Once More Cebu!

Because I have been sitting in front of my laptop for a full 2 hours now thinking of what to write and ending up with nothing. I decided to re-organize my external drive's photos. And I realized that my trip to Cebu was really something worth remembering in blog form. Thus the topic for today! LOL

A month ago, my mentor, Dix Perez, asked if I was free for a 5 day shoot to Cebu. It was for Entrepreneur Magazine. A business magazine. I wondered what that would be like since I was so used to reading fashion and lifestyle magazines in various places (the salon while having a haircut, the waiting area at the dentist's, my mom's living room LOL). I was just psyched because I did miss Cebu! Last time i went, it was also for work. I was sent by the company I used to work for to train new management for the call center branch we were opening there. I stayed in Cebu for 4 months and loved the experience! I cannot pass up the chance to come back!

Day1: 830am flight. Cebu Pacific. NAIA3. I was the last one to arrive. The team flying there would be Jimbo Gulle - representative for Entrepreneur who will be doing the interviews, Dix Perez - photographer for the assignment, and me - assistant extraordinaire! LOL
We were assigned to interview successful business that opened in Cebu and how were they able to keep themselves afloat amidst competition, government changes and the global crisis. We knew that we had a tight sked. We will surely hit the ground running. I didn't even get enough sleep. I'm a crammer when it comes to packing for trips. Always at the last minute (aren't we all?)

Our first stop, our hotel. Which was newly opened. However, it was patterned after the owner's backpacking days in Europe. Simple needs addressed! The lobby only contained the front desk and a small bar that had basic drinks and a few sandwiches. The rooms were sized small, medium, large & xtra large LOL. The owner, Island Souvenir's Jay Aldeguer, explained that people often wonder what a Deluxe room has. How is that compared to a Grand Suite? So he chose to simplify. Great! The rooms had just what a traveler needs: a bed to sleep in, a shower to bathe in, a TV to relax himself with and free wifi. No mini bars or refrigerators, no free breakfasts, no gym or pool, no fancy elevators and cafes. Its just the basics. And because of that, its cheap!! The good thing here is that its clean! The decor is cute! Very IKEA-ish haha!

Since we didnt have any lunch yet, we set out for our first Cebu meal: the Balamban liempo! This was recommended by Dix's friend. As it turns out, liempo became a big thing in Cebu just a couple of years back! They had cebu lechon to boast of which is why liempo blossomed late into the scene. They took it a notch higher though and came up with this variation named after the city that concocted the recipe. Its roasted pork but done medium rare and infused with different herbs! Now, I wish I had the culinary arts degree to be able to decipher each herb they used but I don't so I will have to ask for that another time. It's just heavenly! The herbs offered a unique taste to the soft juicy pork! Soy sauce and a bit of chili would complement the viand. We had lots of rice and soda with it. Needless to say, no one spoke a word for the first 10 minutes during the meal haha! The buffalo wings that was also ordered was ignored. Tsk!

Next stop: Island Souvenir's main branch. We interviewed the owner and creative genius behind the hotel who also masterminded the Banca tours (island hopping) which we will also cover in the coming days (excited!). Interview went well and the photos were easily done.

Abaca Restaurant came next. Here we took photos of the place. The spa, the suites, the inifinity pool leading to the sea. We were also served a complimentary meal of Veal Pappadelle & their original recipe of the flatbread pizza! This is turning out to be a food trip! No one's complaining though! haha!

We retire for the night and wake up real early for the Island hopping.

Day 2: we woke up to a beautiful sunny sky! Perfect day to get the job done and get a tan at the same time! Haha! The bright orange uniform of the Island Banca Tours stood out. Plus they even welcomed me with a pucca shell necklace! How nice! We visited 3 islands. Some of which are prime snorkeling and diving spots (wow! we have so much to offer and some of us don't even know it!) and had lunch at a floating restaurant where they culture their own fish! Talk about self supporting! :) We had fun on the boat coz it was bouncing across the waves, splashing water onto us haha! The cold wind and the hot sun made for a very confusing but fun temperature tug of war on our skin. The vast open view of the sea and the sky totally relaxed me. Not a care in the world!


When we got back, we had to enough time to shower and change. We went to SM to cover 2 more businesses then its off to Cafe Laguna where we had our last interview for the day. This restaurant started off as a small canteen in front of the military camp when the wife of a army doctor decided to do something useful with her time. The canteen did well and soon it needed a facelift. A miscommunication in the renovation of the canteen lead to the transformation from a simple eatery to a sophisticated food outlet. The clientele changed from classes D & C to classes of upper C to A! This then lead to the invitation of the Ayala Grp to have them open a restaurant version of the canteen at the mall. The expansion was something they never imagined! They serve pure Luzon based meals to keep the authenticity. Dinner was pure bliss!

Day 3: was simpler. We had 2 restaurant shoots (and of course that came with sampler meals for the article and the photos, yum!) one filipino: Chika-an sa Cebu and one mexican: Maya.

We also interviewed and shot the most happening club in Metro Cebu -- Vudu. We were paid to party!!!! LOL Mind you though, we were dead tired since we came back at 4am haha! Happy-tired, that's work! :)

Day 4: We met the owner of Suarez Metal works. They make college rings, medals, key chains, badges and so much more! The oh-so-cool part of this interview was discovering that they made my mom's college ring and my kindergarten medal! Huwaw! Talk about longevity! We then proceeded to interview and shoot a local pizza place and proceeded to the top of Cebu to take a photo of the entire island! Damn! It's that small (but majestic!). I was mesmerized by the sunset as well!

We then headed down back to the city for some ribs at Casa Verde, a local restaurant known for it! Its so succulent, rich and tender that the meat falls off the rib with a gentle nudge from your fork hehe. We are officially done for the day so I called up a few friends I met from my previous employment (that sent me to Cebu back in 2007) and had coffee with them and just gossiped the night away!

Day 5: Flew back to Manila with lots of dried mangoes, a bag full of soiled clothes, a fresh tan, lots of lessons learned, a clear head and new Cebu memories! This is one OJT trip I will never forget!