Filipino Adventures

In deciding to take a hiking adventure to the mountains of Cebu, we headed to JY Mall early on Saturday February 17 where we rode motorcycles up the winding roads of the mountains. My original plan was to just go to Sirao Garden and hike to the top of Mount Sirao, however the tour included Temple of Leah and Tops Lookout, which we both had an interest in seeing. Although the motorcycle rides were interesting, and felt a little unsafe at times, we made it to the destinations and back safely, sans doing the hike itself. Our first stop was Sirao Garden, a flower garden with several statues and photo opportunities on the side of a mountain. Riding down a narrow side road to get there, we were greeted by a beautiful garden and many street vendors at the end of the isolated road. Although the garden wasn't large in size, there were still many things to see. Margie at Sirao Garden At Sirao Garden After the gardens we headed to Tops Lookout, which has a good view of Metro Ceb

On January 12, I embarked again for a trip to Ozamiz to see Margie and join in the festivities of Nun and Teocrine's wedding on Tuesday January 15. On Sunday January 13 we attended church in the morning and joined in celebrating the baptisms of several young people in the church at a beach in the neighboring village of Clarin. The occasion was followed by a feast on the beach. Group Picture at Baptisms - January 13 Baptisms on January 13 Celebration following the Baptisms On January 14 Margie and I took care of a few errands at the mall and in the evening went back to one of my new favorite restaurants in Ozamiz - Big J's - a unique outdoor grill which was quite popular even on a Monday evening (we even ran into the Bride, Groom, and their families there). The following morning we went jogging in a nearby park, followed by a coffee and a light early lunch at a local diner. In the afternoon we prepared for and attended Nun + Teocrine's Wedding at the United

This blog post is a little late, but I figured better late than never. My first full week of being in Cebu was January 6-12, as Margie traveled back to Ozamiz Saturday January 5. Upon renting an Airbnb for the week near Cebu IT Park, I scoured the city for place to call home for the next year or so. With a city of it's size it's a bit overwhelming to choose. None the less it was a good experience viewing several units, and also becoming more comfortable with the city. Main Road in Mobolo, Cebu City View of Cebu IT Park from near Mobolo Other than searching for places to live, during my time in Cebu so far I've had the chance to catch up on reading and try out some new restaurants. A couple that stood out so far included: Abaca Baking Company - great atmosphere and very tasty eats. I've been here three times already since it is near the Airbnb unit I was renting, once for lunch and twice for breakfast. It is one of the best restaurants I've been to i

As today, January 19, is the one-month anniversary of my stay in the Philippines, I wanted to share some of the cultural items that are unique, or at least somewhat unique, to the Philippines: Food ·         Rice is in nearly every meal, even breakfast. A typical breakfast is rice, hotdog/Filipino sausage, and scrambled egg. If they see you are a foreigner, they may offer white bread in place of the rice. ·         Lechon (Roasted Pig) is at every celebration, from birthdays to baptisms. Not just part of a pig, but the entire pig. ·         Pizza, burgers, and donuts can be readily found here, especially in the cities. There are the typical major chains, but also local businesses with the specialties. ·         Seafood and chicken are the biggest proteins in addition to pork. Fresh seafood is not much more expensive than chicken in the Philippines, and is readily available at most Filipino restaurants. Language ·         Code-switching – switching between t

On the list of places to visit in the Philippines, Bohol has been on my list for awhile. On December 31, a trip to Bohol became a reality. Bohol is famous for it's Chocolate Hills - over 1000 hills in the countryside that look somewhat out of the world due to their conical shapes. Margie and I departed by ferry the morning of December 31. With it being peak Holiday Season, and with me not booking a ferry in advance, I was at first concerned that we would not be able to find a ticket. However Margie was right as she knew we would get one, and we surely did get on one of the first ferries out. After the two hour ferry ride we arrived in Bohol and upon arriving ran into a tour company which offered a tour for the next day. With the inconvenience of getting to the Chocolate Hills on our own and with it being a reasonable price, we went ahead and booked through them. We checked into the Bed and Breakfast, a small, ten room place on a dead end street in the City of Tagbilaran. Although T

Picking up from where I left off on the first blog post, we arrived in Ozamiz City on December 27. The first PSALM reunion in several years was scheduled to be held December 28. The event was held at an oceanfront private park just north of Ozamiz. Several of the elders gave testimonies, a pledge was made to support PSALM house, and great food was enjoyed by all. After the finish of the reunion we went with several from PSALM to enjoy Christmas Lights in Tangub, a spectacular assortment of buildings and landscapes decorated for the season. To top it off there was a train which traversed the festival. The next morning, December 29, after a stop at Jollibee drive-thru for breakfast, we took an impromptu trip to Hoyohoy Adventure Park and Observation Deck in the hills in Tangub. After being finally convinced, we took to the zipline, touted as the longest zip line in all of Asia. Although it is technically two separate ziplines, it still had great views and certainly w