Part 3: Back in Manila and On to Cebu
It was Holy Week in Manila when I got back from Tokyo, and on Maundy Thursday, we went on a day trip to Tagaytay City for lunch with the nieces. It was more family get-togethers over Easter Weekend, dinner with another group of old friends early the following week, and another appointment at the foot spa before the beach resort vacation lined up later in the week.
Cebu City is the 2nd largest city in the Philippines and the destination for our 4-day beach resort vacation. After a brief hour flight from Manila, we arrived at the Bluewater Resort in Maribago on the island of Mactan where the airport is also located. The next 4 days was a flurry of sea- and pool-side relaxation, making sure to sometimes dabble in the art of doing nothing. Each day started with buffet breakfast at the resort restaurant that soon gave way to day trips of sightseeing and touring the local attractions, souvenir shopping, restorative and soothing massage at the resort spa, and taking in the varied flavors of the city at must-try local restaurants and the downtown Friday night food market. It was the prefect combination of a beach vacation with the amenities and offerings of a major big city, quite different from last year’s Boracay Island beach resort experience.
Part 4: Birthday Week
The days flew by and now it’s final week in Manila. It’s also my birthday on the 14th, and that kicked off a series of get-togethers and celebrations with family and friends for breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. It’s really been the theme of this and every trip of mine to the Philippines: spending time with loved ones, catching up on each other’s lives and sharing memories, always over food. It’s always about making new memories to go over when we get together again in the future, and once again over food. It’s a delicious cycle, one that I can never get tired of.
