Queen City of the South: The Cebu Experience

The day before exploring Bohol, we toured Cebu: dubbed as the “Queen City of the South”. I have always wanted to visit this place out of curiosity but most importantly, to get the chance to personally see the Basilica de Sto. Nino. I asked a former officemate (thanks dai Gwynne! J) if she can refer a van-for-rent plus a driver who can also act as our tour guide. I heard that this was the most economical way of roaming around the city. As if truly meant to be, she informed me that this is the business of his cousin. She gave me the number to contact and I immediately called Kuya Sonny. He was very nice and gave us a very good deal too! When we arrived at the airport, we were immediately fetched and we started the tour right away. Wala nang patumpik tumpik pa! J

We were able to visit famous landmarks and tourist spots but I must say that these are my top three favorites:

Basilica Minore del Santo Nino

The church is beautiful, rustic and historically rich. We waited in line to see the image of Sto. Nino. I took a quick photo of mama while she’s whispering her prayers. I felt so blessed to have this experience.

 

Taboan Market

Days before our vacation, Habibi and I were already dreaming of eating Cebu’s most famous danggit. We were very eager to visit this so-called Taboan market because we were told that this is where we should buy dried fish. We couldn’t believe our eyes (and nose for that matter haha!). The place is literally flooded with all sorts of dried fishes, big and small. Even before we stepped outside the van, we can already smell the distinct salty smell. Here’s habibi happily posing beside the mountain of dried fishes before him:

 

CNT Lechon

They say you haven’t been to a place at all if you haven’t tried the food they are most known for. We requested our tourist guide to bring us where the best cebu lechon is. He drove us to CNT Lechon. I’ve read rave reviews about this lechon in the w@w forum. Brides who have listed lechon as part of their menu prefer to get theirs at CNT. Now I know why. It’s the best I have tasted so far. It’s so delicious you can taste the myriad of flavors in its meat. As in, super sarap. Even the skin is so yummy! Nakaka-guilty so we ordered some veggies too haha!

Daghang salamat for the experience Cebu! J

Lovin' Bohol Bee Farm 

I don’t know how else to describe our wonderful stay at the Bohol Bee Farm.  I must say this was one of our most memorable vacations so far. I’ve read a lot of positive reviews about this hotel but to actually experience what it has to offer is something different. From the exceptionally delicious food to the warm hospitality of the staff, everything was perfect. We stayed at the “Danao” room and look at the view from our balcony. It’s so serene I could stay here all day long:

 

 

Apart from the magnificent views, what I love most about the bee farm is that they organically grow the ingredients they use for their dishes. Just outside our room, we saw the assortment of herbs that they have. My mama and papa who both love gardening were drooling at the sight of the backyard. I bet my mama fought the urge to ask kuya if she can have some seedlings for free, haha!

 

I have to commend them for their creativity too. I never knew that bougainvillea is edible! Habibi ordered himself a pizza for dinner and here’s what was served to him:

 

 

 

Looks nice eh? Habibi said it tasted good too. Not to mention, the bread they use is their famous squash bread - a yummy and healthy combination! That was just a sampler tough. The real treat was when we had our breakfast (buffet). I tried to taste everything and our instant favorites were the squash muffin and the buco soup. Oh and by the way, here's the Lantaw Restaurant where we had our meal. Bongga di ba? J

 



 

My mama doing the Japan, Japan pose after having the sumptuous feast, kulit lang! Hehe. As if our bellies won't explode yet, habibi and I tried their ice cream for dessert. We were intrigued with the various flavors they offer - they even have spicy ginger. I wonder how that tastes like? I think we were not adventurous though, because we chose our favorite avocado. I promise to try either tomato or malunggay next time (Lord, please let there be a next time). J

 

 

Of course, a vacation would not be complete without shopping for pasalubong. The range of their farm products are unbelievable. There are home baked breads, honey, all sorts of tea (malunggay, guyabano, mango to name a few) and super delicious spreads too! I particularly loved the mango spread which was a perfect partner for their kamote bread. 

 

We marveled at the wide variety of homemade, 100%  pinoy products that they sell. Their souvenir shop is a tourist destination by itself. You can check out their website just to get a glimpse of these treats that I get so ecstatic about.

 

Overall, I must say that our stay in the bee farm exceeded my expectations. I would highly recommend it especially to those who are considering having a trip to Bohol. You have to include it in your itinerary!

 

Happy bee-cation loves! J

Pinas 2012: The Arrival

A 3-week vacation is never enough! Though it was too quick, we enjoyed every single day of it! Nothing beats being with the people you love. Generally, the weather was good during our entire stay in Manila/Laguna. It was rainy during the first few days but eventually, it took pity on us and gave us plenty of sunshine. The traffic is still horrible. It took us more than 2 hours from airport to reach our home in Valenzuela.

I will never forget an incident which took place when we were at the airport parking lot. My parents, habibi and I were merrily chatting when someone approached us. A blatantly gay "beggar" whom I suspect was about 16-18 years old. He was asking for some money. His exact words were: "Ate, Kuya, pahingi naman po ng kaunting tulong. KAHIT 10 DIRHAMS LANG po okay na po"

I was sooooo shocked (@_@). I stopped talking to take a good look at him and saw that his expression was so serious! Oh my, how could he have known the currency of the country we came from? That's when I realized that he must have seen our luggage tags! But then, what made me flip was that he named his price - 10 dirhams!!! Wow sosyal si Ate! Dirhams talaga ang gusto!

 

By the way, what's the airport management doing about this? Why are there so many so-called "porters" in the arrival area? As soon as you step out of the arrival gate, you literally get swarmed with people asking you to let them help with the luggages. It's not just annoying but it's also very, very scary! My mama had an awful experience at the NAIA airport because of these guys. She lost a baggage with some valuables in it. 

Oh well, and this was just the start of our 3-week Pinas adventure! Sweet! :)

 

 

Inside the Emirates aircraft, prior to take off from DXB to MNL