Michi Photostory

When we went Cebu, we booked our tickets 8 days before departure and that was my first time. I usually buy our plane ticket, several months before or even close to one year to take advantage of the seat sale. Aside from the big discounts and savings that I will get, it will also give me more time to plan for our itinerary. 

But because of the limited time, we went to Cebu without a definite itinerary, I just listed the possible things that we can do and of course a list of restaurants that we can try for a food trip. Of course, number one on my list is to eat Cebu’s lechon. 

Anyway, according to my research, when in Cebu we should eat at 

AA’S BBQ 
Harbor City Dimsum House 
Golden Cowrie Native Restaurant
Chikaan sa Cebu 
La Marea 
Lantaw Floating Native Restaurant 
Cucina Uno 
Larsian’s barbeque 
Casa Verde 
Ilaputi 

I noted the recommendation and I was surprised to see the La Marea Pastry Shop in Ayala Center Mall. I did not bother to check where those restaurants located, pag sineswerte ka nga naman. So on our third day after eating at CnT Lechon again, we dropped by at La Marea to try their famous warm brownie cup.

We were standing there for so long and the staff was on the phone, she just kept on talking, parang di pansin na may customer na siya. Finally, pinansin na rin kami but still, may kausap pa rin sa phone so she took my order, prepared and served the brownie cup while talking on the phone.


I don’t think it is a good customer service, she should serve the customer first. Honestly, kung taga Cebu lang ko, nagback out na ko. Inisip ko na lang, nandito na sa Cebu, itry na rin namin. I just ordered one Classic Brownie cup at P120 and one box of Butter Sylvannas at P175. 


The staff placed the brownie cup in a microwave oven and put a scoop of ice cream before serving. It is a combination of hot and cold desserts that is good for sharing. The taste is good and I was planning to do it at home. I’ve been seeing recipes of brownies in a cup and I just need to buy ice cream. Hehehe! 


The Sylvannas was good too, naubos din agad.

We celebrated Mother’s Day last Sunday but because of the Election 2016, natabunan ang mga nanay, hehehe! Mas marami pa yata posts related to Election kaysa sa Mother’s Day. Would you believe, there are even Election Day promos like buy 1 take 1 of drinks or ice cream pa. 

The night before the election, I was writing again my cheat sheet just to be sure na tama lahat ng mashade ko especially for the senators and para mabilis na rin. After writing the names. 

Hubby: Hon, patingin nga ng list mo. 
Me: Hmm, no copying! Lol 

My husband and I always talked about the election, candidates, articles or videos that we have seen. We always watched the presidential debate in order to help us in deciding and choosing our bet. But of course, we are both different persons so for the past 3 presidential elections that we voted, never pa kami nagkapareho ng list. 

We don’t argue or insist on our own bet. We learn to respect each other views and opinions. “My vote is my voice” so even my husband cannot dictate me. So it is really sad when you see family or friends na nagtatalo sa social media.

Election Day May 9, 2016 

I’m not aware that as early as 6AM, open na ang precinct so when we learned this, nagmamadali kami at gusto namin maaga to avoid the long lines. Last election, we waited for 1 hour and 30 minutes just to vote. I don’t want to experience it again.



Here in our place, they are giving envelopes a few days before the election, the envelope includes paper where our polling place, cluster number, precinct number, and PCVL number were written. There is no money in the envelope, only sticker and sample ballot. Hehehe! By the way, may libreng hatid and sundo din, so nakakahiya na pag tinamad ka pa bumoto. 

I appreciate the information because it made our life easier when we went to the polling place at 7:15AM, we just went straight to our cluster number and fell in line. I was happy that everything was organized and we were done in less than 30 minutes.



The election is already over but the counting of votes is not yet done. Medyo matindi labanan sa VP. I do hope that there will be a change in this country and hoping for a peaceful country.

We cannot deny that life is series of ups and downs, I’m pretty sure that once in our life, we feel sad or empty. Being down from time to time is normal but if the feelings already affect your daily routine, you don’t enjoy life or worst you want to end your life; you need to seek help. 

Depression is not equal to sadness it is much more than that. Some people say that they feel so empty, helpless, or lifeless. There are signs and symptoms of depression that you need to watch out for if you are feeling suicidal, you really need to ask for help and support. 

I won’t go into details about depression but I just want you to know that life is a gift to be enjoyed, don’t give up because the best is yet to come. I cannot say that I’ve experienced depression but I admit that I felt sad and empty before, yung feeling na I’m just existing but not living the life that I want.

I felt that when I resigned from my job and became a full-time mom, I have no salary and career. I did not dream to be a homemaker but now I no longer work. Sad at first but I have to remind myself



So if you are feeling sad, I do recommend you read this book “From Depressed to Determined - A 6 Step Guide to Thrive and Have Personal Success” by Viviene Bigornia 

This book will give you the step by step guide on how you are going to end the sadness and at the same time learn how to achieve your dreams and goals in life. What I like in this ebook is “Your Turn”, there are activities that you need to do in order to apply the 6 steps. An activity that will help you to understand yourself and write down your thoughts, wants, and goals in life. There are activities that will encourage you to do more and stay motivated. 

Sharing with you some points that inspire and motivate me... 






You can download this ebook for $2.99. Click here

We are budget travelers so we always book an economy class but during our trip to Cebu last week. We had a chance to experience both Economy Class and Business Class.


We wanted to use our Mabuhay Miles to save money but the problem is, there is an additional $34 fee each to book a ticket (Manila to Cebu) and we can only book premium economy and business class. So my husband bought Manila to Cebu Economy Class Ticket and chose Business Class for our Cebu to Manila flight using Mabuhay Miles.

Read: How to Redeem Flight Rewards with Mabuhay Miles 

Manila to Cebu

Park ‘N Fly 


We parked the car at Park ‘N Fly, we used to park the car at the airport because it was only P50 per night but they already increased the rate so my husband chose Park “N Fly.

Read: Advantages and Disadvantages of Parking at Park N Fly 

NAIA 2 

Then we rode the shuttle and off we went to NAIA Terminal 2, it’s been two years since our (my son and I) last travel via plane so I was a little bit worried because of the “Laglag Bala” scam. I even put a binder clip in my bag just to make sure that they cannot put a bullet.


We asked if there is an earlier flight pero nakaalis na daw. If we did not eat lunch, nahabol siguro namin, lol!. So we waited for our 4PM flight, there was a little bit delay in our boarding time but at last, makakalabas na rin ng Luzon.

Economy Class 

My son loves to ride an airplane and he loves sitting in the window seat so I already accepted the fact that I will always sit in the middle seat.


In the Philippines, Philippine Airlines is the only airline that offers free meals but there is nothing special about their free meals so I was surprised when they served the meals. Wow! Hindi na biscuit, level up na sila. If I remember it right, during our Manila to Cagayan de Oro flight,Dewberry cookies, nuts and coffee lang. Sobrang nakakabusog para sa breakfast flight. Lol Anyway, we enjoyed the Chicken Franks Bunwich Sky Treats.


Finally, we landed at Mactan Cebu International Airport. We just took a taxi to reach the hotel.

Cebu to Manila

After few days, we have to say goodbye to Cebu, we took a cab from Crimson Mactan Resort and Spa to Mactan Cebu International Airport.

Business Class 

There is a different line for Economy Class and Business Class tickets so waiting time is not a problem. The staff offered me an earlier flight pero wala daw food, so I declined. Sayang Business Class ko kung wala food. Lol.

Cebu Mabuhay Lounge 

After that we went to Mabuhay Lounge, it was our first time tapos ang nabasa ko agad “No Wifi” today. There is free wifi in the lounge, malas lang wala siya that day. So after getting to our table, we immediately check the free food and drinks available.






My son was asking me, where is daddy? I have to explain to him that his dad has an economy ticket so he is not allowed in the lounge. My husband doesn’t want to upgrade his ticket at sayang daw ang miles.




After few hours of waiting, the staff approached us asking for our boarding passes. Madelay daw kasi flight namin and she will check kung mamove kami sa earlier flight. I gave our ticket but after few minutes kinuha ko ulit, naisip ko baka kami lang mamove ang flight. I informed the staff that I have a companion sa economy flight so maghintay na lang kami.

After few minutes, she approached me again and asked me kung ilan kasama ko sa economy. I said, isa lang. Then she asked for the name and boarding pass. Fortunately, we were able to get a new flight. She gave me our boarding passes and even my husband’s economy ticket.

The staff informed us that we can already board the plane. I was looking for my husband at the boarding gate, I thought nauna na siya. So we were all surprised nung pagpasok niya ng plane. Nandun na kami at iniwan daw namin siya. Lol

We were on the first row 1A and 1C and at that time kami lang sakay ng business class. There are newspapers and blankets on top of our chairs and the flight attendant served welcome drinks, I chose orange juice while my son water. She informed me about the menu (Grilled Tanigue or Pork Belly) and I chose Pork Belly.



So this is Business Class, spell SPACE. We have big front seats and more space. The most exciting part is the food because this time we have hot meals. But since my son doesn’t like to eat the food and busog na siya sa lounge, I asked the flight attendant if she can deliver it to my husband. I gave her the seat number. Thanks!



After eating, the flight attendant gave us hot towels. Then the pilot announced that we were going to descend na. I did not notice the time, kakakain. Lol

NAIA 2 

Upon arrival, we have a different carousel for Business Class and Premium Economy. There is a priority tag in our baggage so we were able to get our baggage ahead of time. My husband called Park ‘N Fly to pick us up. When we were about to leave I saw familiar faces, mga nakasabay namin sa Cebu to Manila flight, kararating lang. There is really an advantage in having a priority tag in your baggage.

Advantages of Business Class Tickets 

1. A special lane for check-in
2. Priority check-in, boarding, and luggage handling
3. Access to Mabuhay Miles Lounge
4. Welcome Drinks
5. Hot Meals
6. Priority Airport Standby

Those are the differences between economy flight and business class. We enjoyed our business class experience and thanks to Mabuhay Miles.

Read: Economy Class vs Business Class of Philippine Airlines: International Flight 
NAIA 2 Mabuhay Lounge 
5 Ways to Get into Airport Lounges

For the last two weeks, my son has been bugging me to bake chocolate cupcake but I was so lazy to bake because of the summer heat and I told him that we have so many food in the fridge, ubusin muna.



After our trip in Cebu, we finally baked chocolate cupcake using Duncan Hines Devil’s Food mix P169.95. I’ve tried this instant mix three years ago and if I remember it right, the cupcake was not sweet so when I saw the ready made Classic Chocolate frosting of Duncan Hines P139.95, I bought it too. 



You need 1 cup water, 3 large eggs, 1/3 vegetable oil and instant mix. Just mix the ingredients and pour batter in baking pan. Bake for 18 to 21 minutes at 350F. 



The cupcake is soft and fluffy but as I mentioned before, it is not sweet so it really needs frosting. The classic chocolate frosting is so easy to spread and not overly sweet. My son enjoyed our chocolate cupcakes.



Read: Red Velvet 
          California Walnut Brownies  
          Devil’s Food

When I started traveling, I always buy fridge magnet, keychain or t-shirt with I love (name of the place) print for pasalubong or as a souvenir but after few years, I stopped buying those stuff because I realized, I don’t need a lot of magnet and keychain. Honestly, nakatambak lang sila.

Now, I’m more into foods, foods that are not usually available in our place. We were in Cebu last week and we did not leave without buying the famous pasalubong in Cebu like dried mango, dried fish and lechon.

You can buy pasalubong in souvenir shops, supermarket, market or even at the airport. Of course, price may vary. If we have time, we will go to Taboan Market just to buy pasalubong, mas mura kasi and mas marami choices. My husband frequently visits Cebu but he is always busy so he usually buys pasalubong at Metro or Airport.

Metro Supermarket 

To save money, I went to the grocery to buy drinks and snacks, then I saw dried mango in the supermarket. I know that you can see dried mango in any supermarket in Metro Manila but I still I bought few pieces at P75 each, I’m not sure if it is already cheap, I will compare it kapag nagawi sa supermarket.


My husband buys dried fish, dried mango and Shamrock Otap at Metro Supermarket too. He usually stays at Cebu City Marriott Hotel now Seda Ayala Center Cebu so it is walking distance to shopping mall. You can also buy sylvannas at La Marea Pastry Shop.




Read: Cebu City Marriott Hotel 
Seda Ayala Center Cebu Hotel 

Taboan Market  

Before leaving Cebu City, we went to Taboan Market to buy danggit (2 days before our departure). We visited the market during our last visit (2011). From Magallanes Cross, we rode jeep 06A (P7 fare each) then walk towards to the market.


I bought danggit at P500 per kilo at Nino and Kristy Store, you can ask them to repack your dried fish into 1/2kl, 1/4kl and 100 grams which I did so I have no problem in distributing my pasalubong. They will put your stuff in a box so no need to worry sa luggage space, pwede na icheck-in.

If you are thinking if it is worth the trip to Taboan market, yes, if you will buy a lot but if not, just buy pasalubong at the airport. 1/4kl of danggit is P300 and 1/4 kl of dried pusit is P350 at the airport.

Tip: Make sure that Taboan Market is your last stop because after going there, you need to take a bath. Amoy danggit ka na, good thing di naman kami pinababa ng taxi driver kahit amot danggit kami. Hehehe! P100+ taxi fare from Taboan Market to Cebu Parklane International Hotel.

Mactan International Airport 

On our way to the airport, my sister in law asked me to buy dried pusit so I bought 1/4kl P350 at the airport then I saw this dried mango at P300. I did not see this in the Taboan market o di ko lang napansin. Sayang, for sure mas mura dun.


Of course, we will not leave Cebu without buying lechon. Zubuchon are available at the airport. 1kl is P650. Update 2018: Price is P830 for 1kl My husband buys lechon at CnT, Cebu Ayer’s or Zubuchon, it varies depending on his flight schedule and budget.


Read: Cebu’s Lechon   

Other Pasalubong 

Aside from Cebu’s delicacies and products, we also buy some favorite delicacies like Vjandep pastel (Camiguin) and peanut kisses (Bohol). Peanut Kisses is famous pasalubong in Bohol but it is also available in Taboan so I bought few boxes of it, P80 and P50 per box. For Vjandep pastel, it is P200 - P250 for a box of 6 pieces at Mactan International Airport.



How about you, what is your favorite pasalubong in Cebu?

One of my favorite chocolates is Ritter Sport, it is not common and popular here in the Philippines and I don’t usually see this in the grocery or supermarket. If it is available, the flavors are very limited. One bar is not cheap too, the last time I bought Ritter Sport, it is P100+. 



I’m not sure what is the exact price now in the market so when my husband asked me if I want Ritter Sport, I was thinking twice if papabili ba ko. I said yes since it’s been awhile since the last time I asked for chocolate pasalubong. 

My husband bought this Ritter Sport chocolate last month at KLIA, Malaysia. The promo is buy 10 and get 2 for free RM99. It is a bundle pack so you cannot choose the flavor but the good thing is I can taste other variants which are not available in the Philippines. 



Among the 11 flavors, I’ve tried before the Raisins Hazelnuts, Whole Almonds, Whole Hazelnuts and White Whole Hazelnuts so I’m curious to try the remaining flavors.



I ate the Fine Extra Dark Chocolate and Dark Whole Hazelnuts and the taste is just ok for me since I’m not a dark chocolate lover. I prefer white or milk chocolate flavor so I was a little bit sad because the bundle doesn’t have Alpine Milk Chocolate or Extra Fine Milk Chocolate. 



My husband ate the Strawberry Yogurt and he said the taste was just ok, lasang strawberry. Malamang, strawberry ang lasa. Hehehe! My son likes the Butter Biscuit. We tried the Marzipan and we did not like it, there is an after taste that I cannot explain. The remaining two flavors that we haven’t tried are the Cornflakes and Dark Chocolate. 



I also like the snap-open packaging of the Ritter Sport, it so easy to open and close. In addition, I love the square size compared to other chocolate. If money is not an issue, I would love to visit the Colourful Chocoworld of Ritter Sport in Berlin. 

How about you, what is your favorite flavor?

My husband went to Cebu; we joined his trip because it is still summer vacation and my son has no summer classes or activities so we are totally free. In order to save money, I told my husband to use our Mabuhay Miles for our ticket so I gave him my Mabuhay Miles number. 

1. Call 

He called the hotline but he was advised that there will be a $34 fee each for rush processing. The processing of award tickets is free if you are booking 10 days prior to the flight departure. 8 days before departure kami nagbook. 

My husband informed me about the fee and I told him that we will just purchase the Manila to Cebu flight, sayang naman yung miles + $34 + P565 (taxes and terminal fee). So he just reserved a ticket for our Cebu to Manila flight. Click the link for the award redemption chart of

Domestic
International

For Cebu 

Economy 4500 
Premium Economy 7500 
Business Class 8500

Unfortunately, there is no available economy so it is either premium economy or business class, so my husband chose the business class for us para maexperience namin. Hehehe! Ubusan ng miles. 

Read: Economy Class vs Business Class Experience: Domestic Flight

2. Collect 

After calling the hotline, you have 3 days to collect your award ticket at any Philippine Airlines office. 

3. Go to PAL office

Fill out the form, show your ID and pay the necessary fee for domestic or international. In our case, we paid P565 each (domestic). 

This was our second time redeeming flight rewards and the process is still the same. Redeeming miles is so easy but it takes time to earn miles especially since we are not frequent travelers. Hehehe! Most of our miles are from Non-Flight (credit card rewards).

The Original AA BBQ is one of the go-to restaurants of my husband if he has a business trip in Cebu so during our last visit we had dinner here. The nearest branch from Marriott Hotel is on Salinas Drive, Lahug. We passed the Golden Cowrie on our way to AA BBQ. 


We went there before 6PM so the place was not crowded yet but I asked my husband if we are still in the Philippines. He just laughed because he also noticed na kami lang Pinoy dun. (except sa staff). There were a lot of foreigners there, as in group of 6-10 pax per table. 

I always watch Kris TV so that is where I learned about Rico’s Lechon. So every time my hubby will go to Cebu, I always tell him to buy Rico’s Lechon but he always buys different lechon kung ano yung nasa airport because of limited time. 

So when we went to Cebu that was my chance to try Rico’s Lechon. I faced my fear and took a cab just to go to the restaurant. It was an achievement for me because that was our first time to ride taxi na kaming 2 lang ng anak ko. 


Prior to our trip, I searched for the nearest Rico’s Lechon from Marriott Hotel and there is one near Ayala but the taxi dropped me here. It is not the branch that I’ve seen on the internet but it was fine with me, at least nakarating kami.

Ethan: Mommy, lechon na naman.
Me: Ikaw nga puro pork bbq sa dinner. :)


It was past 11AM so the restaurant was not crowded yet, I browsed the menu and I ordered 1/4 regular lechon P190, rice is P30 each and bottomless iced tea is P65. I was planning to buy dinuguan for my puto (yes dinala ko yung puto ko sa Cebu, lol) but I told myself na tikman ko muna food. 

Read: Puto with Cheese


At the table, you can see the plates and utensils. The server just gave us sili and calamansi for sawsawan but we did not use it because that is the reason why I love Cebu’s lechon, no need for sauces. 


They serve the rice, ang cute noh! One cup of rice is inside the small kaldero. I posted in IG kung makakailan kaldero kaya kami? Yun pala, hindi na. hehehe!

I don’t know why it took them so long to serve the lechon, e non-stop naman sa paghiwa yung staff. When I saw the skin of the lechon, I have the feeling na hindi siya crispy. True enough, makunat siya and my son who loves lechon skin said, ayaw mommy, chewy yan. 


I was so disappointed because the skin was not crispy and it is salty. The meat was dry, tough and walang lasa. So nasa skin lang ang alat? You cannot choose the lechon part and ayaw ko pa naman nitong part na ito. Malamig na rin yung lechon, tira na lang yata naabutan ko na pinagsama-sama para maging 1/4. (di maintindihan na hiwa) 


I just finished our meal because the price is not cheap. Napaisip lang ako kasi super puri si Kris sa lechon but there is nothing special about it. It is not bad but if I will consider the price, dapat mas ok siya sa iba. Mas ok pa rin yung experience ko sa CnT Lechon. And because of that, I did not order dinuguan anymore.

But in fairness, the service of the staff is good naman. Yun lang, I did not appreciate the lechon.

Read: Cebu’s Lechon
           CnT Lechon

Cebu’s Best Rico’s Lechon 
F. Cabahug St, Cebu City, Cebu