Hukad Restaurant in Cebu

Recommended by a friend, Marvin and I tried Hukad restaurant at Ayala Center Cebu, before we flew back to Manila.

Shrimps in Garlic

Chiken Halang-Halang

tastes like cooked with gata and a little spicy

Kinilaw na Isda

Escabecheng Tanigue

cute rectanglar flat plate

I had Maja Blanca for dessert

We liked their service, and their food was delicioso too! There were just several items they didn't have like certain drink on their menu, but overall, we enjoyed the dining experience.

Marvin super liked the halang-halang and tanigue.

In case you'll be here, try their baby back ribs. I heard it's good too.

Cebu, Day 3: Dinner sa Matias

There are a lot of restaurants in Cebu.
Considered the most popular and most visited one's are those that are home based with home made food, just like Matias along A.S. Fortuna St.

They serve everything, grilled!

They have this soup which I forgot the name

Balbacua that Marvin has craved for ever since we've tried.
Ubos na nung dumating kami pero kahit sabaw na lang, go pa rin.

Native Rice called Pusot
(pronounced fast, like puson)

Nakakagutom pa din!

Cebu, Day 3

We didn't think twice of returning to Cebu proper despite the Sun shining today. We just don't want to risk it. Funny, when a Ferry arrived, me mga passengers pa din na sakay. They weren't worried at all about the Tsunami threat? Kunsabagay, sabi naman hnd daw aabot saten eh.

We paid our respect at the Basilica Sto Niño, the biggest church I know in Cebu.
just look at the attendees.

Beside the church is the famous Magellan's Cross

Since we need to get some pasalubong, we opted not to go to Carbon Market but head to Taboan instead. The market was very busy!

Famous in Taboan and Carbon Market are Danggit, Dried pusit and all other dried and flavored fish.

Bantayan Island, Day 3, Sun!

Aww, the sun shone brightly on our third day at Bantayan, the day we were supposed to leave for Cebu proper. Instead of having breakfast, I immediately changed and run to the waters.

I need some tan, LOL.

Anyway, it was low tide then. The water was very shallow, hence the color of the water. The sand mixed with rocks colors the water brown... but it's very white sand here.


I didn't get to dip in the water much because we have to leave soon as the weather might change again and we end up stuck here in the island. Besides, I have a class tomorrow!

Bantayan Island, Day 2, Play!

I was on the lookout if the weather will turn to any more OK. My patience was ultimately tested when I'm about to give up and just bring umbrella, just so we can stroll. But the rain stopped although the wind was still mad.

We hurriedly changed clothes, actually I was the one who was in a hurry and very excited with the change of weather, and ran to the shore. Good thing Tristan Resort is super beachfront. No further walking needed.

PLAY!!!

we found so many little friends on the shore. A lot of them were just brought here by the current. They kept digging the soft sand until they're burrowed. In samar, we call this UMANG

The ride that got us around the streets of Sta. Fe

First Destination, Ogtong Cave in Ogtong Beach Resort
with an entrance of Php100, we got a dip in their pool and beach

towards their Ogtong Cave
swimming isn't allowed because of the Tsunami threat, they're being safe. So, pictures only


Here's the beachfront

We found a little white friend on our way back.
Marvin thought this is a spider :p
It's TINY crab, I suppose. crablet? :p

Our background is a sandbar that gets formed in different places depending on the season.

We're enjoying Bantayan despite the rain!
We actually went back to our resort when the rain poured heavily.

Bantayan Island, Marvin's Birthday!

I brought with me a party popper and several balloons. I was supposed to bring a lot but I was thinking in case the security people at the airport would took it, sayang naman.

I was very successful in keeping the balloons and popper from Marvin. He didn't know I brought stuff until we used it na. The resort was very accommodating in helping me inflate the balloons while I distract Marvin, which apparently didn't work quite well. Kasi, nahuli nia habang nagkakabit sila ate ng lobo, LOL.

Laughtrip!

you wanna see how strong the waves are?

Our day concluded with a hearty meal courtesy of the owner. She gave us free (square) pizza! Very generous, salamat Tita Nancy! (who, later I learned is a Tita of my new student in class. Nge!)

Bantayan Island, Day 2 Breakfast

Finally, after waiting for almost forever, my pics have posted.

It was still soo windy in Bantayan. I was silently very conscious of the rising tide and the waves so i tend to look outside and observe if the tides would go anymore higher. Despite the Tsunami news, windy welcome and now.. rain, Marvin and I slept through the night peacefully. We hoped and prayed that tomorrow brings a better day.

I awoke to the heavy breeze and rain. It's still raining and it's still very windy. But I know we have to make the most of our stay or else.. it'll be totally wasted.

To start off the day, we want to fill our stomach with their food as we heard it's really good.

everthing indoors

Marvin's American Breakfast

My Mexican Styled Omelet that Marvin super liked

The breakfast for me was perfect. Almost all their food is priced at Php200.00 which I think is a little pricey. But in an island like this, I think being able to cook and prepare a food close to home is good enough.. so we didn't bother with the 200.00, LOL.

Bantayan Island, Welcome, Day 1

To celebrate Marvin's birthday, we decided to push through with our Cebu Escapade. Because of our vouchers, we didn't pay a single penny on our airfare.

We left Manila at 6AM and landed in Mactan, Cebu around 7:15A. We took a cab from the Airport going to the North Bus Terminal that will bring us to port Hagnaya. I was teasing Marvin that there's no aircon bus although I didn't really mean it. He just can't take ordinary buses. He's a sucker of anything cold. Much to our surprise, airconditioned buses leave at specific times with wide gap in between. In short, we took an ordinary one. :)

We were tweeting, checking FB and making the most out of the ride. Good thing it rained a little, if not, we'll look like Espasol right after the ride. The entire bus travel roughly took 3.25 hours. It was very looooong.

After getting off at port Hagnaya, we waited for an hour or so because the Ferry officials refuse to travel to port Sta. Fe due to strong winds and tide

here's the famous bridge that connects CEBU and MACTAN

When we arrived at Sta. Fe, it was really windy. It wasn't just bad hair day. Look at the lona, that was because of the wind.

To kill some time, since we can't play and swim, we walked around the vicinity of Sta. Fe
we found some interesting restaurants although i didn't get to take a picture of all of them

When we got tired, we had salad and Sinigang na Baboy :)

if not so low tide, you'll love the water.
sand tends to color the water brown if it's low tide

Baguio Weekend

come to think of it, the team didn't go anywhere. We just walked the night market of Session Road, went to Camp John Hay for Starbucks, a little trip to Manor Hotel to get bread, supposedly Strawberry picking in the farm but ended up buying more pasalubong and cheap vegetables at the highest peak I've been to, plus a short stop at Good Shepherd.

We arrived Saturday morning and went home Monday of 2AM. I guess this trip was more of getting away with work for a while and trying to find a cold weather (like our out of the country trip last year)

... it was still a worthy weekend though.

Summer Plan 2011

My family and I earned 7 free domestic round trip tickets during our Boracay Trip last October, and so I've been scouting an affordable summer getaway for all of us.

My initial choices were Boracay (again), Cebu, Bohol and Palawan.

They were pretty expensive and won't meet my criteria of an ideal family summer, until I talked to a friend of mine, Hazel, who's been to the northernmost and southernmost places of the country. So I seriously took her advice (since I know she can compare islands and experiences now) and considered going to Cebu. After some reading, I grabbed the phone and dialed Cebu Pac!

We are booked on March 11 to fly to Cebu (Bantayan Island) and stay in Budyong Beach Resort. We'll try to enjoy the serenity of this calm place, sort of Holiday weekend na rin.

Let's hope and pray we won't waste the free voucher. :)

Boracay, Post Trip

Well well well.

God is good eh? Since Cebu Pac transferred our flight from Caticlan to Kalibo, they gave us free round trip domestic tickets for 7! Isn't that just wonderful? That means, we can travel anywhere in the Philippines and we all we just have to worry about is the hotel.

We will go back to Boracay, or may be Palawan this coming summer. Can't wait! More tan lines!!!

But allow me to thank the LORD for providing us. We can't make it happen without his intervention, always. Thank you to Las Brisas for taking care of us; they've accommodated so much of our requests and services, thank you to Southwest which my father found so refreshing that someone else gets to bring his bag for him, hahaha, thank you to Ellen of Jony's for her hospitality and for taking care of us. Thank you to my family and Marvin and Timo for making our stay just wonderful.

I love life!!

Boracay 2010

My sister once told me that we should start thinking of what we should give our parents on their upcoming 25th Wedding Anniversary - the ideas were Boracay, Singapore, HongKong, hotel overnight for all of us.

Well, you have a good guess of what we gave them, right? We planned this basically May or June of this year. Before we relocated here in Las Pinas, we have tickets and hotel reservations ready. I pitched in and paid for the cost of the tickets while my siblings and I shared the accommodation costs. Since this was a gift, my parents didn't know anything till late August. Come September, there were second thoughts from them whether or not to join. They were worried about food costs, and so many things that basically they're saying is - sayang ang pera.

Maybe they have come to the realization that I was a little angry at them so they decided to just go (hehehe). This is our first time here! :)

I can't tell you HOW MUCH my parents loved Boracay, especially my father. They so loved it that my father literally sleeps on the beach. You'll find him anytime, as in any time of the day, walking nowhere but the waters and the sand. He started loving pictures too. He wanted to have his picture taken just about anywhere. I'm so haaaaaaaapy. :)










This is FAMILY and LIFE

I love it!