Lost and found

kay Mom, if you're reading this, you were right... It's not that easy to get around Cebu.

Ana and I were a bit overwhelmed with trying to navigate this place. It seems that the Cebu tourist industry has a way to go before it's made simple for travelers. Even after scrounging online, I couldn't to seem helpful and straightforward guides about this place.

On the upside, our hostel is really nice, perhaps in the top 2 of places we've stayed, right up there with my fave, Udee!

Anyway, today as we were eating our morning meal at the mall and trying to come up with a strategy to hit up all the landmarks we wanted to see, a true sign of God appeared before us-- a young, Filipino couple with backpacks, wearing identical, super-touristy t-shirts with a cartoon tarsier that said BOHOL in huge letters strolled by our table. OMG for real, these were our Heaven-sent guides to crack travelling in Cebu for sure!!!

From travelling, I've learned quite a few things, including the following: (1) Not to be shy, and (2) Not to be afraid to ever ask for help. So we approached the matching pair and inquired about Bohol since we wanted to go there tomorrow. Mark and Shane became our new friends. They're visiting from Manila and ventured to Bohol yesterday on their own. They gave us all the inside tips about how to get there, and even hooked us up with their tour guide. They seriously saved us thousands of pesos. Before we met them, we were planning on heading to the travel agency to book a tour to Bohol for double the price!

They were heading to Mactan to get to the airport, so we took a cab with them and ventured around the small island next to Cebu, visited the Lapu-Lapu Shrine and Magellan's Monument. We wandered the grounds where Lapu-Lapu fought and killed Magellan.

Afterwards, we ended up at this seafood restaurant, where we got a spectacular view of the city from the top floor. We sat here and shared our travel stories while enjoying the view. We didn't even order any food. We just ordered sodas and ate all the snacks we brought with us in our backpacks. Hee hee.

What a day... Shane was telling us that when we first approached them, she thought we were going to ask them where the nearest restroom was. She never thought we'd spend the rest of the day exploring with them. I love how such unexpected things happen to turn out for the best!

Bye-bye Burgos

Today I watched my Mom tear up as we said goodbye to our family and left the town where she grew up. It made me cry too.

I wouldn't have had as much fun on this trip if my Mom didn't decide to take a vacation and meet me. Thanks for everything, Mom!!!

On an island in the sun

The other day when we were at the beach, my Mom got this grand idea to take a boat to a small island of white sand that she spotted in the distance. And that's exactly what we did today!

We started with breakfast at my Aunt's house.

And then hopped on a jeepney...

Got on a boat...

And then ended up here, on an isolated, little island of white sand in the middle of the sea.

So lucky to be here!

Calasiao

Today we took a short trip to Calasiao, my Dad’s ‘hood, which is just a couple of hours away from Burgos. I haven’t been here since our family reunion in 2006.

This used to be my Grandparents’ pharmacy, where my Dad and his brothers and sisters, and even some of my cousins grew up. I remember staying here when I was younger. It looked much bigger to me then. Even though it is now Ursula's Laundry, this place is always of historical importance in my book.

This is our family’s house a little down the street from the old farmacia. My Dad, his siblings, and other members of our family all threw in ends to have it built as a place for the family to stay during their visits to the Philippines. I think Auntie Cora stays here the most though, since she spends a lot of her retired leisure time in the Philippines. 

I <3 Auntie Cora!

I love visiting this house! (Even though I’ve only been here twice...) My cousin, who’s a fabulous interior designer, helped work on the plans for this house, and the outcome is absolutely gorgeous. It has touches of antiquity and family history all over the place.

Here are photos from my parents’ wedding.

I love this photo of all the Estrada siblings. My Dad is the little boy on the left.

These chairs were fashioned to replicate exactly the chairs that we had in old house at the pharmacy.

My Dad apparently planted this mango tree.

Auntie Cora keeps the hallway updated with all the latest family photos.

Even though we were only in Calasiao for a short while, I’m so glad that we got to visit!

Subic

i'll admit... I woke up all grumpy and irritated at having to get up before the sun rose, but eventually snapped out of it somewhere along the way to Subic. After a few hours’ drive, we were here at Ocean Adventure.

I went to Subic back in 1999, but I don’t remember there being these animal theme parks… The bay is beautiful and even more fun since we got to watch a couple of animal shows.

Dolphins make me smile =) Really, this show was quite exciting for me!

And this tiger tried to strike me!

Seriously! It didn’t like the way I was trying to gaze in its eyes, I think… Thank God for the cage! I would have been dead meat for sure!

I’m glad to see that there is a focus on preservation of natural habitats and the special creatures that live in them. It’s something important for the Philippines, as well as the whole planet. Heal the world, my friends! Heal the world!