Last day in Paradise. I can't stand it. I don't want to leave. But all good things come to an end. Whoever coined that phrase needs to be punished. I don't want this visit to end. I loved being in Cebu and I loved being in this resort. Honestly, one of the best little getaway experiences I've ever had. It helped that I didn't have to worry about young kids to take care of.... and that I got to spend some really nice quality time with my daughter, Alyssa who is 27. Having Jordan, Erika & Elsie with me during the Japan portion of this trip has also created priceless memories that will be forever engrained in my mind. My fave is waking up every morning to hear her cheerful and cute, "HI!". Waking up to that and seeing Elsie's smiling face right up close to mine as she came up to me for a hug was the best way to start my day. I will miss that daily start to my day. (Note: also add to this the tantrums and angry cries during some parts of the trip.... but I let her parents take care of that....and let's face it, we were asking a 14 month old to tour Japan and deal with jetlag, haha. She was a trooper and for the most part was happy & cheerful) Precious core memories that we will remember forever. I have made a promise to myself that I will spend more time with stuff like this moving forward....it's time to let go of the obsession with material stuff and spend all my disposable income on travel and experiences. We only live once. And I'm not getting any younger. So expect more traveling blog entries over in the future.
How did 3 weeks go by so fast? We left Vancouver on march 8 for this amazing trip and here we are at March 28, and we fly home day after tomorrow. Time really does go by fast when you're having fun. As we walked to breakfast, past the pool and the view of the beach, I was very aware that this would be my last morning here. Such a sad thought. I loved every minute of every day that I was in Cebu. The staff it seemed, loved us as well as one of them came up to us asking if they could take a picture and I enthusiastically said, "YES!" thinking they were offering to snap a pic of us with our phones.... but they were all whipping out their own phones..... and it turned out they wanted pics of us for them to keep! I was so touched and felt even sadder that we were leaving. This bunch of people truly made an impact on us and made us feel welcomed and cared for every day of our visit. They made us so at home and comfortable and catered to our every whim and request.
This first shot was one of them calling for me to come and join the shot.... I was busy talking to someone and wasn't paying attention. Look at all those smiling, happy faces. They were the most cheerful and happy bunch ever.
And this is all of us posing for the final breakfast we would share during this visit. I say "during" because I promised them I'd be back, and that is on my list for future vacations.
I also took some pics with the "taho" man. "Taho" is a Philippine snack made of tofu and tapioca pearls known locally as sago pearls.
This staple comfort food is a signature Philippine treat and taho peddlers roam the streets in the Philippines offering this snack to all who hear them yell out, "TAHO!!!" and run out of their homes to buy the sweet treat. Much like the ice cream truck here in North America! I grew up eating this and remember fondly the times I'd hear the taho man outside and I'd excitedly run out with my glass or cup so he could fill it with taho.
I took one last stroll of the pool area wishing I was getting ready to spend another day lounging in this place instead of going back to our room to get ready for our ride to the airport.
I spotted the lifeguards who we befriended throughout our 3 day stay there and took a pic with them as well. These 3 were so friendly and enthusiastically did all the zumba moves on the grounds around the pool when Paola taught his water zumba class.... they were so awesome.
Just before noon our ride to the airport arrived and reluctantly we left this wonderful resort. Unlike our flight to Cebu, this flight left on time and arrived in Manila on time thankfully! We had dinner plans and any delay would have caused some problems.
Dinner that night was at the hotel we were staying at, hosted by my sister and brother-in-law. It was at 22Prime Steakhouse, named aptly so as it was on the 22nd floor. We had so much food to enjoy with salads, soups, mains and of course, dessert.
I took a pic of the table at the start of the night when no one was seated yet, and then enjoyed the food and company so much that didn't even take a pic after that. How silly is that? I just got too carried away enjoying being with my family and relishing all the delicious food.
Yummy Ceasar Salad above and incredible spinach soup below, garnished with a swirl of creme fraiche.
Prawn appetizer above was fantastic as was the steak platter below....with 3 different kinds of meat and assorted veggies.
Seafood platter below, with 3 different types of fish, served with rice and assorted veggies.
And of course, just as you swear you've eaten enough and are sated beyond any doubt, the dessert is served and you indulge even more!
Decadent chocolate cake above and rich cheesecake with a caramel, nut topping below.
There were 3 birthdays that we celebrated that evening. Below are the smiling celebrants! From l-r: Emma - my niece, Nat - a dear family friend and Penelope - my niece.
After dinner my cousin Arsi who has been so kind and giving of his time, invited us to the Manila Peninsula for more gastronomic delights.... more coffee and dessert. As if we hadn't already stuffed our faces, here we were faced with the wonderful challenge to try and eat even more.
First, a bit on the Manila Peninsula. This magnificent hotel is a wonderful central hotel in Manila, close to lots of shopping. While it is an older hotel, it has set the benchmark for luxury and sophistication for over 40 years. Known affectionately as the "Jewel in the Capitals' Crown" due to its legendary presence in the heart of the country's business district, it exudes luxury and comfort and is a favourite spot for discerning locals.
As you enter its front doors you will be greeted by this grand lobby that pictures do not do justice -- it really is jaw dropping but you have to be there to really experience its grandeur.
Unique, one of a kind design elements are featured in every space, and its old world charm is felt everywhere you look.
It was Easter Sunday that weekend, and there was a fabulous Easter disply in the centre of the grand lobby.
Look at us all sitting so royally in our chairs as we enjoyed the most fabulous coffee and dessert. Remember.... we had just had a full course dinner at 22Prime Steakshouse, complete with dessert and here we were enjoying even more deliciousness in such a grand setting. Honeslty, how lucky were we to be able to experience all this? And I asked myself again, does this have to end? I didn't want it to end. I could've enjoyed this vacation for much, much longer!
Below is "halo-halo" the quintessential Filipino dessert made with shaved ice, evaporated milk and add ons like cut up yams, garbanzo beans, bananas, strips of coconut, fruit preserves and flan to name a few. It is often served with a scoop of vanilla or ube ice cream. For the more indulgent, you get both scoops!
"Turon" another tasty treat. Also known locally as "lumpiang saging" (banana lumpia), it is made with thinly sliced
bananas rolled into a spring roll wrapper and then fried and coated with caramelized brown
sugar. It is FANTASTIC on its own but we Filipinos like to live like there's no tomorrow
so we eat it with ice cream, haha.
Arsi insisted that we taste one of every dessert on the menu, and that's exactly what he did -- he ordered
one of everything!! Look at this overhead shot.
Before leaving the hotel, we took pics outside where this very fashionable jeepney was parked.
The "jeepney" is a common form of transportation used by the masses in the
Philippines to get around the city. This one was a beautiful black one and we couldn't leave
without taking pics of it of course!
It was a wonderful 2nd to last day (tomorrow is departure day, boo-hoo)..... but what was not apparent
in all the pictures is that I was not feeling well.
All the travelling and galivanting around had left me with a bit of a sore throat and a chest
infection was taking hold. I took a COVID test to make sure and thankfully it was negative.
On the way back to the hotel we stopped at a drugstore where Arsi got me some antibiotics and meds
and the most wonderful throat and nose spray that worked wonders because
I started to feel better the very next day.
Thank you Arsi.
One last day on this whirlwind of a fantabulous trip and then it's back to
reality in Vancouver. (insert sad face here).
Comments