on our way back to manila, we passed by cebu. we were there an entire day. nearly docking, we saw the awesome marcelo and mactan bridge.

i was surprised by the welcoming committee. 

a group of badjao asking for alm. some were carrying old people, some carrying babies and some go with the entire family. they use improvised sako to catch coins given away by the ferry passengers. i personally don’t like the idea. maybe, if they would spend their time cleaning up the sea, i would give them bills.

anyway, since we were just in cebu for a while, we only had the chance to see three things.

MAGELLAN’S CROSS

is was made from the wood originally used by magellan on that very spot. you can see in the fresco the story and the actual image of the original cross.

BASILICA DEL SANTO NINO

this is another addition to my list of churches. this one is so big, grand and overwhelming. well, cebuanos are known for their faith in sto. nino. why do you think they have the sinulog festival? 

YVES CAMINGUE

ok. yves is not as big as kris aquino. but he’s a designer! an artist! :)) yves is from project runway philippines 3. he’s already out but catch them again this june 9 for the PRP3 reunion. also, he’s shop is located in cebu. if you’re interested, to fly to cebu. :))

those are the three major things we did in cebu. what interest me though is the parish of our lady of lourdes . it has a beautiful exterior. we keep passing by but never really got the chance to go in.

what else.. oh, cebu offers a lot of fantastic food so better eat when your around. my favorite is lechon and danggit. :)) btw, we ate our lunch at grand majestic. an eat-all-you-can restaurant that offers a wide range of food selection.

let me end this blog by what think of cebu so far. well, it feels and looks like manila. some of the streets are almost alike. except colorful multicabs run most of the roads. what interests me though are the mineral water vendo all over town. :)) cool idea!

well, we still haven’t made it to a lot of spots. a week isn’t enough to see siargao entirely. so if my family decides to go back, i’ll be happy to go too.

after this trip, i believe that siargao is for the surfer and for the beach lover. and if you want to experience siargao yourself, i think cebu pacific has direct flights from manila to siargao but they only fly during tuesdays and thursdays. so you’d better plan your schedule well.

you can check out the places we’ve been to and add sohoto cove. we failed to see that but it’s recommended by a lot of people.

i also recommend patrick on the beach or traveller’s pension house for your stay. :)

the last day of this mega family outing was spent in cebu. i’ll be blogging about that next.

GENERAL LUNA BEACH

that’s not the official name, i don’t think it has one. but is is the beach at general luna. this is the beach which is 50steps from the house. we come by here whenever we want as it is so near.

see that bridge? kids there jump off that bridge all the time when they swim. and so did all of my cousins. :)

CLOUD 9

and who would miss the country’s prime surfing spot? not us.

ok, i did not surf. i was just asked to hold the board. :)) but my family did. my brother was even able to ride a wave. it was sooooo cool. what wasn’t cool were the wounds i had after cloud9.

the one near my shoulder was hit by a surf board while the inset was my damaged foot by the edward scissor rocks under the sea. :)) that deep cut on my foot gave me a hard time for the rest of our stay.

MAGPUPUNGKO

what i loved about this place was the “natural swimming pool” or the lagoon andthe rock formations. you can only catch this place’s beauty during low tides. :)

GUYAM

we stayed here for about 10 minutes, i guess. :)) it was pretty crowded that day.

THE NAKED ISLAND

this is my favorite. it was called naked because there’s nothing in it but couple of bushes. the entire island is made of sand. if the tide is high, the island disappears. and if the waves are big and strong, this island moves. cool huh? its sand is so fine and its waters are so clear. but mind you, its heat will burn you tan.

DAKO

oh how i love the fresh coconut from this island! and the kids here, they’re crazy, but so cute. :)

TAKTAK FALLS

the water from this falls is so relaxing that it’s almost healing. and its cold feel is just the right refreshment. :)

this is my last take on summer:

1000 photos,

14 people

8 days,

7 islets,

1 exciting journey.

THE BACKGROUND

my uncle has business to attend to in siargao. since they haven’t had a family outing yet, they decided to tag each of us along. thus, a mega family outing was formed.

THE HOUSE

our host welcomed us into their humble house which became our home during our entire stay in siargao.

this house is 77 y/o as is was built in 1935. its form was preserved and continued to be taken care of. i would like to go to the story of this house but i have to keep this blog as short as i can.

anyway, come take a peek..

notice that mirror beside the dining table? well, it’s really big.

i wanted to take photos of the kitchen but during our first day, i just can’t enter in there..

(but as the days pass, i was able to do so.)

the one on the lower part of the picture is where i stayed together with my cousins.

the house is really big and dramatic, right? and i think this house contains more than hundreds of antiques.

well, what you’ll see outside is exciting too.

well, the entire road is filled with white sand from the beach which, i think, is about 50 steps away if you go straight that path. 

speaking of beach, we went to a lot during our stay…

last weekend, me and my girl visited my nanay to greet her a happy birthday. actually, it’s not until the 26th. but because i’ll be out of town from the 24th to the 1st of june, i had to greet her in advance.

ok, i’ll take responsibility for not having the appropriate birthday candle. :))

she’s turning 72 and all i could wish for her is longer life through better health.

we were few people short during our celebration. :)) it was just my grandma, auntie, me and my girl.

we also had my mom on the phone. she said she likes talking to quimn because unlike me, my girl actually listens to her stories. :)

well, there will be a bigger celebration for nanay on her actual birthday, i hope she enjoys it. and as for my gift, i am hoping to bring her something from our trip. i hope i’ll be able to find something special for her.

my uncle had a business trip to laiya and decided to take us, and few of his family friends with him. i was hesitant at first because i was having a bad cold and i taught going to the beach wouldn’t really help.

but then, my elders told me, it’ll be healing if i go. why? well, they say that the steam from the beach’s shore helps cure coughs and colds. so, i ended up taking water therapy, the next level. :))

and since i didn’t feel like swimming, i just enjoyed the shore.

other than eating watermelon, i spent time soaking my feet, playing with sand, catching creatures and enjoying the view. i also watched everyone while they swim and burn themselves tan. :D

what also interest me while i was sitting around were people molding things out of the sand. not so far away from where i was, a family decided to make a person lying on his stomach.

it actually inspired me to make something out of the sand as well.

i was aiming for a sand castle that’s topped with a fish image and surrounded by a force field. so close.. sooo close. :))

well, after the trip, my colds didn’t miraculously disappear. i actually had slight fever due to fatigue. but colds wise, my clogged nose improved and my sneezing went away. i don’t know if my meds finally worked or the next level water therapy is true. what i’m sure of is that breathing fresh air helped. being away from the polluted air in manila, even for a while, is really relaxing and sometimes, healing. :)