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Baguio Trip Itinerary and Guide
Davao Trip Itinerary and Guide

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What to do, where to go, what to eat, where to stay, and who to contact for your Queen City of the South tour? Ito na.

This is the second time that I've gone to Cebu but unlike the first time, I was the one who arranged all the details of this tour. Yan. Yan. :))

I blogged about my first time in Cebu here (Sexy pa ko noon pero mas maganda ako ngayon. You can't have it all talaga, noh? Haha! Eee, blog ko kaya 'to. Bawal kontra! :>) because I used that story as an entry for a contest held last 2013 with a trip to Korea as the grand prize. I may not have won in that contest but I trust the universe that I will be able to go to Korea someday. I'll definitely make that happen.

Anyway, what were the non-negotiables for this trip?

1. Affordable
2. Convenient a.k.a Senior Citizen Friendly
3. Simala Church in Sibonga

4. Somewhere new. Pinush ko talaga na Oslob 'tong somewhere new na 'to.

Masyado ko atang nahimay-himay bawat attractions at ang daming post masyado for a 3 days and 2 nights trip. Sabi kasi ako ng sabi, "Pag maganda na camera ko." Ayan. Maganda na. Over tuloy sa picture. Daming post. Thanks, Sony TX30. HAHAHAHA!

Day 1
Twin City Day Tour

Pick-up from the airport (start of tour)

Lapu-Lapu Shrine/Monument
Alegre Guitars

Taoist Temple
Lunch at Joven's Grill and Seafoods (eat-all-you-can/package inclusive)

Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House

Cebu Heritage Monument

Fort San Pedro
Magellan's Cross

Sto. Nino Church
Taboan Market

Drop off at Pension House (end of tour)

Larsian sa Fuente

Day 2

Southern Cebu Tour

Oslob Whale Watching

Boljoon Church
Simala Chuch
Carcar Shoe Retail Outlet

Larsian sa Fuente
Fuente Osmena Circle

Ito ang map mg Cebu para magkaroon kayo ng idea sa locations ng mga pinuntahan namin para sa Southern Cebu tour.

Oslob is in the Southmost area of Cebu so driving to there took us around 3 hours. 3 hours na hindi traffic 'yan ah, medyo malayo talaga pero kaya kasi tulog lang naman sa van.

Day 3

Mass and Pasalubong hunting

Santo Nino Basilica Minore
Taboan Market
Shamrock Factory
CnT Lechon

SM Cebu

End of tour. :))

***

EXPENSES = TOUR OPERATOR + PENSION HOUSE + VAN RENTAL+ FOOD

1. At fist, I wanted to do a do-it-yourself tour which is synonymous to commuting but I thought that won't work so I gave that idea up and searched the internet for Cebu tour packages instead. It was a challenge to find a tour operator with affordable rates but fortunately I found Bohol Life Tour's website. Check their website for other available tours Bohol and Cebu tours with price lists. For reservations, just send them an e-mail because it's hard to contact them through text messages.

The rate of our tours above were P 7,512.00 (first day) and P 6,000.00 (second day) for 6 persons making it P 2,252.00 per person for two days exclusive of food except for the buffet lunch on our first day.

2. We stayed at Robe's Pension House in R. Landon Street which I have booked two weeks before our scheduled check-in date. There is currently no elevator in the Pension house so you should reserve to secure a room in the second or third floor.

Deluxe Triple Sharing Room

Airconditioned with Shower heater

P 900.00/room/night

3. From SM Cebu to Mactan Airport, we rented a van for P 400.00. (P 500.00 originally, natawaran ng P 400.00 pero naging P 500.00 ulit dahil sa P 100.00 na tip. Hahaha!)

Contact:
Benjie Pitogo
09157533565

jie_asnar@yahoo.com

I don't know what the price of the van rental is for city tours but. Our van to the airport was Grandia too, same model as the one we used for two days.

Pag tinanong ka kung saan mo nakuha 'yung contact details niya, pakisabi na galing dun sa pamilyang hinatid niya galing SM Cebu papuntang Airport na nakaiwan ng backpack sa van nung January. Promise ko talaga ilalagay ko 'to dito para ma-expose siya online. Kahit kasi may bago na siyang pasahero saka medyo nakalayo na sila sa airport, bumalik pa rin siya para isauli sa'min 'yung bag namin na naiwan sa van.

Ayan ah, given na 'yung rates ng Bohol Life Tours so inquire din kayo dito kung saan mas makakamura pero, okay din 'yung Bohol Life kasi naka-package na 'yon saka maalam naman si Kuya Wally na driver namin for two days.

Forever Grateful. <3

PERO... MORE! MORE! MORE!

Sorry na. Mahal ko eh... ang pagla-lakwatsa.

Uyy, akala niya siya. :))))))

Looking for more hotels options?

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We checked out at 12 noon and headed to SM Cebu because that's closer to the airport and it has a traveler's lounge where we can place our bags the whole afternoon.

We had the whole afternoon left before going back to Manila. If I was with friends, malamang magi-ikot pa kami sa labas pero since I was with my family, dito lang sa SM paikot-ikot at hintay na lang nang nakaupo kasi pagod na. Buti na lang meron din silang Prestige Lounge sa SM Cebu.

We ate here at Sunburst Chicken since I've read reviews that the food here taste good but we were disappointed. I won't get into details but we did not like it here.

Here's the atrium of SM Cebu.

No Cebu trip is complete without trying their lechon but since we have not tried eating one, we just took home a kilo. A branch of CnT is just walking distance from SM.

Fatty goodness.

SM Traveller's Lounge reminded me of Kuala Lumpur's KL Sentral.

This is a great help for travelers since the lounge have a baggage deposit counter, charging stations, shower rooms, and waiting area available for a minimal fee.

Outside the Traveler's lounge, we were supposed to hire two taxi cabs but a man approached us saying that he can drive us to the airport in a Toyota Grandia van for P 500.00. We haggled and our agreed price was P 400.00.

When he left, a taxi driver told us, "Okay lang na 'yun? May tiwala kayo agad?"

And we were like, "Oo nga pala. Nakakatakot."

Then a man from behind, "Okay lang po 'yun. Ganyan talaga trabaho niya saka mas okay pag ganyan kasi pag may naiwan kayong gamit, makukuha niyo pa kesa pag sa taxi, wala na. Sigurado po kayo dyan. Kilala 'yan dito."

With his assurance, we felt fine.

So when we were about to check our luggages in at the airport counter, we noticed that we were missing a bag. I immediately contacted the driver while hoping that it isn't a modus operandi, Iba talaga nagagawa ng lagi na lang negative news naririnig natin, noh? No matter how much we like to trust, hindi nawawala 'yung thinking na, "Ano kayang gagawing masama nito sa'kin?"

He answered my call and there was it. Our bag was left in the backseat of the van. Hindi napansin probably because it's black at medyo madilim na nun. Then he told us, "Sige po, babalik ako dyan. Medyo matatagalan lang." To my surprise, he was already away from the airport with another set of passengers when he got my call yet drove back uttering no excuses and blames especially since it was our responsibility to make sure we left nothing in the van. Sabi ko tuloy sa sarili ko, ilalagay ko 'to dito. Just in case one of my readers would look for a driver for hire in Cebu, paki-contact naman siya and please thank him again for us.

It's crazy how travelling makes you more vulnerable to people who would take advantage of you yet despite that probability, you choose to trust. And as far as my experiences are concerned, fortunately I haven't encountered any one who did me harm while travelling. Sa Manila ako na-snatchan ng pera at sa Quezon City naman na-snatchan ng phone at muntik na mabiktima ng dura gang (Sana hindi na maulit! OMG LUNGZ At documented pala sila lahat hahaha!).

I wasn't paying attention to this before but we're really entrusting our lives to other people more than we realize, noh? Sana in our everyday lives, we will always choose to look for the good in everyone. Haaay. Challenge din 'to para sa'kin.

Our flight back to Manila was more than an hour delayed. Shems. Lahat na lang ba mangyayari?! Travel is a hassle. Travel is not for the weak. Travel is not for those who are easily irritated. Nakakapagod, nakakainis minsan, daming hintay, daming gastos, daming palpak pero despite these inconveniences? I will travel anyway. Totoo nga naman, pag nalampasan mo 'yan lahat, diba magbabago ka? Travelling challenges and changes us. Kaya God-willing, I shall continue to embrace this lifestyle and try to be thankful for all the things that won't go my way and more thankful for all the things that will.
More. More. More <3

Thank you very much to all people who, no matter how difficult life is, choose not to take advantage of others. May God bless you more in all aspects of your life. :)

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Given all Cebu-grown restaurants we can try...

"San tayo mag-dinner?"
"Dun ulit sa BBQ-han."

And for our second night, it's Larsian again. I am not complaining. The experience, the food, the affordability. Bet. :))

From Robe's Pension House, we walked to this street and rode a jeepney to Larsian.

Larsian's pronunciation is lar-shan.

Anyway, the jeepney that you should ride from here is 6C. Alphanumeric ang Jeepney codes dun kasi madaming routes. May nakasulat naman na lugar pero mas madali kasing mabasa 'yung codes kaya nakakatulong din.

So I said, "Sinong 6C pa ba hinihintay natin e andito naman na ako?"

HAHAHAHAHA. WALEY YAN SAKANILA!! Waley na waley!! Lagot ka sa'kin 'pag hindi bumenta sa'yo 'to. HAHAHAHA! Tawang-tawa nga ko oh. HAHAHAHA!

We ate here once again.
Hindi na kami naghanap ng iba pang stall 'cause we were satisfied with the taste and the service.

For first-timers (2nd time ko na kasi!! HAHAHA!), you might get the shock of your life once you enter the gate and several men would approach you promoting their stalls. This can also be, several men would mob you and force you to eat at their stall. I even saw a a lady who was covering her ears while walking because of those men.

It harassing especially when you're already hungry and/or when you can't understand them since most speak loud and in Cebuano language but just be considerate since it's the culture in Larsian. The competition among the stalls is stiff so they have to do that.

Want to experience that kind of stress in Manila? Head to Macapagal Avenue. Marami din dun.

You will be given plastic hand gloves when you eat at Larsian. Okay naman magkamay pero okay din na ganitong naka-gloves.

Sabi ng Tito ko, "Tantyahin niyo na ng maayos kakainin niyo kasi matatagalan pag nagpadagdag kayo ulit tapos ihahabol na naman."

Kami, "Tantya ba kamo?"

Ga-bundok na BBQ at hindi lang 'to 'yung order namin.

So we walked to Fuente Osmena Circle before riding a jeep back to Robe's Pension House. Medyo buwis buhay lang tumawid papunta dito sa Circle kasi kahit may pedestrian lane, mabibilis pa rin 'yung mga kotse pero dahil landmark 'to sa Cebu, e sinubukan pa rin namin.

Fuente Osmena in English is Osmena Fountain which is a bit obvious since there's a fountain in the middle of that small park. It is also a rotunda so the location is very strategic.

It was named after the fourth president of the Republic of the Philippines, Pres. Sergio Osmena who is considered the patriarch of one of Cebu's well-known political families. Para siyang Quezon City Circle natin na pina-liit ng bonggels.

Sabi nila, nasa puso raw 'to ng Cebu.

Sabi ko tuloy ngayon as in kakaisip ko lang: Ikaw (Oo, ikaw), nasaan ka? Hihi. Edi nasa puso ko. <3

EDI WOW. :)))))

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