belle would say, 'there must be more than this provincial life'!
One of my friend's cousin was a local. Siya po talaga yung nag-B.I. samin. Lol. Jk. It's been a long time since the last time... *angel emoji*
In the morning of our last day, I went on a stroll within the area alone and bought a tiny Cebu shirt for my 4yo nephew. It now adds to his Puerto Galera, Boracay and Batanes shirts (please forgive the "tita" within).
For late lunch, brace yourselves for the best lechon we had ---
Must I say, Rico's Lechon really lives up to their tagline - da best, gyud! Don't believe me, try it yourself. Although, there could be other lechon I have yet to taste.
By this time, I was mute. I could only type on my phone what I wanted to say. Things like "I'm allergic to shrimp" as they were about to order Sinigang na Hipon and this group is always shouting at each other because everyone wanted to be heard. I had to get my friend call room service to check out and even laugh at my own jokes because they did not hear me say it. Could it be that Ursula is at Kawasan Falls?
True that traffic in Cebu is comparable to traffic here in Manila, but I personally enjoyed Grab and Uber rides with the accommodating drivers who are all proud of their city. Traffic had not been that bad for me (as a tourist) at all with stories shared by the locals.
I almost always hesitated this trip and now I am just glad that everything turned out better than expected. Can't be any more grateful with the people around me.
To round it up, here is a La Familia photo of my squad which will also look good as a holiday greetings card.
From my family to yours,
G.
P.S. Thanks for the photos, Pau and Kyle!
A year ago in this same month, I was the girl who was up for anything impromptu. Uncertainties didn't scare me one bit that when my college friends booked a flight to Cebu, I volunteered myself in. During that time, I was just finishing my last few units in college.
I had no concrete plan on which career path to take, my dreams were so vague, nonspecific and all-encompassing. Like, I've always been in the passenger seat letting other people take over the wheel and improvising along the way. The only thing I was confident about was that by November, I'd already have a job and by March, I'd have enough pocket money for it. Why I was confident is because I did land a job even before I decided to go back to college. After graduating, my plan was to rest a bit and cherish this achievement before diving back in to work and maybe start working for the rest of my life.
Tried different things last year. My friends and I started our own video production team, considered relocating to Clark for a family owned business and going back to an 8 to 5 job. Clearly, nothing lasted for more than a couple of months. I was the epitome of a millennial (could be even worse) and I was afraid to never know where my heart was nor have any dream to chase.
Don't get me wrong, it's not that there is nothing I wanted to be, but because of wanting too many and not focusing and excelling in one certain field. By December, my round trip ticket to Cebu was almost down the drain. Finally was a job that offers the best of both worlds. Sooner than imagined, I was already on my way to the airport.
Batanes was my first flight without parental guidance; these are the first plane tickets I bought with my own money and it was even on sale. #SorryNotSorry
Without further ado, let me begin with our putok-batok vacation.
We were nine on this trip so imagine how many cameras we had on our hands and how many photos we had to take before we could actually taste Cebu's pride. Don't be fooled by those smiles. At that moment, we were dying to take a bite of that lechon.
At night, we decided to have pizza and wine at La Vie Parisienne (Parisian Life).
Everywhere you look is IG-worthy. I could not stop taking photos all around.
This is the mini pizzeria outdoors where they serve brick oven baked pizza. Délicieux!
Seats upstairs are quite romantic, don't you think?
Even though the sun had set, La Vie Parisienne brings vibrance to the night.
Plenty of wine...
And more!
Disclaimer: the place looks expensive but it won't actually hurt your wallets. ;)
On our second day, we woke up at 3am (others woke up even earlier or didn't get to sleep at all) as our next stop is the controversial Oslob.
The whale sharks were absolutely lovely but I didn't dive in. If you are planning on doing this activity, I suggest you read articles online first about these creatures. #Cebutanding
Next stop is a 15 to 20-minute hike from the road, the Kawasan Falls. Compared to my previous hike [Ditumabo Falls], this was a lot more child friendly (if you consider bringing a kid OR consider yourself as a child) as there is a safer path wherein you don't have to cross currents and hang on to ropes to reach it.
The weather was actually gloomy that day. Of the four days we were at Cebu, this day was the chosen one to have drizzled causing me to lose my voice. Nagbibinata ako the following day. I almost sounded like a man.
We ended our trip with seafood at the nearest restaurant on our way back to Cebu City and headed to the public market to buy pasalubong - daing, chorizo longganisa and dried mangoes to name a few.
Third day was beach day. Our group split in half, others went on a city tour while I obviously chose to go to my natural habitat. A bit disappointed that the beach was manmade, but it was cool because the day tour from BE Resorts Mactan offered a full set meal, access to the beach and to their infinity pool. It is an hour and a half away from Cebu City, close to the airport.
For dinner, we went to Sugbo Mercado at the IT Park. It's like our local Mercato.
They don't only sell food but also lifestyle products, and they also have regular in-house entertainment. Such a way to spend #FridayNight!
But no, that's not all. What is Friday night in Cebu City without experiencing Sentral? After all, it's a city. As Belle would say, 'there must be more than this provincial life'!
One of my friend's cousin was a local. Siya po talaga yung nag-B.I. samin. Lol. Jk. It's been a long time since the last time... *angel emoji*
In the morning of our last day, I went on a stroll within the area alone and bought a tiny Cebu shirt for my 4yo nephew. It now adds to his Puerto Galera, Boracay and Batanes shirts (please forgive the "tita" within).
For late lunch, brace yourselves for the best lechon we had ---
By this time, I was mute. I could only type on my phone what I wanted to say. Things like "I'm allergic to shrimp" as they were about to order Sinigang na Hipon and this group is always shouting at each other because everyone wanted to be heard. I had to get my friend call room service to check out and even laugh at my own jokes because they did not hear me say it. Could it be that Ursula is at Kawasan Falls?
True that traffic in Cebu is comparable to traffic here in Manila, but I personally enjoyed Grab and Uber rides with the accommodating drivers who are all proud of their city. Traffic had not been that bad for me (as a tourist) at all with stories shared by the locals.
I almost always hesitated this trip and now I am just glad that everything turned out better than expected. Can't be any more grateful with the people around me.
To round it up, here is a La Familia photo of my squad which will also look good as a holiday greetings card.
From my family to yours,
G.
P.S. Thanks for the photos, Pau and Kyle!
I always say I want to graduate but at the same time I'm scared that when the time comes, I already need to have a job not knowing what I truly want. Kudos to you! xx
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