Cebu, B

I haven't been to Cebu for quite sometime. The last time I was there was in 2001. And my mom and I were just passing by Cebu since our destination was really Bohol. All I can remember was that we got to visit SM Cebu that time. Before that, I also got to visit Cebu and did the tourist thing sometime in 1990.

Anyway, with the air fare promo and discounts, I thought of going there with my long time friend. And so we did! Elaine was more familiar with Cebu as she goes there often and as such, she was my ever-reliable tourist guide. Yes, she really prepared an Itinerary for us, which was flexible but we were able to cover basically everything within a short span of time.

Upon arrival at the airport, we immediately asked the taxi driver to take us to Mactan Shrine and wait for us. It was pretty cool considering that this was one of the pit stops in the Amazing Race Philippines. So it was like Elaine and I were in a race, hehe.

We then checked-in at Cebu R Hotel, which was really nice, budget friendly and accessible. We just walked to STK where we had our lunch. While waiting for our food, we had a look around the restaurant-museum. I love STK's scallops.

We then proceeded to the Sto. Nino shrine where we saw throngs of people. And it was just a week before the Sinulog festival. Magellan's Cross was just nearby and then we went to the Island Souvenirs Shop. We then walked towards Fort San Pedro then we went back to our hotel. Thereafter, we went back to our hotel and then we had our dinner at Casa Verde. It sounds "sosyal" but the price is really ok and I really like their Death by Chocolate.

The next day we attended mass at the Sto. Nino Shrine. Kadaming tao! Again, this was not yet during the Sinulog festival. So you can just imagine! We then did our own walking tour in Colon. We passed by the Obelisk and then we stopped by the Yap-San Diego Ancestral House and then we walked to Casa Gorordo. We then proceeded to Museo Sugbo but unfortunately, it is closed on Sundays. We then went Ayala Mall but this time we took the taxicab .. hehe. We bought some pasalubongs and discovered they had 2 grocery stores in one mall. Anyway, I also bought some clothes supposedly for the IBP convention. But I never got to wear the Filipiniana blouse but I got to wear the dress. What's great was that I got to buy those stuff at a discount. It costs less than P500 each. It was also a nice coincidence that I saw my tita/mom's officemate in Cebu. Lingaw!

Anyway, we then had our lunch and went back to the hotel. We then proceeded to the Taoist Temple. We had dinner at Zugbuchon and hot chocolate at Coffee Dream.

The next day, we were off back to Davao.

It was indeed just a weekend trip but it was fun nevertheless. I am glad to get in touch again with Philippine culture and stuff myself with good food that are not available here in Davao. But more than anything else, I really enjoyed my time talking and bonding and laughing with a dear friend.

Until the next bonding trip!