Restful at Bandar Seri Begawan

Day 1
May 10, 2013
Bandar Seri Begawan

It never ever crossed my mind to visit Brunei - I did not even bother to check if there were any sights worth seeing prior to booking our flight. All Rissa and I knew was that the total fare was way cheaper compared to Taipei and Bali's "promo" fares which skyrocketed to astonishing figures after fuel surcharges were added - we did not mind that we were travelling at around midnight.

Apparently, it also never crossed the mind of the local immigration officer that anyone would want to tour Brunei. The officer asked a lot of questions about my work and she was not willing to let me pass through unless I show her proof of my hotel booking (which I did not have with me but thank God for the internet, we were able to download it).

It was later on during the trip that I understood the immigration officer's questioning - most Filipinos out there in Brunei are OFW's - the receptionist who greeted us when we arrived in the hotel, the bus driver on our way to the mall, the crew in the Jollibee store, among others. I don't think there were any other Pinoys out there touring - in fact, i can count with my two hands the number of tourists that were with us when we were sightseeing.

Not to say that there was nothing to see in Brunei. This was, after all, called the Kingdom of Unexpected Treasures. However, much of what can be toured in the city can be seen in more or less 3 hours (we stayed for 3 whole days and the third day was spent at the mall and at the aiport!) I guess one just needs to spend more and go outside the city to find more of these unexpected treasures such as the Ulu Temburong National Park.

We arrived in Bandar Seri Begawan at 1:40 AM and it was almost 3 AM when we got to Jubilee hotel. It was a good thing that the receptionist was Pinoy - he allowed us check-in early without added cost (We thought we were going to camp out at the reception area). He gave us a room that looks more like an apartment actually - a very spacious one complete with living room, kitchen, and 2 bedrooms, where we spent the next few 10 hours sleeping.

Jubilee Hotel

It was already past 3 PM when we left the hotel to check out the sights. We first went to Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, the mosque that is always featured on Brunei's travel ads. It was not as impressive as it was in the ad pictures which were taken from a bird's eye view.

Afterwards, we did a quick stroll along Brunei river and then we went to the local mall - Yayasan complex - for dinner.

Skywalk at the Regency

Day 3
April 28, 2013
Cebu

On the 3rd day, we traveled to the wealthy Beverly Hills subdivision to visit Cebu's Taoist temple. Built in 1972, this place of worship provides a bird's eye view of Cebu city, but only after taking the the 99 steps to its entrance.

Taoist Temple

From the temple, we went straight to Ayala mall (partly because of the hot weather) to eat at Hukad Sa Golden Cowrie, a popular restaurant in Cebu.

Crispy Pata

Fried Tuna fingers

Baked Scallops

Later in the afternoon, we survived  the Skywalk Extreme adventure at the 37th floor of Crowne Regency- but only after the 1 hour spent waiting for our turn - it was a busy night. The experience was well worth the wait though, walking around the glass flooring on the edge of the tower was exhilarating.

Estimated expenses:
1847 PHP - Round trip air fare
  998 PHP - Plaza Garcia (998 PHP/night for 2 persons)
2000 PHP - Plantation Bay day trip
 550 PHP - SkyWalk
1500 PHP - food (500 PHP/day)
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6895 PHP

Relaxing at world-class Pantation Bay

Day 2
April 27, 2013
Mactan

The next day was spent at Plantation bay in Mactan. Given that we paid 2000 PHP for the day trip, there was no way we were leaving the resort until we were forced out. We did everything that the day trip package offered - 2-hour buffet lunch (we were lucky to have this - it should only be set lunch as advertised online), billiards and Foosball (I know, we could and should have skipped this...), bikes, archery, and wall climbing. Of course, we enjoyed the lagoon and the pools, and some siesta time by the beach in the afternoon.

We realized later on that if we paid a few more hundreds, we could have stayed overnight instead - without the buffet meals though (The food inside the resort were quite expensive - a regular breakfast costs 495 PHP.) We'll definitely do this the next time we visit Cebu.

Plantation Bay

Plantation Bay at Night

For dinner, we ate at Captain A's Seafood Grill to experience boodle fight.. I have never heard of  the concept before. Apparently, it was a Philippine military tradition - food were served on banana leaves (no plates, no serving spoons) and everyone eats with their bare hands (well, not really bare as we were provided with plastics to cover our hands). We ordered Sinugbu festival, a plethora of everything grilled - chicken, pork, squid, milkfish, and eggplant.

Captain A's Seafood Grill

Sinugba Festival

The Gang - Mel, Lee, Jezzer, Andy, Ching, and myself

Eating the world's best pig in Cebu

Day 1
Apr 26, 2013
Cebu

Cebu city was actually the first place I visited wherein I traveled by plane - that was back in 2002. I, together with my family, stayed at Plantation Bay for 3 nights and I distinctively remember my sister paying an obscene amount of money for our accommodation back then...

This time around, I traveled to Cebu city with a few of my long-time friends - Andy, Ching, Melissa and  Lee & Jezzer with their 2 kids. We arrived at Mactan airport at past 4 PM and went immediately to Sampaguita Suites Plaza Garcia, a simple and affordable hotel, in Cebu city which was almost an hour away - the worse part was realizing we were coming back the following morning to Mactan to visit Plantation bay.

Double room at Plaza Garcia

We ate dinner at Zubuchon to taste "the best pig ever", as claimed by none other than world-renown American chef Anthony Bourdain. I never liked Lechon and cannot figure out why it is a popular food staple in gatherings - sure, it looks extravagant (bongga!) to have a roasted pig as the centerpiece in the buffet table, but I usually find lechon to be chewy and devoid of taste (I need sauce when I eat lechon - lots of it).

But Zubuchon's Lechon is different. I enjoyed this mouthwatering lechon - the skin is perfectly crunchy and the meat is tasty (with all the herbs and spices Zubucno claims to have added, it should be tasty) and very tender.

Zubuchon

Lechon

The biggest surprise though for me was not the lechon (Bourdain can't be wrong) but the Kamias shake - who knew the very sour Kamias can be turned into one refreshing drink. I can't help but wonder though how many tablespoons of sugar was added to get that perfect fusion of sweet and sour tastes.

Kamias Shake

A few hours in Vigan

Day 4
Feb 11, 2013
Vigan

The next morning, we ate breakfast at Cafe Uno, a small charming coffee shop found right beside Grandpa's Inn. I ordered longganisa and hot chocolate since these were highly recommended by a few blogs I read about Vigan.

Cafe Uno

The rest of the morning was spent by my friends in Calle Crisologo to buy pasalubong  while I stayed at the hotel to rest. Later in the morning, we visited St. Paul's Cathedral, a major religious landmark, before heading to Cafe Leona for Vigan Bagnet and embutido.

St. Paul's Cathedral, Vigan

Cafe Leona

And then, we are back in Manila later that evening... 3.5 days were definitely not enough to enjoy everything Ilocos has to offer - we did not even have time to enjoy Pagudpod beach. We will definitely be back in a year or 2... or 3. I already miss the food while writing about this trip...

Estimated expenses:
 420 PHP - Texicano hotel (985 PHP/night for 2 persons plus 280 PHP additional person)
 200 PHP - Cathy's homestay (1200 PHP/night for 6 persons)
 740 PHP - Grandpa's Inn (1780 PHP/night for 2 persons plus 450 PHP additional person)
 625 PHP - Sand boarding
   10 PHP - Kaibigan falls entrance fee
 100 PHP - Kaibigan falls guide fee
1000 PHP - gas (1348km @ 89.27 liters)
2000 PHP - food (500 PHP/day)
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5095 PHP

From Kaibigan Falls to Bangui Windmills

Day 3
Feb 11, 2013
Pagudpod and Vigan

At 9 AM the following morning, we made our way to Kaibigan falls. The supposed 30-minute trek became an hour because of all the stops we made along the way to take pictures.

It was already 10:30 AM when we reached the falls. The water was like melted ice so no one attempted to take a dip in the pool. All we did was pose for pictures...

Kaibigan falls

Later in the afternoon, we went to Blue Lagoon beach. The water was more inviting this time, but then, time was not on our side. Everyone wanted to catch the Bangui windmills before it gets dark. So, after lunch, we went back to the hotel in Saud beach to check-out. 

Blue Lagoon beach

At 4 PM, we left Pagudpod - I found it funny that we traveled all the way here, the Boracay of the north, but did not even try the beach. We reached the Bangui windmills before 5 PM and stayed there until the sun set. 

Bangui windmills

We then made our way to the last city of our 4-day trip - Vigan. We had our dinner at Macy's Diner - a Hollywood-inspired restaurant - complete with posters of Hollywood classics and a vintage jukebox machine.

It was already past 9 PM when we reached Grandpa's Inn, a one-of-a-kind hotel in Vigan. Everything in the hotel is vintage (or feels vintage) - the piano in the corner (which surprisingly works), the yellowed photos in the frames, the antique furniture and memorabilia. While it looks really unique and charming, you won't find me wandering alone this hotel at night (it's creepy!).

Grandpa's Inn

We actually almost looked for another hotel as the cheaper room (dormitory room for 6) was not available anymore (I did not find a way to make the reservation while in Manila - no online reservation and no one answered my call!). But we decided to stay.

Unique beds at Grandpa's Inn

Before calling it a night (it was a long day after all), we just had to go to Calle Crisologo for some photo-op. We knew the houses built during the Spanish-era would look majestic under the glow of orange lamps in the night sky. We were not wrong.

Calle Crisologo