Friday to Sunday
November 22-24, 2024

It’s been a while since I’ve been to Cebu; 8 years, to be precise! I said back then that I’d return but I didn’t expect it to take this long. But now, I have. Here’s the blow by blow of my recent trip. Let’s go!

Day 0

This trip was booked during a promotion so our tickets were only a couple of thousand Pesoses each. We also booked months in advance which added to the discount. Fortunately, there weren’t any delays and the journey to Cebu was smooth. It’s always a rare occasion when a Cebu Pacific flight goes without a hitch.

Our flight was on the evening of the 21st. We arrived in Cebu at 11PM and it was past midnight when we were able to check into our accommodation. We spent our first two nights at Global 88 Apartelle.

With our itinerary calling for an early morning bus ride, we immediately got some much-needed rest.

Day 1 – Canyoneering at the South

At 3am, we awoke and fixed up. We had to catch the 5am trip at the Cebu South Bus Terminal. Our destination was RGS Canyoneering in Badian. This agency is the same one I got back in 2016 and they have grown to a company with more than 500 guides in their employ.

It was a cycle of reading an e-book and falling asleep for the entire 3-hour journey. The bus was almost empty when it left the station, but soon it was packed with locals going about their daily lives.

Fortunately, the RGS HQ was right beside the highway and after we alighted, their staff immediately accommodated us. After signing some permits, we were fitted with life vests and helmets and taken to the jump-off on their private vehicle.

The ride was long and bumpy as the dirt road winded up a mountainside. I was starting to get sleepy again when we finally made it to the starting point. There was a quick briefing and then off we went.

I don’t recall much of the canyoneering I did in 2016 so it felt like a brand new experience for me. We hiked for a bit as the other option was an expensive zipline. This warm up made me miss the hikes I did pre-pandemic. The view was very scenic, with a deep valley right beside us and colorful flowers dotting the trail.

Then, it was a steep downhill to the bottom of the canyon and into a raging river. This was where the canyoneering officially started. It wasn’t peak season but there were already a lot of people clambering the rocks when we arrived.

I’m a natural monkey and enjoyed scrambling over the rocks. I’m glad to see that the canyon was just as breathtaking now as it was in my memory. We followed the flow of the river and the guides who were with us were entertaining and educational at the same time.

I was very much in awe of the natural formations and I envy the locals who get to see this view every day. The lush treeline above the river looked untouched and I loved gazing at them as we floated downstream.

I was also happy to see Shane jump off the rock faces. Some reached 7 meters in height but with the coercion of the guides and myself, she was able to enjoy it to the fullest.

At the halfway point, we bought some hotdogs and chorizo as we hadn’t had anything to eat since the bus ride and we still had a couple of hours of activities left. This part of the route has been developed into a rest area, with a lot of local stores selling grilled food as well as junk food and alcohol (a lot of them imported brands!).

Eventually, we reached the upper basins of Kawasan Falls. This marked the almost-end of our activity.  Back in 2016, it was already dark when we reached this part, but now I got to see the beauty of the place in all its glory.

We continued the hike down until we reached the main basin of the falls. Here, the number of visitors exploded. There were so many people! We waited our turn for some pictures and immediately got out of there.

We continued hiking toward the highway where our return vehicle was waiting. With that, the canyoneering activity was done!

With tired bodies and happy hearts, we waited for the rest of the RGS guests and returned to their HQ. There, we were fed our included lunch and fixed up for the ride back to the city.

It was another 3-4 hours of sitting on the bus before we returned to the South Bus Terminal and it was already early evening. From the terminal, we walked around and explored the nearby area.

We found a hidden gem for dinner. Lee Gachon Korean Restaurant was quaint and we were the only customers that time. The chef was actually playing with his cute little daughter when we entered. We got some sizable and delicious Korean fried chicken and the best rice we’ve had in Cebu.

The chicken was incredibly crisp and juicy, most likely due to the Korean style of double-frying. My favorite was the dipping sauce they had in lieu of gravy. It was a mix of herbs, sesame oil, and vinegar which I’ve never had before. It paired very well with the chicken meat and the semi-sticky rice.

After saying goodbye (annyeong!) to the cute little girl, we headed back to our apartelle, but not before buying some sandwiches from Minute Burger that we planned to have for breakfast tomorrow.

It was a very long day for us, with irregular naps in the bus being our only rest periods, so we fixed up our things and immediately tucked in for the night.

Day 2 – Hello, Malapascua, again

The second day of waking up before the sun rose as we had another 5am bus to catch. This time, we headed to the Cebu North Bus Terminal. Our destination: Maya Port.

This time, our journey was much longer at around 4 hours. We dove into our Minute Burger breakfast and immediately got some sleep (shoutout to the Shawarma burger which was saucy and flavorful). It was a long and bumpy ride and I had to switch seating positions every now and then as my butt had gone numb.

Eventually we reached the port which was conveniently the final stop. Here we registered with the local government and paid the environmental fee. We bought tickets and were ushered onto a boat that would take us to Malapascua Island.

I was so excited to return to Malapascua because I had an immensely good time here. As we reached the port, the water started getting clearer and clearer. So many fishes revealed themselves to us and we got excited for what’s to come.

We were immediately accosted by the local guides for tour packages. We waved them off aside from one that kindly took us to our reserved accommodation.

We would be staying at Daño Beach Resort for the duration of our stay. It was a big and quiet lot with beach access on the south side of the island. Our room was quite spacious and the air-conditioning was a welcome escape from the midday sun.

After settling our belongings, we went out for lunch. Feeling fancy, we went to Angelina Beach Resort, which had some good reviews online. They serve authentic Italian cuisine and the price of the food was certainly fit for imported ingredients.

We were able to try Gnocchi, an Italian pasta dish we’ve seen online (Gnocchi ai Quattro formaggi, P485). They were delicious, chewy, and filled us up. The four cheeses layered on top were well melted and provided a nice bit of flavor to every bite.

We also had pizza which had a very crisp and airy crust (Quattro stagioni, P470). This crust was absolutely delicious and the highlight of the dish, personally. The other ingredients were meh, aside from the Italian sausage which was juicy and flavorful. I found the ham and mushrooms underwhelming flavor-wise, and the artichoke was definitely not my taste.

The meal’s final order were some meat skewers on a bed of salad (Spiedini di carne, P530). I expected something like pork barbecue, but we got some thick pieces of meat on long, metal skewers. The pork was tough and overcooked, but the chicken was crisp and well-seasoned. At the end of each skewer was a small piece of Italian sausage.

The meat skewers were served with a basket of bread but this seemed to have been left out for a while as it was already stale in texture. I made it go down easier with the extra cheese sauce from the Gnocchi.

This meal was a hit and miss. But we had been eating relatively cheap so this was our splurge for the trip. To make us feel better, the view and ambiance of the restaurant was very relaxing.

Bellies full, we commissioned a local boatman to take us on a private ride around the island. His offer was much cheaper than the tours being offered by the guides at the port. We prepared our things and climbed on the boat for our afternoon adventure.

Our first stop was a snorkeling spot called the Coral Garden. After anchoring the boat, we dove into the water while our boatman, kuya Edwin, dropped pieces of bread into the ocean to make the fish come towards us.

There were many different fishes and the corals were astoundingly vibrant. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a view like this. Sadly, we didn’t have waterproof cameras so I can’t show any pictures.

After a few minutes, we headed to North Beach which was a beautiful and secluded side of the island. There wasn’t a lot to do here but take pictures on the white sand. We didn’t spend a lot of time here and quickly took off to the next destination.

This next stop was exciting as we were promised some glimpses of Baby Sharks. We parked near a coral shoreline and were told to wear life vests as we were only allowed to float near the surface.

We swam around the shallows and were swallowed up by the seaweed stalks. Eventually, we spotted some shadows from a distance. These fast-moving blobs got a bit closer and they did resemble a silhouette of a tiny shark.

It was only for a few moments but there they were. They maintained some distance as they don’t like humans. A local swimmer told us that they inhabit the shallows as babies and go deeper as they grow up. These reef sharks reach “only” 2 meters in length at maximum. The juveniles we saw were only around 30cm long, I guessed.

Eventually, we got tired of chasing the sharks and returned to the boat.

The final stop was my favorite: Dakit Dakit Island. This was not really an island, more like an outcrop of limestone pillars jutting out of the sea.

But underneath the water was the most beautiful coral reef I can remember. The many sea urchins of the previous Coral Garden were replaced by vibrant, blue starfish. There were even more varieties of fish and coral here, and I recognized some from Dave the Diver.

Something of note was an underwater cave that spooked me a bit as I felt that going too close to it would suck me in. It was pitch black and I didn’t have the guts to go any closer. I wonder what kind of animals resided there…

We saw a pair of clownfish living in an anemone and they were very friendly. We waved at them and they seemed to slowly swim towards us before heading back to their home. So adorable!

By this time, the sun was starting to set so kuya Edwin took us somewhere with a nice view of the sunset and there, we floated while waiting.

In the meantime, kuya Edwin told us stories of his life. He said it was tough for the island’s residents during the pandemic. Somehow he was able to save up and build the boat we were using. The people who own the resort we stayed in are his distant relatives, hence the nearness of his residence.

Sunset came and before the last rays of sun were gone, we headed back to the beach. There, we said goodbye to kuya Edwin and fixed up for the night still ahead of us.

We weren’t that hungry yet, so we started the evening off with a couple of cocktails at Hippocampus Restaurant. They were having happy hour from 3 to 7pm which meant cocktails were Buy 1 Take 1. We had some really good Amaretto Sours before heading to the public market.

The Public Market was were you can find the least expensive food on the island. There, food stalls display their latest catch as well as some skewered meat that they can grill. The seafood, they can cook any way you want.

We ordered two servings of Tuna, one grilled and the other kinilaw; and a plate of scallops, cooked in butter and garlic. The kinilaw was perfection. Both the grilled tuna and scallops were a bit overcooked and tough, sadly. But they still provided a good meal, especially considering the price.

We returned to the beachside area and after scouring the rows of restaurants, we had nowhere to go but back to Hippocampus. They were the only place with some entertainment: a live band.

During my last visit here, there was a local disco at the basketball court. Kuya Edwin told us that the festival just finished so there wasn’t one that night. Bummer. The disco was one of the things I was really looking forward to.

We downed some more cocktails while listening to the band and eventually returned to our room. It was still early, but with so little sleep the past few days, we were ready to enter dreamland. With no urgent itinerary the next day, we turned off all alarms and got our first and only complete sleep session that weekend.

Day 3 – The Elusive Tuslob Buwa

Waking up refreshed, we headed back to the public market for breakfast. I had some freshly cooked fried chicken and a huge, ham and cheese omelet.

After the meal, we decided to just chill at the resort before checking out. It was a long journey back to Cebu City so we decided to prepare early.

We were having lunch at a local karinderya near the port when a boatman rushed us to get onboard the 12-noon boat back to Maya port. In a panic, I downed my second fried chicken of the day plus some vegetable lumpia and we bought tickets immediately.

The rush was unneeded as the boat stayed in the port until 12:30 waiting for more passengers. 🙄

At Maya port, we walked uphill towards the bus station and fortunately, the bus we boarded immediately took off for the city. Goodbye, Malapascua. See you after another 8 years.

We reached Cebu city in the evening and took a cab to our final accommodation, Anri Pension House. Its location was near the Cebu IT Park, where we planned to have dinner.

We walked to Sugbo Mercado, a food park with so many food stalls and even more people. It was absolutely packed that we lost the desire to eat there. We walked around, observing the many cuisines being offered and I was able to buy a cup of mozzarella corn before we left.

All throughout our stay here, we were searching for Tuslob Buwa, a local delicacy made of pig’s brain and liver. It was only now that we found a row of restaurants offering it. We chose Steak Shack for our last meal in Cebu.

Aside from the Tuslob Buwa, we also ordered their calamares, which I didn’t expect to be that good. The squid was tender and not stringy. The coating was light, crispy, and had a wonderful umami flavor. The dip was also refillable which was absolutely premium.

The main course was served in separate, uncooked ingredients; with the pan, stove, and all. I didn’t expect to cook it ourselves but I guess it was easy enough to do.

1. Put some oil on the pan.
2. Sautee the onion and garlic until the garlic is golden.
3. Place the soup into the pan, along with the pig’s brain mixture. Stir everything slowly and allow it to melt and combine.
4. Add some soy sauce and pepper to taste.
5. Lower the heat or turn it off. Done!

The way to eat this dish is to get the puso (rice cooked in woven coconut leaves) and dip it into the soup using your bare hands. They gave us 10 pieces of this puso and it seemed like a lot, but by the end of the meal, I was craving for more.

The taste was unique, and not too liver-y which I dislike. This was filling and hearty, with a strong garlic flavor. Bit by bit, we finished the rice, alternating with the brain soup and the calamares.

We had some ice cream for dessert and then retired to our room. We’d be up early the next day for our morning flight to Manila.

And so ends this Cebu trip! What a lot of fun and a much needed break before the Holiday rush.

Miscellaneous Thoughts

• If you see a Ngohiong Express stall, try them immediately. This local variety of lumpia is so good and we regret only having them on our last night in Cebu. They are only P11 each and I miss them.
• South Cebu and North Cebu each have their own destinations and are best visited separately if you have limited time. We spent so much time on buses because of the South to North itinerary. But we only had canyoneering as our must do activity so it was understandable.
• For the Malapascua island hopping and activities, it’s best to coordinate with the locals instead of the tour guides at the port. You can haggle with them and get the best price especially if you are just a couple of visitors. You can also contact kuya Edwin at 09702642540.
• We suggest Daño Beach Resort for your stay as they are affordable, have a nice location, and are also kind enough to let us get an early check in (of course, this wasn’t during peak season).
• Don’t bring lots of things for the canyoneering activity as you’ll just leave them at the lockers. The canyoneering guides are also good at handling your phones so that they don’t get wet and they will also take pictures and videos of you. Shoutout to kuya Rilord. They will also pay for the food along the way and you can just pay them back after the activity.
• Always bring cash with you just to escape the hassle of looking for ATMs outside the city.
• Cebu City itself is so car-centric with narrow provincial roads not suitable for the boom in private cars. Traffic is sadly unavoidable, so make sure to prepare for it.

Cebu is an island with a lot to see and do. It is one of my favorite local destinations and I’m glad to have returned. Thank you, Shane, for the company and for taking care of the logistics of this trip. 🥰

Thank you for reading and see you on the next adventure!

-jgzn