CEBU HERE WE COME!!!We left Manila at 415 AM and arrived in Mactan Airport around 530 am.It's just one hour and fifteen minutes air travel. Our departure time schedule alone is a blessing because it was perfect for sunrise watching.I was so amazed.I swear,watching the sunrise from above the clouds was beyond definition and so far it's the most beautiful sunrise I have ever seen in my entire life. (6/26 WEDNESDAY) We took a cab from Mactan Airport to Sampaguita suites.It took us more or less 30 minutesSAMPAGUITA SUITESBREAKFAST @ CNT's
In the end,Verms is still the master of cleverness.She let us realized our own mistake without arguing with us earlier.Hands up! This is something we can't figure out.CNT is one of Cebu's best lechon dining place based on blogger's reviews and also from regular customers.We actually seen it our selves because the place was crowded as early as 7am. I'm not sure but there must be something wrong with us because we didn't enjoy our food much. First of all, the lechon was too salty and second of all,nakakaumay kalagitnaan pa lang ng kain.So either our taste buds sucks or we need to start eating lechon so we'll know next time the differences.Or in my case,I'm not really into lechon so I can't really understand what the fuss was all about.I'm so KJ so bear with me... GALA MODEAfter breakfast,Verms reminded our lunch is a buffet at Crown Regency so we have to roam around to starve ourselves.Again,for the second time I realized how stupid it was to eat so heavy for breakfast when we have a scheduled buffet for lunch.Clearly,I have to admit either I didn't pay attention to the details of our IT that Verms made or I just forgot.Which ever,still I'm guilty.But yeah,lesson learned :) So here are some of the few places that we visited while waiting for lunch... Magellan's Cross is a Christian cross planted by Portuguese, and Spanish explorers as ordered by Ferdinand Magellan upon arriving inCebu in the Philippines on (depending on source) April 21, 1521. This cross is housed in a chapel next to the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño on Magallanes Street (Magallanes being the Spanish name of Magellan), just in front of the city center of Cebu City. A sign below the cross describes the original cross is encased inside the wooden cross that is found in the center of the chapel. This is to protect the original cross from people who chipped away parts of the cross for souvenir purposes or in the belief that the cross possesses miraculous powers.Some people, however, believe that the original cross had been destroyed or had disappeared after Magellan's death, and the cross is a replica that was planted there by the Spaniards after they successfully colonized the Philippines. (Source: Wikipedia) The Basilica Minore del Santo Niño de Cebu Basilica Complex is located in city block bordered by Osmeña Boulevard, D. Jakosalem St, P. Burgos St. and the Plaza Sugbo where the Magellan's Cross is located. The main entrance is along Osmeña Boulevard. Two blocks north of the basilica is the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral, the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cebu. The school provides umbrellas provided that they should be returned properly. Shamrock pasalubong storeLocated at the ground floor of Shamrock Pensionne house, this pasalubong store is a treasure chest of great snackies to take homeWe stop over to buy some pasalubong before going to Bohol the following day. Pedro CalungsodSaint Pedro Calungsod or Pedro Calonsor, is a Roman Catholic young Filipino saint and was a migrant, sacristan and missionarycatechist, who along with the Spanish Jesuit missionary, Diego Luis de San Vitores, suffered religious persecution and martyrdom inGuam for their missionary work in 1672.[3] We are blessed with a lovely sunny day.I enjoyed watching the clear blue sky.It made me realize that our trip was a package of God's blessing.Just the weather alone is something to be thankful about. This photo was taken by Verms while we were at the park,opposite Magelan's cross and nearby the Sto Nino Church. It's just refreshing and calm and peacful that day. CROWN REGENCY HOTEL The time we spent at CROWN REGENCY hotel was the high light of my stay in Cebu.I enjoyed everything.From the staff alone to the place,the food and the activities we had. We've got a packaged deal that includes swimming,buffet and Sky Walk experience.It was really incredibly exciting and a very memorable experience. The Crown Regency Hotel and Towers is a hotel complex in Cebu City, Philippines. The main building, the 38-storey Fuente Tower 1, is one of the tallest hotel buildings in the country at 140 meters (459 ft). It is likewise the tallest building in Cebu City and thecountry's tallest building outside of Metro Manila. The top floors of the hotel tower feature an amusement facility which includes a roller coaster that runs around the edge of the building,a stroll around the edge of the building with the protection of safety harnesses and the SKYWALK experience on the 39th floor. The moment I set foot inside the CROWN REGENCY,I was so amazed.Probably because it's my first time and also everyone were very friendly,accommodating and approachable.It's full of beautiful & friendly people.Also, Koreans were everywhere! For one second,I thought I'm in Korea.But yeah,for the whole day,majority of the people I've met were Koreans.Well,they have an active and interesting lifestyle and of course they have all the means to be everywhere in the country.They are really gifted because they seemd to be omnipresent :) The place was really impressive and very big.In fact we got lost everytime we used the elevator so we have to go down and ask help to the lovely receptionists. We got hungry and tired trying to figure out the differences of the elevator or which side of the hotel we are at. BUFFET @ WANG SHANG LOWang Shang Lo is on the 20th floor.The place is cozy and as usual I like the staff.They are very helpful and friendly.The place is also perfect spot for sight seeing. Swimming before lunch is better but since the hotel is really huge and we entered the other side of the building,naisip namin kumain na lang muna kaysa bumalik na naman dito dahil yung swimming pool nasa kabila pa.Kaya kumain muna kami bago kami pumunta sa kabila para naman sa swimming.Sakto kasi ang lagkit na ng pakiramdam dahil mainit yung panahon at halos kalahating araw na din kaming gumala. Lahat masarap sa taong gutom!Pero kahit siguro di ako gutom,panalo pa din ang buffet nila at napapakain ako ng madami.The ambiance is very calm and very soothing.Just folks enjoying their food and chatting happily. ahhhh,swimming pool,just what I needed after a tiring hot afternoon...When I saw the pool I wanted desperately to jump on it but since I just ate a lot,I have to rest first. I have stayed long in the Jacuzzi enjoying the water massage.It was so relaxing.If only I can stay forever. As for the photo above,I strictly prohibited them to take a photo of me but oh well,for the satisfaction of my number one fan,I just let her stalk me:) We stayed at the swimming pool til 3pm.Then we headed straight to 39th floor for our final activity,the SKYWALK EXPERIENCE.Just the thought of it makes me dizzy already! We arrived two hours earlier so one of the staff offered to show us around while waiting.He was really a nice cheerful and naturally friendly person and I really wish he'll be rewarded.He served as our tour guide and photographer.I was so amazed of him and I admire his personality. A shot at the top of the hotel while waiting.Thanks so much to the friendly and kind KUYA who showed us around.Actually,this escapade was pretty memorable for me because of the people alone.If you noticed,I can't stop talking about the people. I'm so much impressed and awed with all of them.Cebu to me has the kindest,happiest and friendliest people I've ever encountered so far.Their personality and hospitality is as warm as the weather they have.Most of them have very good sense of humour and it's fun hanging out with them. I'm so blessed to be treated with such kindness and generosity.Usually,people remember mostly how they are treated more than the food they have eaten,the service we give them or the place they have visited.For me,Cebu will always be remembered for all of it.It was such a new experience for someone from the North were most people are usually as cold as the weather and it's really a treat for me! At the top most part was the rock climbing area.I think you can find everything inside the Crown Regency.It was such a priviledge to be there.I love it! SKYWALK EXPERIENCEFinally,our time was up for the sky walk experience.I swear if I have a history of heart attack,I might have one onset.First we were asked to wear our protective gears and shoes.Then they have to secure us with a harness.We had two guides at that time.Both were incredibly entertaining.I was really very impressed of their entusiam,sense of humor and their flexibility.I admire every one there. We were asked to parade outside.There's no wall,we only held tight to our harness.There were certain areas for a snap shot.It was really breath taking.When I look down,I can't breath it's like I've fallen down already and just looking down takes my breath away.I would suggest to never look down not until you're relax. One thing I learn from this sky walk experience is to let go of percieved fears and enjoy the moment instead.It's all in the mind.Start baby steps if you have fears. Here's how I conquered my fear.First,I looked around and focused my attention on the lovely sunset.Then I started appreciating the city lights.When I started to feel relaxed,that's the time I decided to look down all my fears gone.No matter how big that fear was,I managed to enjoy walking around and I forgot all my fears. In life,everyone has fears and the only way to over come is to face your own fears.In the end,you'll just laugh how stupid you were for fearing into something you didn't experience first.When you over come your fear,it felt like there's nothing you can't do! We did it! We survived! It was a day full of fun and blessings. It was really late and we feel tired to so we headed back to our accomodation.We have to be up by 4am the following day so we have to rest. I will always remember this city simply for it's people and the fun experience I had.
Before climbing up,you can see the tarsier on it's base.One thing though,it breaks my heart seeing them because they look so sad.The care takers allow the tourists to touch them so they might be stressed and scared.I just wish tourist should refrain from touching them as the care takers forced them to come out so tourists can touch them and It might stress them.Once stressed,tarsiers can commit suicide base on an article I read online.I swear,I can't even look at them because they look scared,really frightened from being disturbed on their supposed rest. Meanwhile....here are some epic selfie version 3.0 ! Best photos for the day :) BILARDuring the Spanish regime, the Spaniards, in their effort to spread Christianity, toured the interior villages and somehow chanced to pass a plateau where a group of women were drying palay. When the women were asked as to the name of the place, the immediate reply was "nagbilad", meaning drying, thinking that the foreigners were asking their activity. The Spaniards shorten the term to "bilad" and later on to "bilar" due to the difficulty in pronouncing the term. By virtue of a royal decree, the name Bilar was adopted as the official name of the municipality. source: Wikipedia According to Kuya Tony our tour guide,Bilar is a man made forest during President Ramos time. LOBOC FLOATING RIVER"balik sa Bohol balik" that was the very first thing that comes to mind everytime I remember Bohol.That was one of the songs sang to us while having lunch at the Loboc floating restaurant .It was so soothing both body and soul.We enjoyed the buffet-style food while cruising the clean and beautiful Loboc River. There are different boats that serve native food, one would enjoy different sight seeing and plates of delicious foods while being serenade by Boholenos local singers. For a minimum price of only 400 pesos, that includes a buffet meal and a river cruise plus a short cultural show.It's all worth it. It's very calm and peaceful,I'm both nourished both body & soul...(Nabulabog lang siguro sila sa ingay naming apat)BOHOL PYTHON & WILD LIFEProny weight 280 kilos and measuring in at 23 feet.Prony was captured on October 31, 1996 in the Albuquerque cemetery. She was only five feet long at the time. As time passed, she grew to become the biggest python in captivity Prony died last August 15,2013 for an unknown reason.But some believed he had reached his maximum life span. Prony just had few whole live chicken for diner so I'm confident I won't be eaten.He can't eat me,that;s for sure.Prony is on a healthy diet,POrk is not a healthy option :) But wait,there's more.... |
| BILLION THANKS TO THE |
REFLECTIONS...
- After spending 3 days in Bohol,I learned that;
The place and the people you've encounter can change you at that very moment.All you have to do is listen,observe & absorb.That means, stay away from your precious electronic gadgets for a while.Take time to savor the moment.Be interested.Communicate and talk with the locals.You'll be surprised how much blessing you can get after.
- Travel only with people you love and comfortable with.It's very annoying to be with someone who is physically with you but is mentally absent.Like they wish they were somewhere else or be with somebody instead of you
- Lighten up.Don't over plan,over research of the place because sometimes,what other people wrote in their blogs are usually the things they see and appreciate personally.Tendency is you go there searching for the same experience.If there's one thing I learn from this trip,it's better to be there just for the fun of being there and enjoy the moment.You'll see things more than what you read on the internet.You can even see things that others didn't see
- Dumaluan beach is very unique and beautiful.During night time,low tide be as wide as it can.We tried staying there til 7pm and I've seen how beautiful it is like I can walk as far as almost the center of the beach.
- Do not fear something you haven't tried.Do not conclude about something you haven't experience.When traveling, forget about how much photos you can upload on your twitter,FB & instagram.I don't know but for weird reasons,I'm annoyed seeing people who is so much concerned about how many pictures they have taken of themselves instead of enjoying the view and the beauty the place offers.
looking forward for more travels :)
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