Hedda Damasco

There’s so much of the Philippines that I have yet to visit but never get the chance to. Two weeks ago, I had my first business trip to the Queen City of the South… CEBU!

I had an early morning flight and of course I got a window seat. No idea where this is, but the view above was exciting! What was nice was when we reached the Philippine waters and you can really see how beautiful the oceans are.

The time of my flight there was haze in Indonesia and I didn’t know it would reach Cebu! We were almost landing when I took this picture. The haze up is intense but when I landed the area is pretty clear.

I stayed in Waterfront Hotel because it’s the nearest hotel where our event will be. The exteriors look a little old, but the interiors are beautiful!

I liked the map on the ceiling when you enter the hotel. Cebu is the first place in the country to be discovered by Spain… and the rest is history.

I got a hotel room to myself. The room is pretty spacious. When I went there for the night, I was surprised that they don’t have lights on the ceiling and instead had to depend on the lamp light. The room is pretty cozy, if I weren’t alone I probably wouldn’t like it too much. Room temperature is all right too, although I had to set the temperature to the coldest to be comfortable.

For my first meal in Cebu: Sunburst

I had lunch in Sunburst. Their chicken is pretty good. It’s not something out of the ordinary but it’s a good mix between lutong bahay and your fast food. My self proclaimed chicken connoisseur self is very happy and satisfied.

For my second meal: Zubochon.

Cebu is very famous for it’s lechon (pig), so no trip is complete without trying it out! I’m not a big fan of pork, but I really like Zubochon! It’s certainly different from the lechons I’ve tried here in Manila. I also tried their munggo soup, and it was pretty delicious! The meal is best partnered with their kamias shake which was sour but helped get rid of the salty, fatty taste of the lechon.

For my last meal, we tried Hukad in Ayala Center.

Had a variety of meals there and my tummy was very satisfied! I like their sizzling tuna belly as well as their baby prawn sinigang. The tastes all hit close to home. My favorite is the dessert (top left). It’s suman (sticky rice) wrapped in lumpia paper with drizzled chocolate. Basically a turon but with suman inside instead of banana. Delicious though! I love suman so much. The dessert is perfect, albeit a little too oily.

I didn’t had a chance to tour Cebu. Friday and Saturday was devoted to work, and even though my flight was still in the afternoon I was too tired and opted to rest in until it was check out time. From what I’ve seen, Cebu is a really pretty place with lots of nice people! The cab drivers were very friendly and nice to be with. I felt safe going around the city in a cab even if I don’t speak and understand Cebuano.

On my next to visit to Cebu, I will definitely go around and see other places.

Here’s a picture of Manila on my flight back.