Philippine Travel Notes

Don't get me wrong, I love them beetles. But only if I have to look at them like at a garage show or some museum (if ever there will be). Beautiful toy cars, really! Just please don't use these oldies to parade beautiful lasses where there will be a lot of 'crawling' at probably just 10 to even 5kph or even less. Its a parade for heaven's sake! Ayun! The damn 'lovely vehicle' conked out! Buti na lang, Mr. Charm himself had the presence of mind. So instead of the girls feeling awkward being ogled at by the public as they perched there, helpless atop a car probably made when their mothers were still being born, he invited the three to go walk with him in the parade. So they did! But, Mayor naman! Naka-high-heels ang mga yan pabaklayin mo ng ganyan kalayo?! Oh well, girls, at least that was a test of your rampa skills, stamina and poise hahaha! How far did you 3 girls walk with your heels on? I estimate that to be more or less 2 kilometers! Well...

Okay now folks, you have UP Diliman, Manila, LB, Baguio, Miag-ao, Iloilo, Cebu, Tacloban, Mindanao, right? You also have Ateneo at Loyola, Rockwell, Naga, Davao, Zamboanga, Cebu, etc etc! And you have La Salle Taft, La Salle Tapat, EAC, etc., right?! Now see these! O ha?! What can you say?! Sosyal the schools of Cebu 'no?! Hahaha, Portugal? Mexico? Guam?! Now the real topic... These pics were some of my shots at the opening parade of Sinulog 2013. At first, I did not even mind those places written below each school's name, for I knew what they meant. However, I got to stand beside 2 foreign ladies who were also taking pics and vids of the parade, and they were exclaiming ooohs and aahs, when they would read those places written below the school names. I got bothered, and felt I needed to barge in when I heard one of them say "wow, they even have a campus in Portugal"! Like hello?! Cebu Doctors as in CDU?! In Portugal?! So I smilingly meddled in their oohs a...

Nothing really astounding. Just the same, I find these worth a space in my blog if only for me to later remember them with a smile. Reserve your free parking! That is what hit my lowly brain early on a groggy 2nd day of the year! Probably because it was early morning. The way I initially understood this signage actually woke me up! I thought it was saying "call to reserve your free parking" hehe! It's one of the newest restaurants along Cebu's AS Fortuna Ave. by the way. Have yet to try them, but looking at the place from outside... promising! YOU! Exactly a week after, I get to be in the area again, this time the Pink Sisters' chapel. And that in the picture is/was the responsorial psalm for the day. At first, I did not even notice. But when you sit or kneel silently at a very serene place with no distractions, you do at times, even if unconciously, start looking for things to distract you, right? And when I glanced again, I knew there was someth...

This is one of the newer eateries along the famous “AS Fortuna Avenue” in Cebu – well, er, more appropriately, should be Mandaue, for indeed it is already on the Mandaue portion of Banilad. Did you know that there are two Barangays named Banilad, and are sitting beside each other? Yup, this is that area, where Brgy Banilad, Cebu and Brgy Banilad, Mandaue kiss each other! And if you’re not extra observant, you would never even realize that. Just like ‘where does QC end and where does Marikina start? Or when traveling along Bonifacio Ave., where is QC, Caloocan or Manila?! Something like that! Anyway, Fudge is more of a cake, pastry or bakeshop really. But presented and with the ambience of a modern coffee shop. However, what I like in there is lunch hehe! Yup yup, they have delectable food from breakfast ‘till dinner. Ah well, to be exact, most of the times I ate at this place were for ‘brunch’ really – before I would go anywhere. And I am nearing a point where I may have already trie...

I did not know this existed here arounds! Do you even know what Pastil is? No no, not Pastel. Those are two different things, though both are delectable and originally from the Mindanao area! Pastel is the yummy sweet bun with an even sweeter filling, and this is more of a snack that we commonly find in CDO and Camiguin, right? And for those with Euro-inclinations, the more that this is not "pastille", "pastillas" nor "pastilyas"! Way far actually. Pastil is a meal (though it can easily be a snack too) – made of rice and sautéed beef, chicken or fish, wrapped in banana leaves. Yumminess! I have tasted Pastil a number of times, though all those encounters were at places in Mindanao like Cotabato or Marawi. I think I even had similar fares as far down as Kota Kinabalu and Kuching, even farther down in Surabaya and far Medan, though am not sure if they're called the same name. But I never imagined they have already invaded Cebu! How did I find out? I was...

Well I might even have to call this a study. And this is one thing I like with the Visayans. They really know how to make real witty fun at just about anything! Let’s interpret… I asked the driver as to who made this signage in his jeep. He said the signage maker made an error on the letter sizes so he went on just the same and gave it for free! Driver further says, that is the reason why “your” was shortened into the sms-like “ur”. He did not make mention about the missing “a” in “setbelt” so I did not ask anymore. If it was also an error on the part of the maker, now we would not know! I asked what was the “w.w.w…com…” he said “ambot, sa internet tingali na” (I don’t know, maybe it has something to do with the internet)! I did not say anything but in my mind I said “duh”! I asked what “iga.id” means and he told me “gaid” is a visayan term to mean “tie”, but used mainly for big things to tie down like a boat or a ship! Thus, the sign maker wants to tell us “tie the passengers” (and ta...

There is that humungous multicab again hehe! This time I spotted it by the road near SM’s North Wing. First time I saw one of these up close was over at the Metropolitan Cathedral though I did not have a chance to talk to anyone in charge. This time, I saw the manong driver doing nothing (that man at rear side seemingly dwarfed by the size of this jeep), so I asked him a few questions. The “jeep” is actually a converted 10-wheeler truck! ‘Di ba obvious?! He says, it is only given to mountain barangays of Cebu City. What for? For whatever use they may deem necessary. I asked who owns them jeeps (expecting a reply that would either say “city government” or “barangay”), and the fantastic reply was “Si Capitan”! Who maintains these jeeps? The barangays. How many can sit in there? “Daghan”! I asked for a specific number. He couldn’t give one and instead said “tibuok barangay”! Oh well, what a giant jeep really! Aren’t these the kinds that should be distributed at flood-prone areas like Mari...

Bibingka or bingka. I thought this was such a welcome find. I mean it probably had been months since I last saw and tasted the bibingka made in rural places. This one though was definitely at an urban location – the sidewalk along Osmena Ave., also called Jones Ave. in Cebu City! And it looked and smelled inviting, so I got one! Delicious enough! Just like many that I have tasted in Abra, Ilocos, Samar, Sorsogon. Not fluffy but a bit compact, not too soft but moist! ‘Five-pesos lang’!     ISSN 2515139.125-0949