TRAVEL AND LIFESTYLE DIARIES

It is not a secret that I am not a fan of spending my time inside malls but I can also understand why this has turned into a very popular phenomenon in the Phillippines called: ‘Mall Culture’ aka ‘Malling’ Inside the mall (Ayala Centre in Cebu): Many malls have incorporated gardens and parks into their design such as this one in Ayala Centre, Cebu with the addition of the Ayala Terraces outdoor eating and recreation area. In the tropics it is hot all the time with a temperature average between 32C and 40C during summer season and 25C and 30C during rainy season. Throw in the noise and air pollution into the equation, no wonder people prefer to stay inside the malls even if they are not going to shop, eat or do business inside. They just stay inside, hang out, go malling. Malling has truly become a culture in the Philippines. It is a national pastime. Some articles I found about this topic: UK Trade & Investment (2012): Retail in the Philippines Inquirer (2011...

When we were in Cebu, Philippines last October-November, I heard from the grapevine that there’s a cool new Filipino native restaurant in town. Of course, moi is not going to miss the world for it especially knowing that the restaurant drifts on water. I right away scheduled the family for a trip to Cordova in Mactan Island. 'Lantaw' is a Visayan word, a Filipino dialect and my mother tongue which means VIEW or SEEN/SEEING FROM A DISTANCE. Yes, the restaurant floats on water and you will notice this more during high tide when the restaurant glides a bit. The scenery here is divine. Fresh! You’ll see fishermen passing by and if you arrive here before dusk, you will be treated to an exquisite going-down-of-the-sun-from-the-horizon spectacle. Because we did not reserve a table in advance, but luckily we arrived early, we were not able to get a table on the open deck terrace but in the restaurant itself. This is fine but next time, we will make sure to reserve because...

Come to think about it, it is barely a month and a half since we were in Cebu, Philippines. It felt now like it has been forever. Time flies so fast indeed when you are busy (and enjoying) with life. I am looking forward to visiting my hometown again next year. Now, when Dutchman and I arrived in Cebu from Seoul (more entries of our trip to Seoul to come soon, just switching to Cebu for now) last October, my parents deposited us the next day at the 5-star Crimson Beach Resort & Spa in Mactan Island, Cebu. It’s their welcome to Cebu treat for us. Well, it’s nice to have a sponsor sometimes so Dutchman and I are not complaining =) After a 5-day city trip in Seoul this is a nice and timely respite. We basically did nothing here but chill. Maximum chill. We spent most of our days at the bar by the pool and beach. I made a separate entry about this a while back, go here: Hanging out at Azure Pool Bar Trivia: Did you know that most beach resorts in Mactan Island have man-...