High Up

A famous pastime in Cebu is going up to the mountains! Last Wednesday was an "open" day with my relatives, so decided to take them to Balamban for some cool air, ziplining, Bibingka - a type of rice cake - and sweet corn!

It is roughly a 1 hour drive from the city to Balamban. First stop was Adventure Cafe where everyone went on the zipline! Next, we went to West 35 (the name based on the 35 km distance from the city centre).

The moment we got there, the kids (teens) rushed to the playground! We did the rope course, used the mini zipline, and ran around like children. We then had some bibingka (Balamban's speciality) and hot chocolate for snacks.

Checked out the rooms there, and started to plan when we can stay over. With a private jacuzzi and bonfire, the honeymoon suite and the barakada rooms are totally worth it! Costing 6000 pesos and 5000 pesos respectively. Plus a view like that, who could say no!?

Enjoyed the cool and fresh air; definitely a relaxing day. Such a good way to relieve ourselves from the hustle and bustle of the city!! 

Rise and Fall

Some relatives from the US are here to visit! One of our first activities was going wakeboarding! It is a sport of riding on a board while being pulled by a cable. Went to Cebu Wake Park in Liloan City. 2 hours in the water was not quite enough. Hoping that we can fit another session into the itinerary! 

My brother and I have been doing the sport a couple of times, so we already got the hang of it. Paolo though, has been a regular practitioner for quite a while now; he can do tricks and go through the obstacles (goals!). It being my cousins' first time, they learned the ropes pretty fast! We were all going around the wake park in no time!

If you've been looking for a water sport or maybe you just want to try something new, give wakeboarding a go! I'm sure you won't regret it! 

Only in NYC

Last chance to make the most out of my trip to New York! Made sure that we started the day early so we could check off majority of the things on the to do list!

What better way to get a glimpse of what it's like to be a New Yorker than to take the subway! To be honest, I've never felt more lost in my life! After 30 minutes (of figuring out which platform to go to), and 2 stops, we found ourselves in Gray's Papaya, a famous hotdog restaurant.

Optimism led us to believe that we could walk from the West Side, cross Central Park, and end up in the Upper East Side. An hour and a couple hundred steps later, we were at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, or better known as the MET Museum. For Gossip Girl (a teen drama television series) fans, I had my Blair Waldorf moment!

Drained from the walk, we hailed a cab to bring us to Grand Central Station. Standing at the steps, I felt like I had just arrived and was about to make my way to the Upper East Side (Gossip Girl reference again!). On the way back to the hotel, we stopped by Bryant Park. 

Watched Les Miserables, a Broadway Musical, on my last night there. The famous Ramin Karimloo played the role of Jean Valjean, the main protagonist. From the actors down to the atmosphere of the place, the show was absolutely amazing! No better way to cap off my stay in New York!

Welome to New York

On our second day in the Empire City, some relatives came to see me and my mom. They took us to Battery Park, which is at the southern tip of Manhattan, where we could see the Statue of Liberty from a distance. We then had lunch at my cousin's all time fave - Chipotle! Personally not a big fan of the Mexican cuisine, but that was an exception! 

Then made our way to the famous 843 acre Central Park. It was filled with people having picnics, biking and walking around, and there were even some who were sunbathing! A very relaxed place, indeed! 

After the 3 km walk from Central Park to Dylan's Candy Bar (owned by Dylan Lauren, son of designer Ralph Lauren), we refuelled our energies by getting some sweets! From jelly beans to M&Ms to chocolate fondues, it was definitely my happy place!! Less than a block away was Serendipity 3, a dessert place. It was featured in the film "Serendipity" back in 2001, starring John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale. It's so popular that you have to wait an hour and a half to get a table!

Exhausted from all the walking, the sugar rush, and maybe a bit of shopping on our way back, we were back at the hotel by 7 in the evening. Planned to head out again after an hour or two, however we were fast asleep by 8! Tiring, but a great day, nonetheless!