A Taste of Summer

Sister: Ano ang favorite place ng Spartans? 
Me: Ano?
Sister: Edi Lahug, Cebu.
Me: Huh? Bakit?
Sister: Kasi diba the Spartans always say, "We are Spartans!!! LAHUG! LAHUG! LAHUG"
Me: :|

This is some Cebu joke that my sister cracked when we were in the plane. And it made me cry... It made me cry hard. Maybe its my sister's Cebu hype that's making her innate corny-ness come out. I don't know.

It isn't even summer yet but my family seems to be giddy enough to go out of town for 4 days just for a change. Going to some place new is really an awesome way of taking a time off from the "real stressful world", if you know what I mean. Though we weren't really able to explore the city much because the weather is being such a pain in the ass, the trip was still worth it and somehow we managed to fight the intense heat.

Good thing we're all in the mood, especially my mom who seems to be allergic to heat and perspiration.

We arrived in the airport extra early for our flight, so we decided to grab breakfast before we board. And one lesson I learned is not to settle for a quiche when you can order something more appetizing for breakfast. So I ended up ordering some Korean (or was it Japanese?) cup noodles in the plane and suffer the consequences of eating an overpriced food. This is just because of that tiny quiche I ate not being enough to be considered as my first meal for the day

When we arrived at Cebu, my mom's friend fetched us from the airport. We went straight to our hotel to drop our luggage and went to AA barbecue for lunch. We wanted to try Sky Walk before we head to lunch but since my mom is already hungry, we don't have much of a choice but to let her eat.

Well, we're staying at Crown Regency anyway, so we're just floors away from the awesome awesome Sky Adventure. So yeah, I did not find the need to throw tantrums.

P.S. I'm no brat. He he he

We visited some Casa turned into a museum right after lunch. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take photos inside. But that house really has a great antique feel. It's kinda' creepy to be left alone there though, but it looks so nice, especially the architecture.

Of course, exploring Cebu would not be complete without us visiting the Magellan's Cross. Everything was normal at first. We were just walking around and taking photos like a typical tourist. But lo and behold, a group of kids came running towards us speaking some Bisaya words that we obviously did not understand. We thought they were just making a sale of their key chains and pearls like those stubborn street children in Manila. So we just ignored them. A couple of minutes later, those kids called their "troop" and crowded us all of a sudden. People were looking at us. It was insane. They crowded us like we're some sort of celebrities. The driver had to shoo them away for us to get inside the car. SCARY!

  

Since the heat was just too intense to take, we decided to go to SM to cool down. We stayed there for a couple of hours before we head back to the hotel on time for Sky Walk. 

When we headed back to the hotel, it was time, time for us to have a feel of the Sky Walk Experience. Oh, you have no idea how excited I was.

While we were waiting in line for our turn in Sky Walk my mom and my little sister decided to have a massage in the hotel. The massage room was so awesome, it had an awesome view! AWESOME!

That's the view from the massage room!

Them having their massages!

Well, I was kinda' disappointed with my Sky Walk experience. I thought there were something more special than just walking on the edge. It wasn't even the edge, edge of the building. It was effortless. The thousand bucks that we paid was not worth it at all. I mean, everything was just all about the photo op and they'll still charge you for printing the photo as well. So, it was all a bla! So much for my excitement! Should've gone zipline-ing instead.   

This was taken before I knew what we're going to do!

The next day, we went to Bohol to meet up with my dad. We were supposed to go to the beach but I think its an "obligation" for us to meet our dad. So yeah, no beach.

We took the Star Craft going to Bohol. The boat, apparently, was just fast! We got to Bohol after an hour. AMAZING.

The moment we got to Bohol, my dad was already at the Port waiting for us. I was surprised to see a red car with the word MAYOR written on its plate number parked and my dad was standing right beside it. So I asked myself, "Is my dad a Mayor of some town here in Bohol?" But turns out, the Mayor of Tubigon is my dad's good friend. My dad just borrowed the Mayor's car for us to be able to go around the city properly with the driver as our guide.

Thank you again to Mayor Hao for the lift! He also promised to let us borrow his speed boat once we go back to Bohol. YAY! I'm so looking forward to that. 

My dad took us to some place for lunch after fetching us from the port. This is where I tasted Kalderetang Kambing and different cow parts mixed together for the first time. These dishes are not really considered as normal food for people like us. It tasted fine though but you just really have to avoid thinking about what you are eating at that moment or else you'll surely throw up.    

Actually, we got to bond with Kuya Manong driver more than my dad 'coz after lunch my dad had to go to finish some "business". Hmm...Oh well. 

After my dad got off at some place, Manong took us to Sagbayan Peak to see the Chocolate Hills. It was so coool! The place has this human sized cartoon characters. It was like a local Universal Studios. We also got to see those cute little tarsiers! Ooh how I wish I could take one home! They're so adorable!

When we went up to the place within the peak where we can see the hills, we decided to take jump shots. But unfortunately, none of it was successfully taken. Its because of this failure that made me realize that I have to re-learn FOTOCOM all over again. 

The next day, we went to our Tito's crib at Maria Luisa Park for lunch where we had lechong Cebu! Oh, you have no idea how satisfied our tummies were. 

The road that we passed on the way to my tito's house was intense. It was so....high! And the moment you go downhill, you can see how low you're going. It was scary. A 4X4 car is definitely a perfect investment when you're going to get a house that resides in this kind of place. 

I also got to see the house of the Lhuillier's! It was a one huge mansion.   

We spent the rest of the day in my tito's house watching TV and playing foosball. This was before we continue exploring the rest of the city with our Tito being our own tour guide. 

Did I mention that during this trip, I was watching too much NBA? I was surprised on how much I was enjoying the whole NBA All Star Weekend. It was so cool. How the hell can those players jump so high? I mean, I'm tall but I can't jump that high. Man, they're so awesome!

Thanks to my brother for influencing me. Teehee

I see people playing foosball on arcades and on TV but I never knew how fun it is to play. I think I want to have my own foosball table at home after hours of playing in my Tito's house.

There's just one thing I don't understand though, my hands got hurt for some reason. And it was just by playing foosball. My palms had those red things that look as if it was bleeding from the inside. It was weird 'coz my brother and my sister did not have one. Maybe I was playing it wrong but I don't care I still love the game. 

Because of the whole foosball craze, seeing a football displayed inside the house made us want to play american football in my tito's yard. It wasn't exactly a legit game of American football 'coz we did not know the rules. So it was just a nonsense game where we would just pretend to know how to play it. We just kept on yelling "Go long! Go long!" "HUT! HUT!" randomly. It was funny! We look stupid but it was fun!

Wasn't able to take photos during the actual game 'coz we were all playing and my mom was busy talking to her kumare. BUMMER! 

We went to our Tito's radio station, 96.3 WRock, for a tour right after chilling at his house. We saw how it all works. It looks kinda' old school though but it was functional.

My tito even told me I can work for him in the future if I want to be a radio DJ. Hmm.. This is something to consider! Ha ha

Right after, we went to the Taoist Temple. This is the time when my sister was desperate to ask whether she'll 

pass the bar exam or not (its in my previous blog post). Actually, the temple looks like the Taoist Temple in Tagaytay. This one is only bigger and strict-er.

We then headed back to my tito's crib for dinner and played some more foosball. At some point, my mom was already angry because of this. But yeah, we can't help it. 

Our last day in Cebu came and we had our last minute shopping for pasalubongs. Then, we went straight to the airport. 

I guess, the only sad part about this trip was leaving Pao to the vet. It was so hard. I always call our maid at home just to make sure if they went to the vet to bring Pao's food. And the moment when the maid told me that Pao did not eat much for the day, I was so worried! :( Its not like I can do anything. I mean, I'm miles away from home. So yeah, I just remained bothered at that particular moment. You have no ideaa! But somehow, I try to get over it. And I just try to think that "Okay, Pao's in a vet. I'm pretty sure the doctor won't let anything happen to him." Thinking about this always works. I mean really. Its the way to go to make a mom's heart calm. 

Yes, I'm a mom to my dog.   

I'm pretty sure I've missed out on a lot of details. But in toto it was another one of those family trips where I really had fun! Hopefully, summer would even be more better! Looking forward to it! 

Daghang salamat Cebu! 

Hanggang sa MULI! 

He he he!