Ormoc to Ilag (van ride)

We got our luggage from the boat and made it to my cousin in the van. 3 very nice Filipino men loaded and reloaded our luggage until it was just right, tetrised in perfectly. Once we were settled into the van, my cousin passed around some small wrapped treats for us to eat after our long ferry ride. I failed to catch the name of the treat because the natives were speaking in their native tongue and very rapidly, but I thought I heard the word "chocolate".  I did not taste chocolate, it was more of a savory taste, and then I thought What if this is the blood dish that Anthony Bourdain ate before he died?

 

Slow Boat to Ormoc

Today we took the SuperCat (3.5 hour cruise) from Cebu to Ormoc on the island of Leyte.

Here we are waiting for the ship to Come in...

Cebu, Day 4 (Love you, bye Costabella)

Last Sunrise with Coffee

 

Cebu, Day 3 Vegging Out

We were worn out from the day of island hopping so we took a day to veg out at the resort.

 

Cebu, Day 2 (Island Hopping)

Good Morning!

Cebu, Day 1

We had a 3:30am flight to Cebu so we left in a van from Laguna around midnight. We were tired but really stoked to go to Cebu.

Tagaytay

We drove to Tagaytay after the wet market. Tagaytay has a total land area of 26 sq mi which represents about 4.63% of the total area of the province of Cavite. It lies within 120°56' longitude and 14°6' latitude and overlooks Manila Bay to the north, Taal Volcano and Taal Lake to the south, and Laguna de Bay to the east.

This was one of our picturesque views from Mr. Kimchi restaurant... 

Wet Market

Today we hit the wet market to see our beloved lumpia wrappers being made and to see other Filipino goodies. 

Late Night Snacking in Laguna

 Later that evening, we were feeling a little peckish and weren't sure about how to get food. It was dark and late and we weren't sure that it was safe for us to walk around to find food. We were very interested in trying out Jollibee, the fast food place that my cousins rave about in the US. We put together some pesos and an order as best as we could and my cousin rode his motorbike to Jollibee (and Domino's Pizza) and brought us back a little smorgasbord.

While I was grateful for the food, I was not as moved as I'd hoped to be by finally ingesting some Jollibee goodies. Especially the famous Jolly Spaghetti with the sweet tomato sauce with garlic, onions, ground beef and sliced hotdogs.  The Tuna pies were pretty good, but not a substitute for the Angus Burger that was missing. ;.( 

And also missing was the ube pie - they were out. The mango pie was good. And Domino's delivered on the pizza. 

Exploring Laguna

The goals for the day were to get USD converted to Philippine peso (PHP), get some good buko pie and to check out a cool floating restaurant. We also wanted to sample the ube ice cream we got as part of our "staples" at Solid Gold.

Batangas

My brother and his wife like to SCUBA dive so the first morning in Calamba, we drove a few hours away to Batangas, to find a place for them to experience diving in the Philippines. It was a challenge driving in a big van through winding roads looking for a dive resort with availability, but my cousin in law handled the drive like a pro. 

Along the way, we saw many (too many, IMO) posters and signs for the upcoming election. We also saw quite a bit of men pausing from their roadside work to urinate outside. It seemed to be no biggie. The driving was a bit like "anything goes" and was like watching a school of fish ballet. The horn is used to announce that "I am here and I am going so watch out". When making a left turn, you don't wait for traffic to clear, you put your nose out there and other drivers slow down or go around, respectfully. 

 

Villa Milagros

It was an hour drive from the Manila airport to my mom's resort house in Calamba, and we were super tired, so we all pretty much crashed out when we got there. The next morning, I was awakened by construction noise next door. And roosters. I was warned about the roosters and I even brought ear plugs, but I got up to check out the house in daylight.

Calamba city is a component city in the province of Laguna, Philippines and is known as the "Spring Resort Capital of the Philippines" because of its numerous hot spring resorts. Calamba lies on the northern slopes of Mount Makiling, a dormant volcano. 

 

Philippines, Here We Come!

We seemed so refreshed at the beginning. LOL! 

Happy Easter

I'm getting ready to leave the country for 3 weeks, but I wanted to overcommit myself by hosting Easter dinner. It worked out though.