Wow Philippines 2006: Cebu (Part 1)

A view of Sumilon from mainland Cebu. (Photo by Heidi)

Press junkets are the best, I swear.

I'm peeling the dried skin off my nose as I type, but hey, I'm not complaining. Spent Satuday to Monday in a beautiful island called Sumilon, off mainland Cebu. Flight was at 5:00 am. had about two hours' sleep before I had to head to the airport. (Poor Elps.) Went with nine other people: Gwyn, Heidi and Kaye from FHM, Tin (my roommate) from SP, Gino from Preview, Mimi and Angel from Candy, and Jeryc (a.k.a. Gail) and Glen from Men's Health.

Upon landing, we went to Maribago Blue Water Resort where we had breakfast with our trusty Queen of PR. Preparing us for the upcoming four-hour road trip, she whispered, "You'll be stopping over at a cafe and trying this native delicacy called torta. It looks like ensaymada...but it tastes like adobo!" She crinkled her nose at the memory.

Was it the lack of sleep or did I just hear her say "adobo"? (See my other blog for the gory details. And a pic!)

Road trip

So we were off, and the first stop of our heritage tour was a 200-year-old house in Carcar. Bleary-eyed, we went through room after eerie room, before coming to the top of the stairs going down to the basement. With each step, I felt weirder. "Does anyone here have a third eye?" I asked nervously as we made our way down. At the bottom of the steps, I suddenly experienced a dizzy spell. And right on cue, Gwyn declared from a little farther in, "May lapida dito!" Crap. I took a peek, and found that there were beds in adjoining rooms. How could anyone possibly sleep here? It was just getting too creepy for me, so I practically ran up the stairs.

Our next stop was a 400-year-old church...and that was all we got from our supposed tour guide. So there was nothing for us to do but take pictures, say a prayer, and make a wish. We went on our way and stopped for a snack at Alex Kafe, famous for its torta. And believe me, it's an experience we'll never forget. We just couldn't let it go all weekend.

Next we stopped on the corner of Aragones and (I'm not making this up) Eternidad. It was another old church, with a wishing well outside. My favorite part? The ruins of the old munisipyo. For those who don't know, I have this odd fascination with ruins, especially those found in the middle of a wooded area (one reason I looove that scene in Ever After, where Danielle meets Henry after she gets punished). So this was right beside the sea, but it was pretty nonetheless. The place seemed a little too quiet though. It kinda reminded me of the scene in Kill Bill, outside the little chapel in Mexico.

After a few more minutes on the road, we finally arrived at the dock. From here, we were to take a 10- to 15-minute boat ride to Sumilon island.