Cebu City

The company trip to Cebu last April was a quick one. After spending two nights in Oslob, we went back to Cebu City, the oldest city in the Philippines. We arrived at noon, had lunch at Zubuchon (gee, that was a lot of food), went around the old parts of the city in the afternoon and then flew back to Manila the next morning.

I love trellis roofs and courtyards!

IDK why most of my co-workers are in black, lol

When we got back to Manila, I swear I stopped eating meat for a while. I was fed too much lechon (roasted pig) in Cebu.

Am I going back? Definitely! I have to visit more islands like Camotes, Malapascua and Bantayan!

In Which I Felt Infinite

The morning before we left for Oslob, I happened to wake up at 5am (morning person here) and instead of sitting down to wait for breakfast, I decided to walk to the town plaza with my camera. I'm glad I woke up early because I was able to see the beautiful sunrise.

While watching the sunrise, I got this surge of feelings-- I felt so grateful. I felt so blessed. I felt hope. I felt... infinite (heh, sorry for being unoriginal). I've been going though a couple of challenges lately but the sunrise reminded me that in case I fail, I can always rise again the next day and that no matter what happens, there's always, always, always something to be thankful for.

One of the reasons why I love summer: flowers!

Coral stones in Oslob Cuartel

Birds perched on the lintels of Oslob Cuartel

Walking About Oslob Town

After our morning water adventures, we went back to Oslob New Village Lodge to rest. Unfortunately, there was no electricity when we got there so we could not sleep in our rooms. Instead, we stayed outdoors where there's lots of space and lots of fresh air despite the wild summer heat.

While everyone else was playing cards and whatnot, I decided to lie down on a bamboo sofa in one of the patios to read a book while occasionally trying to take a nap. It felt like the perfect weekend afternoon.

At around 4pm, when it got a bit cooler, we went walking around town. Luckily, the town plaza was nearby. At first, I didn't want to get up from my bamboo sofa but eventually, I'm glad I did. And these photos from my phone (silly me left the camera in our room) will show you why...

Cuartel, an unfinished military barracks

A beautiful view of Immaculate Concepcion Parish Church. I just sat on the grass to stare at it. 

Baluarte, an old watchtower made with coral stones

The good thing about the place is that there aren't much tourists. There were people but not much and they seemed like locals (for they didn't speak Tagalog and they didn't carry cameras lol).

I really wish we had such beautiful places in Manila. It would really be nice to lie down the grass while reading a good book or having a picnic.

Beautiful Morning in Oslob, Cebu

I was in Cebu last weekend for our company outing. We flew to Mactan last Friday afternoon and then took a bus to the town of Oslob in the evening. 

The next morning, we went to the whaleshark-watching site. I've always wanted to see them! However, I have an issue with the townspeople feeding these whalesharks and thereby domesticating them. These creatures are supposed to be able to fend for themselves! Plus, whalesharks are migratory creatures and therefore are not supposed to stay in one place like they do in Oslob. It just feels wrong to me.

Note: All photos are from Irene

After the whaleshark interaction, we went to Sumilon Island. It was a beautiful island with a sandbar with white sand and crushed corals around.

The boys were playing with sticks and whatever they found floating on the water.

I had fun swimming around with my new fins. (Now my body's still sore.)

Before noon, we went to the paradise-like Tumalog Falls. Warning: photos do not do justice to this beauty. Tumalog falls is just so beautiful in person.

This is where I said "best thing eveeerrrr". I love the sea but I love the waterfalls too!

Saturday morning well-spent with co-workers. It was just nice to see the guys do something other than coding or playing video games lol.