Samboan Adventure
For a change, I will not show you pics of the devastation of "Milenyo." =)
Last March, we took advantage of the Cebu Pacific promo and booked us flights to Cebu. We opted to go this September for my mom's hometown fiesta in Samboan.
For me, this trip was more than just time away from work. To be honest, I'm not a kamag-anak person. Most of my extended relatives, I haven't even met (met but probably forgot). I only knew them through my mom's stories. This was the perfect opportunity for me to get to know my roots.
Day 1: September 27 (Wednesday)
Joven and I left for the airport earlier than my mom and sister. Since the flight schedule got screwed up, we ended up going to Cebu a few hours earlier than the two of them. We killed time by reading our pocketbooks, throwing dagger looks at the "malikot" man sitting on the far side of the bench, eating lunch, donuts and coffee, i.e., spending a fortune on airport food and Joven trying to install (to no avail) NBA 2006 in his laptop. While we were waiting, heavy rains were starting to pour. Fortunately, the rain gave way before we boarded the plane.
The plane ride was smooth sauf the turbulence that made one of the ladies on board shriek and Joven more tensed (he hates plane rides).
We waited a few hours in Mactan Airport for my mom and sister to arrive. Soon we were picked up by our very accommodating uncle, Tito Aguinaldo or Tito Agi as we call him.
Earlier, he made arrangements for us to stay at an inn in Llorente St. The inn (Apple Tree) is relatively new, clean and comfy. The staff were very courteous too. Tito Agi left us for a few hours to settle down. He promised to come back because he wants to take us out to dinner.
The front desk called us since Tito Agi was at the lobby already. Instead of him, we were met by his beautiful wife, Tita Joanne and daughter, Kid (Kid has an exceptional voice by the way, like her sister whom we haven't met yet).
Dinner was at Golden Cowrie in Salinas St. One word: Delicious!
We were so surprised by the prices, we just had to take a pic of the menu.
Food pics here.
Day 2: September 28 (Thursday)
The day started early. We wanted to cover much of the city (and buy pasalubong as well) before we go to the outskirts. We had breakfast at Jollibee where we learned that they serve "Super Breakfasts" there. Joven was quite apprehensive to approach the counter because he might not understand the cashier. =P
After breakfast we went to Magellan's Cross and the Basilica del Sto. Niño de Cebu. Like any other tourists, we snapped away.
Since SM Cebu is quite far from where we are and Tabo-an is nearer, we decided to head there for the pasalubong. The sight and smell overwhelmed us. After getting over that, we began to order what we want (with haggling for the prices on the side). With two boxes of pasalubong in tow, we decided to call it quits.
We got back to the inn and was immediately helped by the bellboy. I think he got a good hint of where we came from and volunteered to put the boxes in their office and not in our room to prevent the smell from spreading. Hehe! After sometime the smell seemed to linger, we later realized that it was us who smell! Yikes!
After freshening up, we decided to eat lunch at Orange Brutus (they still have it there!) and eventually check out from the inn. We wanted to ride the bus to Samboan right after lunch because according to my mom, the bus ride will take about 3-4 hours. We got to the South Terminal (bus station) via taxi. Joven and I were so shocked when the porters opened the car door and began grabbing our stuff. Scary! I asked Joven to follow them while I pay for the cab. They were soo aggressive. Later, they asked us to pay P10 for each baggage! Grrr!
We rode the bus to Samboan, me pumped with Bonamine (I'm not so fond of land travel), for 3 and a half hours. The sights were beautiful! I wasn't able to get shots of the scenery because the bus was moving too fast and I was getting groggy.
We arrived in Samboan a little after 5pm. Tita Nora, Tito Boy and his kids (Hershey, Joshmer and Jairuz) welcomed us with sumptuous merienda.
The rest of the day was spent in settling down, freshening up and getting to know our new housemates (or I think it was the other way around).
Day 3: September 29 (Friday)
The first day of the town fiesta! We had a full breakfast (bread, peanut butter, tinolang isda, rice, puto - which was totally different from the puto we all know, hot chocolate/coffee). Grabe! I'm still in awe on how Tita Nora cooks all day. Her kitchen, with two househelp, opens at 5AM and closes at past 8PM. They cook all day and serve us great food almost every two hours! Wow!
Anyway, Tito Agi arrived early from the city. He volunteered to tour us around the town after lunch. Lunch, by the way, includes the delicious Lechon Cebu courtesy of Tito Boy. Yummy!
After lunch, we strolled around the beautiful town of Samboan. We saw their big municipal hall, old stone church, beautiful beach (which was being quarried, tsk tsk!), busy market and one of their secrets... Aguinid Waterfalls!
The hike to the waterfalls was fun. Funny though, the two kids - who are from there, met small catastrophes... one kept on falling on her butt, the other one lost his slipper after the current took it from his foot. The bakasyonistas were formidable. Hehe!
We went home and ate (again) dinner. The kids kept on bugging us to accompany them in the perya (carnival) nearby. I have never been in a perya before and I was just as excited. The kids pleaded for them to ride the ferris wheel. A bit reluctant for their safety, we agreed only because they told us they rode the ferris wheel the night before. The P10 ride was the longest ferris wheel ride I've ever seen. It seemed that they were there for more than ten minutes! After the ride, the kids busied themselves playing some of the games. I joined the color game and won two pesos. Joven, on the other hand, lost seven pesos. Haha! The kids capped the night with fruit shakes and street food. =D
Day 4: September 30 (Saturday)
Our flight was not until 10pm so we decided to maximize the day. Another delicious breakfast started our day. We went to the old church to hear mass. Cardinal Vidal officiated the mass in Visayan. The churchgoers were very much different from those in Manila. They dressed well (decently, that is) and brought their family with them (including the men - I don't see a lot of men in Manila churches except for those in the altar).
After the mass, we had a quick lunch and waited for the bus that would take us back to the city. The bus ride was uneventful except for the surprisingly low fare. During the bus ride, I was constantly texting my former officemate who we will be meeting at the terminal. She promised to take us around the city while we're killing time before the flight.
She initially took us to her place (so that we leave our stuff for the stroll) and told us of our itinerary. She said that there was a nice park under the new bridge she wants us to see. I was beginning to feel tired that I asked her to take us to SM Cebu. =P
SM Cebu's quite big. Since they were on a 3-day sale, we got VCDs for a good price plus his and hers souvenir shirts. Hehe! =) Dinner was at CnT (the best Lechon Cebu in my opinion). Yummy!
Thanks to Tito Agi and family for helping us find our way. Tita Nora, Tito Boy, Hershey, Joshmer and Jairuz for fattening us and making our trip really worth it. Evelyn and Dessa for the warm send off.
We had a wonderful vacation. We had all the elements present: beautiful sights, warm people, great food. We hope to be back soon. =)
(More pics here.)
Last March, we took advantage of the Cebu Pacific promo and booked us flights to Cebu. We opted to go this September for my mom's hometown fiesta in Samboan.
For me, this trip was more than just time away from work. To be honest, I'm not a kamag-anak person. Most of my extended relatives, I haven't even met (met but probably forgot). I only knew them through my mom's stories. This was the perfect opportunity for me to get to know my roots.
Day 1: September 27 (Wednesday)
Joven and I left for the airport earlier than my mom and sister. Since the flight schedule got screwed up, we ended up going to Cebu a few hours earlier than the two of them. We killed time by reading our pocketbooks, throwing dagger looks at the "malikot" man sitting on the far side of the bench, eating lunch, donuts and coffee, i.e., spending a fortune on airport food and Joven trying to install (to no avail) NBA 2006 in his laptop. While we were waiting, heavy rains were starting to pour. Fortunately, the rain gave way before we boarded the plane.
The plane ride was smooth sauf the turbulence that made one of the ladies on board shriek and Joven more tensed (he hates plane rides).
We waited a few hours in Mactan Airport for my mom and sister to arrive. Soon we were picked up by our very accommodating uncle, Tito Aguinaldo or Tito Agi as we call him.
Earlier, he made arrangements for us to stay at an inn in Llorente St. The inn (Apple Tree) is relatively new, clean and comfy. The staff were very courteous too. Tito Agi left us for a few hours to settle down. He promised to come back because he wants to take us out to dinner.
The front desk called us since Tito Agi was at the lobby already. Instead of him, we were met by his beautiful wife, Tita Joanne and daughter, Kid (Kid has an exceptional voice by the way, like her sister whom we haven't met yet).
Dinner was at Golden Cowrie in Salinas St. One word: Delicious!
We were so surprised by the prices, we just had to take a pic of the menu.
Food pics here.
Day 2: September 28 (Thursday)
The day started early. We wanted to cover much of the city (and buy pasalubong as well) before we go to the outskirts. We had breakfast at Jollibee where we learned that they serve "Super Breakfasts" there. Joven was quite apprehensive to approach the counter because he might not understand the cashier. =P
After breakfast we went to Magellan's Cross and the Basilica del Sto. Niño de Cebu. Like any other tourists, we snapped away.
Since SM Cebu is quite far from where we are and Tabo-an is nearer, we decided to head there for the pasalubong. The sight and smell overwhelmed us. After getting over that, we began to order what we want (with haggling for the prices on the side). With two boxes of pasalubong in tow, we decided to call it quits.
We got back to the inn and was immediately helped by the bellboy. I think he got a good hint of where we came from and volunteered to put the boxes in their office and not in our room to prevent the smell from spreading. Hehe! After sometime the smell seemed to linger, we later realized that it was us who smell! Yikes!
After freshening up, we decided to eat lunch at Orange Brutus (they still have it there!) and eventually check out from the inn. We wanted to ride the bus to Samboan right after lunch because according to my mom, the bus ride will take about 3-4 hours. We got to the South Terminal (bus station) via taxi. Joven and I were so shocked when the porters opened the car door and began grabbing our stuff. Scary! I asked Joven to follow them while I pay for the cab. They were soo aggressive. Later, they asked us to pay P10 for each baggage! Grrr!
We rode the bus to Samboan, me pumped with Bonamine (I'm not so fond of land travel), for 3 and a half hours. The sights were beautiful! I wasn't able to get shots of the scenery because the bus was moving too fast and I was getting groggy.
We arrived in Samboan a little after 5pm. Tita Nora, Tito Boy and his kids (Hershey, Joshmer and Jairuz) welcomed us with sumptuous merienda.
The rest of the day was spent in settling down, freshening up and getting to know our new housemates (or I think it was the other way around).
Day 3: September 29 (Friday)
The first day of the town fiesta! We had a full breakfast (bread, peanut butter, tinolang isda, rice, puto - which was totally different from the puto we all know, hot chocolate/coffee). Grabe! I'm still in awe on how Tita Nora cooks all day. Her kitchen, with two househelp, opens at 5AM and closes at past 8PM. They cook all day and serve us great food almost every two hours! Wow!
Anyway, Tito Agi arrived early from the city. He volunteered to tour us around the town after lunch. Lunch, by the way, includes the delicious Lechon Cebu courtesy of Tito Boy. Yummy!
After lunch, we strolled around the beautiful town of Samboan. We saw their big municipal hall, old stone church, beautiful beach (which was being quarried, tsk tsk!), busy market and one of their secrets... Aguinid Waterfalls!
The hike to the waterfalls was fun. Funny though, the two kids - who are from there, met small catastrophes... one kept on falling on her butt, the other one lost his slipper after the current took it from his foot. The bakasyonistas were formidable. Hehe!
We went home and ate (again) dinner. The kids kept on bugging us to accompany them in the perya (carnival) nearby. I have never been in a perya before and I was just as excited. The kids pleaded for them to ride the ferris wheel. A bit reluctant for their safety, we agreed only because they told us they rode the ferris wheel the night before. The P10 ride was the longest ferris wheel ride I've ever seen. It seemed that they were there for more than ten minutes! After the ride, the kids busied themselves playing some of the games. I joined the color game and won two pesos. Joven, on the other hand, lost seven pesos. Haha! The kids capped the night with fruit shakes and street food. =D
Day 4: September 30 (Saturday)
Our flight was not until 10pm so we decided to maximize the day. Another delicious breakfast started our day. We went to the old church to hear mass. Cardinal Vidal officiated the mass in Visayan. The churchgoers were very much different from those in Manila. They dressed well (decently, that is) and brought their family with them (including the men - I don't see a lot of men in Manila churches except for those in the altar).
After the mass, we had a quick lunch and waited for the bus that would take us back to the city. The bus ride was uneventful except for the surprisingly low fare. During the bus ride, I was constantly texting my former officemate who we will be meeting at the terminal. She promised to take us around the city while we're killing time before the flight.
She initially took us to her place (so that we leave our stuff for the stroll) and told us of our itinerary. She said that there was a nice park under the new bridge she wants us to see. I was beginning to feel tired that I asked her to take us to SM Cebu. =P
SM Cebu's quite big. Since they were on a 3-day sale, we got VCDs for a good price plus his and hers souvenir shirts. Hehe! =) Dinner was at CnT (the best Lechon Cebu in my opinion). Yummy!
Thanks to Tito Agi and family for helping us find our way. Tita Nora, Tito Boy, Hershey, Joshmer and Jairuz for fattening us and making our trip really worth it. Evelyn and Dessa for the warm send off.
We had a wonderful vacation. We had all the elements present: beautiful sights, warm people, great food. We hope to be back soon. =)
(More pics here.)
Labels: get-togethers, travel
posted by dionne @ 4:13 PM
Permalink
12 comments
12 Comments:
hehe. lahat talaga ng pamilya may Tito Boy. :)
wow! you went here in Cebu!
sayang! my chance to meet dionne na sana! hehehe ^^
Our office is just right across golden cowrie! It's in Asiatown IT park. Yung madaming call centers, infront of waterfront hotel (yung white castle ^^).
Lechon! walang ibubuga ang lechon sa manila! ^^ Try niyo next time yung biik pa lang, medium size para sobrang sarap. ^^ Dito sa office gusto namin ang Alejos compared to CnT ^^
ano yung tungkol sa price? dahil mahal o mura? I guess mura right! ^^ Masmadami pang masmura na place compared to golden cowrie. hehehe ^^
I love Cebu! ^^
bisita ulit kayo ^^
benj, yan na kaya ang pinaka-common na nickname sa mga lalaki? ito dapat ang sinu-survey ng sws eh. hehehe.
stephen, sayang nga! sandali lang naman kami sa city kaya di rin kami masyado nakapaglibot. di bale, pag nagkaron uli ng promo ang cebu pacific, sasabihan kita pag pupunta kami. para makapagpalibre dyan sa alejos. =P
wow..no bagyo there? i miss cebu! wanna go back there..maybe try that falls you went to. sa kawasan falls kami nagpunta nung summer e.
i had a vacation last week din in quezon (0927-1001..sabay na sabay a)pero binagyo kami..
it's in my blog. check it na lang :D
rami foods...naiingit ako dun sa lechon...hahaha...happy thanksgiving to both of you...
hi benj! oo nga. kami di lang isa. parang 4 ata. hehe!
hi stephen! sayang. na-meet sana kita. di bale, may next time pa naman. =D
hi weng! buti pa tayo nakatakas sa bagyo. hehe!
hi alynn! happy thanksgiving to you too! kaya nga ako tumataba eh. hehe!
ow ur tita nora was my science teacher and she taught me how to play chess, shes very intellegent, ur tito aga ehem agid is a close friend...
hi! I'm Joy. Can you please help me find aguinid falls? If you can please leave the directions at my blog's message box in www.joyax.co.cc or www.joyaxonline.blogspot.com
I am from Cebu City and I could use some directions starting from main road of Tangbo or Poblacion Samboan...or anything
thanks a lot.
wow lechon its my favorite. Lalo na sa lechon sa cebu. Pinakamasarap ang lechon sa cebu lalo na sa kung sa lechoncebu.com ka umorder. wala pang kahirap hirap tatawag ka lang at e sisit up nila kaagad ung order mo after payment through pera padala, ml kwarta padala, western union or through paypal. kahit saan ka sa pilipinas. then they deliver straight to your location. try lechoncebu masarap at crunchy talaha ang lechon nila compare to others.
ako din a want to go there din don sa falls na pinuntahan nyo. Ang ganda talaga sa cebu. Hope someday makabalik ako doon and eat lechon cebu. Yummy talaga ang lechon cebu. Napakasarap at napaka crunchy pa ng balat. D'best talaga ang lechon cebu.
I can say that lechoncebu can boast its lechon! Masarap yung lechon…balat pa lang masarap na kasi malutong at malasa ito. Yung laman as in sobra…kakaiba sa ibang lechon… Maganda rin pagtanggap sa amin…To lechoncebu, maraming salamat po. Hindi lang masarap ang lechon nyo…the best kayo!
Rhea from UP Los Baños
Lechon cebu is the best. The taste is so nice even with the absence of the sauce, it can stand on its own.
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