Cebu is crying

December 19-23, 2024

Technically it is not Cebu that is crying, but rather the heavens and they are crying down on Cebu.  We arrived in Cebu, one of the better known of the Philippines' 7,641 islands, to overcast skies only for the heavens to open up and drench us for 3 days straight.  

Our first stop, directly from Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA), was to a rabies vacination clinic in Cebu City.  Francesca thought we should get them not only for the Philippines which has a lot of stray dogs and a rabies problem, but also for Nepal where rabies is a significant health concern with about 100-200 deaths per year.  Rabies is a 3 shot series and this was to be our first.  The kids were a bit nervous about getting a shot, but they all took it like champs and got a lolipop from the clinic for thier bravery.  

Then we drove the hour+ to our hotel, the JPark Island Resort & Waterpark.  More often then not we stay in an AirBnB or other rental home in a non touristy area, but sometimes we divert from that strategy and treat ourselves to a hotel with all the trimmings.  And the JPark did not disappoint.  The centerpiece was the lazy river and waterslides, but there was also mini golf, go carts and an arcade in addition to the multitude of restaurants on the grounds. Francesca's dad Hector and his wife Karen joined us and would be with us for our entire stay in the philippines. 

Mostly we just ate, slept and swam for 4 days straight - although Francesca and I did manage to escape the resort for a massage at Again Spa just across the street from the resort. 

And I helped arrange a surprise Zoom video call with Ryan's 7th grade classmates.  He was so happy to see all of his friends! And they him, it seemed. 

The food wasn't great and some of the equipment was not in the best shape (ie only 3 mini golf putters left and the course was in disrepair), but overall we had a good time. It was nice to let the kids run around and swim on their own while Francesca and I got caught up with Lolo and Karen. 

When our time at JPark was up we started the 4+ hour drive north to the 150 Peakway Mountain Resort in Dalaguete where it proceeded to rain hard for 4 days straight.  But we were all pretty weary from our first 6 months of travel so we enjoyed just spending time in our geodome glamping lodge, dining at the restaurant, and getting cheap massages. 

We also enjoyed a little Karaoke at the resort's private karaoke room.  

On day 3 we finally got a hunch that the rain and fog was only at the top of the mountain where we were so we decided to venture down the mountain to test that theory.  We were rewarded with a beautiful sunny day down below and turned it into a little (2 hour) road trip to Oslob.  

Ryan and I had considered going swimming with the Whale sharks, which is a popular tourist activity, but when we got their there was a 2 hour wait and it really looked like a totally canned experience.  Essentially these outrigger canoes would ferry you out a couple hundred yards off shore and then they would chum the waters to summon the whale sharks and you would have a few minutes to jump in and swim near them.  While I am sure it would have been amazing to see these leviathans of the deep, it just didn't seem like the right vibe for us. 

Instead, we decided as a family to head to Sumilon Island just off the coast from Oslob. A friendly local volonteered to shepherd us all around Oslob, from our aborted whale shark launch area, to bathrooms for the kids, to smoothies for the kids and to the pier where we catch the boats to the island.  There was never a discussion on what his fee would be for these services - he just more or less forced himself into our service - so I fully expected to be extorted for a high sum of cash when he was finished, but he never said anything about a fee and had started to walk away once he had left us at the pier in the good hands of the island tour operator so I had to chase after him to give him a gratuity for all the work he did guiding us around.  

The trip out to the island turned out to be quite the adventure.  We assumed our boat would stop at the pier and we would step onto it or at worse walk a plank onto it.  But we assumed incorrectly. The pier was being used by one of the other 1 million boats that were ferrying people to Sumilon so we had to make like Ferdinand Magellan and wade into the sea and up an unstable plank to board our ship.  This task was made even more challenging with bare feet on a rocky seabed, a constant barage of waves and two invalids (Francesca with her broken wrist and Finley who gashed up her knee the night before) and two elderly travelers (Francesca's 80 year old dad and his wife Karen).  The pictures don't do it justice so be sure to watch the video at the end of this post to see the scene in motion. 

Once on the island it became clear that this would not be a super fun trip for anyone not going in the water - which was everyone except for me, Ryan and Austen.  There was no where to escape the heat so we just plunked our stuff down next to the cliff wall and tried to make the best of it.  Ryan, Austen and me enjoyed frolicking in the clear, shallow waters and Ryan and I later went snorkeling which was pretty decent, even if the guide did chum the waters with bread to attract the fish. 

A short video of our day trip to Sumilon Island, Cebu.

On the drive back while my passengers slept, I would stop occassionally to snap some pics of the beautiful Spanish churches or stunning coastline, with a couple of caged pig shots thrown in for good measure. 

The drive up the mountain was spectacular even if the town right before our resort was a tangled mess of bikes and cars.  Of course when we got back to our resort, the rain and fog was awaiting us like a loyal dog awaits his master to return. 

On our last night, the skies stayed dry enough for us to make s'mores around the campfire which was a nice way to end our glamping experience. 

While we weren't particularly active in Cebu, we got some nice relaxing family time and did venture out to see some of the sites.  And while Finley did sustain a pretty nasty, deep cut to her knee, she is adapting like a champ to her situation and I get the impression that she likes having this (an injury) in common with mommy as it makes it feel like they are even more bonded. 

Now we're off to Manila to spend the Christmas and New Years holidays with Francesca's relatives, many whom she has not seen in over 30 years.