So we were starting to feel pretty good about ourselves as world travellers. We had the airports and the packing down! … yes, indeed.
So Cebu (the Philippines) was definitely a wake up call for us! It was also good practice for when we do some slower travelling after Japan.
Lesson One - It’s okay just to relax and recuperate if need be.
You guessed it! After about 2 and a half days in Tokyo (which was a blast) I knew I was getting sick. …head cold, sinuses, etc.
I am soooo frustrated! When I was teaching full time and before Covid, I seldom came down with a cold/flu). That has changed. I have had that very thing 4 times since moving to Japan 20 months ago and twice was while I was travelling.
And this time, it kicked my ass… By the time our plane landed in Cebu I was sick, sick. And went straight to bed (December 30). I slept all of December 31 but with the aid of some good drugs rallied for the NYE Dinner at our hotel.
Then back to bed that night and all day January 1st. We rented a car for January 2 - 4 so I made myself go out and about as much as I could.
I was miserable, feeling sorry for myself, etc. Why me?? But then I realised that if we continue to travel after Japan, it’s bound to happen again and I just need to deal with it. We had a big, beautiful room with a view of the harbour, amazing air conditioning and room service! It’s just so hard not to feel guilty about what you should be doing and what you are potentially missing. I think I learned a lot this time around and hopefully there won’t be another time any time soon!!
RADISSON BLU
But there is more…
We rented a car. Carter mentioned (he has travelled to the Philippines) that we were brave to drive ourselves. But no worries - another mishap - Mark forgot his drivers licence. Thank God! I cannot imagine driving in the Philippines - there are some stop lights now but it’s often just a “feeling”. I feel like I can turn left here and nobody will die (I am not joking)! We were able to hire a driver with our rental car for $25CDN a day. Thank goodness for Bryan!
Part of choosing the Philippines is because Lexi’s mom Grace (Carter’s Lexi) is originally from the Philippines and part was because we are here, on this side of the world, so let’s do it. Cebu is safe and touristy so that’s how we ended up in Cebu. My rationale was spend 2 or 3 days at our beautiful hotel in Cebu City, enjoying the pool and of course the pool bar and then drive around the island and enjoy all the scenic beauty. HA!
Next Mistake - we made a lot of assumptions about the Philippines based on our time in Southeast Asia (Vietnam, etc.). They are not the same. And getting out of Cebu City is not as easy as it sounds and the scenic beauty? It takes hours to get to most of it. Bad planning. DISCLAIMER: This is not on Mark - at all! Neither of us really knew exactly what we wanted out of our week - other than a few days by the pool.
THEN - So there are not many hotels with pools in the city - ours was gorgeous. But as luck would have it - the pool was closed on December 26 due to some loose tiles and would not reopen anytime soon. I shit you not!
And FINALLY… when Mark made the reservation, I remember him telling me that breakfast was included. We discussed it again in Tokyo. When we got here - he checked the website instead of going to the front desk (perpetual line up). The website said you could add breakfast to your booking. Darn.
Except today, our last morning at the hotel, we decided - what the heck - let’s splurge!!! When we left the dining room and went to pay - we discovered that we indeed had breakfast included with our booking - ALL 7 DAYS…
What should we have done??
Spend 3 - 4 days in Cebu City - enjoy the pool and check out the landmarks (we totally did). Then, get out of the city and stay in a resort closer to that earlier mentioned scenic beauty.
All of a sudden we were back in Japan after our trip to Canada and we had to finalize things. With me back at work - it seemed easiest to just “book a place”.
Not making that mistake again!!I am uploading this from Hong Kong and we are off to Singapore and Malaysia at the end of February and there will be lots of research and conversation. We have a flight there and back to Japan and a hotel in Singapore (because it is ridiculously expensive). And the rest…? Careful planning ahead!!
HIGHLIGHTS OF CEBU
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