Christmas Day was another leisurely day spent on Mactan island which had us finally seeing a couple of local sights within walking distance from the condo. We have been fortunate to have the use of a Vision Global wifi router which has worked like a dream in the Philippines where other Wifi routers aren’t readily available so google maps was easily and accurately accessible.
After breakfast and a morning workout, we set off to check out the Mactan Shrine where the Lapu Lapu statue is erected in front of the Magellan monument. Google maps had us walking through an immensely poor area which was a sharp contrast to where we were staying. Still, unlike in Mexico and in Jamaica where adults and kids alike came up to us shamelessly to beg for money, we were left alone with only a few inquisitive stares.
Unfortunately, it was still difficult and jarring to see the stark difference in their quality of life which makes even the poorest living on the streets in the U.S. look privileged as the poverty level in this neighborhood is at least three notches below what we see and know in the States. It’s truly heart wrenching to witness and yet the locals manage to find ways to keep on plugging away and make the best of life.
The kids are out on the streets enjoying the sunshine. The teenage boys play basketball with their friends. The parents peek out of their hovels to make sure no harm comes to their offspring. It’s their regular lives in motion.
As perhaps a distraction from the local elements or a reminder of what strength and determination can accomplish, the Mactan shrine is located on the same street and is ensconced in a small gated enclosure around the corner. There are some souvenir stalls on the inside to the right of the monument but overall, it’s a fairly small contained space.
Right outside of it is a parking lot where all the tour vans are parked. What I was interested in was a well-received seafood restaurant which was located past the vans and nestled within the dark sketchy shopping alley.
Manna STK is similar to D’Talipapa in Boracay which was one of our favorite eats. They have a display case of seafood which is prepared to your liking.
We chose the garlic butter shrimp and a grilled fish with garlic rice for lunch and were directed to choose a table.
Manna STK offers two dining areas. The open air upstairs dining room had a view of the waterway but we opted to sit in the fully air conditioned room downstairs.
During our short wait for lunch, I walked around and read a bit about the city’s history. Lapu Lapu had been named after the great warrior who despite having inferior weapons had killed and vanquished the Spaniards including Magellan.
There was also an explanation of the province’s unique rice prep. We had been served puso during our three island tour so it was nice to gain an understanding and appreciation of how it came to be.
Lunch arrived piecemeal as each dish was ready. Our plate of garlic butter shrimp was perfectly cooked and not too greasy. The meat of the grilled whole fish was moist and flaky and easy to scrape from the bone. The food was rustic and delicious but by American standards was inexpensive. Our entire seafood meal with beers and water cost the financial equivalent of $38!
In direct contrast, our $150 dinner was a splurge. We had reservations at Abaca which was at one of the many oceanfront luxury resorts. The socioeconomic divide was even worse on that main road. On one side you had your Shangri-la, Movenpick and Abaca luxury resorts with their gates, security guards, lush landscaping and luxury vehicles parked in the valet areas and directly across the street, you had the poorest of the poor staring at you as you entered or vacated your plush surroundings. As beautiful as the resorts were, I was glad to not be staying there and dealing with that in-your-face guilt on a daily basis.
Dinner at Abaca was set in a very dim open air restaurant cooled off only by fans. It was a stark contrast to the boisterous festivities we experienced at Shangri-la just the night before. The food was plentiful and amazing but very subdued and refined.
We saved the crab and scallop cakes to eat with our morning breakfast but based on the few bites we had at dinner, we could tell they were densely packed, blended evenly with caramelized lemon and roasted pepper. We also ordered a four cheese flatbread which was the equivalent of a simple margarita pizza with an arugula leaf in the middle, adding another layer of flavor to each square. The organic whole chicken was moist with a slightly crispy lemony exterior sitting on a bed of garlic sausage cassoulet. It came with a side of tender roasted broccoli which added a bit of color to our meal. The mushroom risotto was perfectly cooked, densely packed with scallops with a hint of truffle. I also ordered a side of fries which were mealy on the inside and slightly crispy on the outside. We rounded off our meal with a chilled chocolate fondant which was served with a square of thick fudge. The combo was super decadent and had we finished it onsite, we would have been awake for hours. Luckily, because our condo has a fridge, we didn’t have to leave anything behind and were able to have nearly our entire Abaca dinner part deux the next evening.
Our Christmas Day was a vision of contrasts. It really made us think about life, people and the sense of community. The gratitude we felt after seeing such humble settings overwhelmed us. We are very fortunate to have experienced Christmas in Cebu and to see life through the eyes of others, helping us shift our focus and gain perspective and clarity.
Wifi router: https://visionglobalwifi.com
Mactan shrine: https://www.fabulousphilippines.com/mactan-shrine.html
Manna STK: https://www.freewebs.com/MannaSTK/
Abaca: http://www.abacaresort.com/restaurant.html
We decided on this trip to forego the niceties of a hotel or resort. Though I had initially booked a room at Movenpick, I came upon a really cute and inexpensive new condo in the new township of Newtown. It was close to the airport, the resort area and the tourist sites with more restaurant options. Plus the idea of having a bigger space complete with a kitchen, washer/dryer, living room, dining area and a separate sleeping area along with a fitness center and a beautiful massive pristine pool for a mere $45 per night appealed to me on every level.
Christmas Eve ended up being the perfect day to lounge at the condo. After two days’ of back-to-back activities, we deemed it a “down” day, a day of leisure, with no specific agenda, free to do something or nothing.
I took my time making a special Christmas Eve meal of broccoli, mozzarella and egg scramble. Brunch was served at 10:30. It consisted of the scramble, 3 strips of crispy bacon for me, some potatoes, jasmine rice and orange pineapple juice.
Since it was a fairly substantial meal, we opted to make our way down to the fitness center. It was fairly basic, with a few ellipticals, stationary bikes and treadmills. There were free weights and a handful of machines. Luckily, we brought our TRX to subsidize the equipment and our workouts.
During our workout, we began chatting with a woman who works for the building. I saw that the separate onsen rooms adjoining the gym had massage tables. She offered to call two massage therapists for us and just like that we booked 2 2-hour massages for 750 pesos an hour. Janice and Alisa arrived 30 minutes later.
After two hours, we staggered back upstairs and continued the afternoon of self-care. We had leftovers for our late lunch after which I proceeded to work on my manicure while Troy lounged on the sectional watching movies on Netflix.
It wasn’t long before we had to get ready for dinner and head back out into the real world. We grabbed a taxi and headed off for the Christmas Eve dinner at Tides in the Shangri-la Resort. I had opted for the buffet dinner in lieu of the four-course meals at the other on-site restaurants for the variety but mostly because of the entertainment which that restaurant offered. At 7 p.m. they had a children’s choir singing some of the traditional Christmas repertoire. They were followed by a flash mob of dancers which ended up being many members of their staff performing previously choreographed dance moves to popular pop songs in the middle of the restaurant. At the end of the night, we were serenaded by strolling musicians.
However, the primary reason for our visit was the exceptional variety of food. Troy, upon doing an initial inspection, made it his mission to sample food from each station which was essentially a gastronomic journey around the world in one evening.
I was a bit more conservative and started off with a seafood platter consisting of shrimp, mussels, tuna and salmon sashimi. I derailed when I saw they had a pasta station where I could get a bacon, mushroom, garlic spaghetti carbonara made just for me. To add a bit of color, I grabbed a lobster tail. After two plates, I was full but I still walked around and nibbled on as much as I could. By 8:30, it was time to throw in the towel. Troy had accomplished his mission and I was able to sample some amazing food.
All smiles to end our day of treating ourselves right!
Our Airbnb: https://abnb.me/XJ3CNP96US
Tides at Shangri-La: http://www.shangri-la.com/cebu/mactanresort/press-room/press-releases/shangri-las-mactan-resort-and-spa-cebu-celebrates-yuletide-bliss/
When I was in the planning stages for this trip a few months ago, I had identified three excursions on our must do list. Our first day and first outing was an island hopping tour to three islands. I booked all our tours with Island Trek Tour which is a one-stop shop, a tour company which handles bookings with local tour guides.
Our first outing was subcontracted to Fun Sun Dive & Travel. Their location wasn’t too far from where we were staying but with the flooding from the previous evening’s rain storm and the narrow and congested roads, it took about 20 minutes to arrive at our destination.
We ended up chatting with the local tour guide’s manager while we were sipping on tea and coffee. He’s American, probably somewhere around our age. In his prior life, he was a purser from Northwest and Delta but when they merged, he took an early buyout and decided to become a dive instructor. His last gig was in the Palawan/Coron area managing a dive shop there which featured wreck diving amongst its many islands but it closed for renovation so he was happy to find an opening on Mactan Island which is more urban and not as remote and isolated. He said that although the shop offers diving, most of their boats and others they had to subcontract were booked primarily for island hopping that day, indicating its popularity.
After our brief chat, our crew was ready to head out to sea. We had a small group of 7. There was a Korean family, a husband and wife with their young son on the boat with us as well as an American born Asian guy in his early 30s traveling with his girlfriend. Though he’s originally from Orange County, they now live in Japan.
We made a few pit stops with the crew, dropping some off on boats on the way and/or dropping off supplies until we finally made it to our actual island hopping boat which was anchored the furthest out to the right of the harbor. We weren’t quite sure if we were actually going to make it out because it took about 20-30 minutes to get the engine started which sounded like it had been flooded possibly from the evening’s storm.
We finally went to our first snorkel stop. It took a while to get there, probably 30 minutes or so. We passed by quite a few islands as we made our way across the vast sea before arriving at our first site, Hilutungan Island, where it appeared there were close to 8-10 other boats already anchored.
I noticed a few yellow kayaks with guys dressed in yellow vests who appeared at first glance to be life guards. I saw one guy board our ship who immediately started chatting it up with me and asked if I’m Tagalog. I had never been referred to by that term but I understood what he meant. It was also very clear that he was getting a read on us to see if we would be willing to buy a few things from him. He immediately offered us some coconut juice, other types of beverages and beer. I sensed that we were being hustled so I turned to Troy and gave him that warning look. We opted for the coconut juice and that’s when he said it was going to cost 300 pesos but not to worry about it until after we finished snorkeling.
It was an overcast day so the visibility wasn’t optimal. We spent about 40 minutes watching the schools of fish as they went about their day, heading en masse towards one area where they were occasionally being fed by one of the crew from a boat alongside ours. It was a nice peaceful and relaxing introduction to the islands and being welcomed back by the sea.
When we came back onboard, our coconut juice with 2 straws was ready. Our fellow passengers also ordered the same thing. While we were sipping, Troy noticed a net of shellfish being shown to the family. He asked what it was and that’s when our guy said for us not to pay attention to the guy showing them his goods but to look at what he brought us. He showed us a live abalone which was clearly trying to escape as it pushed its way off the bench and onto the floor. He offered to grill us some of his catch to which we politely declined. Then he tried to offer us some bracelets and necklaces to purchase. Even though I stiffened at the thought of being solicited while we were on a private charter, I reminded myself that he lived on that remote island, that he had few opportunities to make a living, that he was being pleasant enough and just like the abalone, he was trying to survive. Eventually, he got the hint and after we paid him for the juice, he left the boat.
Our next destination was quite a ways away. It probably took us close to an hour to get to Pandanon Island which is halfway between Cebu and Bohol with the latter laying claims to the island. We were told that while we walked around and swam around the island, the crew would be preparing our lunch for us. We walked around the beach for a bit and saw that families and friends had rented covered thatched cottages. There were guys playing beach volleyball and several groups grilling out and serving delicious looking local food in batches. I realized that some of the people were there with families and friends enjoying their weekend. This is how they spent their leisure time, cooking for themselves and their loved ones, out on the beach, catching up, laughing and eating and enjoying each other’s company. If the locals who lived in their very humble homes on a remote island with likely very meager means could find contentment in the simple and basic joys of life, then I should learn from them. It made me smile that they didn’t take for granted the importance of relationships and truly made an effort as a group to show their appreciation for each other by putting together an amazing feast and serving it for all to enjoy.
With that, we headed to the other side of the beach, leaving the groups to enjoy their private celebrations. We decided to take in a bit of island time, our way. I had planned on a beach outing and brought our picnic blankets, lined with tarp-like plastic on one side and a fuzzy cloth material on the other. I knew it would make dusting off the sand much easier than a regular beach blanket. The sun was shielded behind the clouds but the air was warm and there was a cool beach breeze making for a nice day to lay out. We closed our eyes and listened to the waves lapping, the sound of coals burning and of food sizzling, blending in with the sounds of laughter and conversations by our fellow beach companions. It was our first full day on vacation and I finally started to relax and unwind.
At 12:30, we headed back onboard and we were welcomed by an unbelievable feast which was somehow prepared and grilled to perfection on the actual boat. There were triangles of sticky rice ensconced in banana leaves. Grilled pork, chicken and shrimp skewers were laid out in island style baskets and the meal was finished off with mango halves, squared for easy consumption along with some local bananas. What was unique about this meal was there were no forks, spoons, knives or even napkins. Everything was eaten with your hands which made it that much more authentic, more rustic. It was the perfect island dining experience with amazingly delicious, moist and flavorful food prepared in a very humble setting. One of the boat’s crew dunked a pail into the sea and offered that water to wash off the remnants of our meal from our fingers. It was a very grounding experience to say the least.
Our last snorkel stop, Nalusuan island, seemed quite a ways away and by the time we arrived, the sun was peeking out, warming up the sea and enhancing the visibility. We swam alongside tiny schools of fish as they weaved together in synchronicity, watched as other fish took sustenance from the coral below and others as they swam along their merry way.
After some time in the sea, it was finally time time to head back. I fell asleep briefly on the boat and felt like I woke up a new person with a deeper appreciation for my Homeland’s culture, its people, their generosity and spirit. I wanted to remember the lessons of humility and gratitude that the islands taught me and to encapsulate and incorporate that mindset in my day-to-day life going forward. I now remember that life is about making connections, maintaining them and enjoying each other’s company while we have the opportunity. Life may have its challenges but we should never feel downtrodden as long as we have each other.
Island Trek Tours
https://www.islandtrektours.com
Fun Sun Dive & Travel
https://www.funsundivetravel.com/island-hopping/open-boat/
Grace Gambin
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