Lee to me, “Who is their shepherd?”

Aww… a daschund. We had a daschund once – Bluey. He died because he wasn’t having sex and his member was having this eternal hardon that eventually killed him. I’m not joking.

How often do you see shnauzers here in the PH!? HE is ADORABLE.

Now this babe has a story. A girl told me she picked her up at the streets and decided to adopt her. The dog had skin disease once and seeing her now, you’d never imagine her fur was all gone for a while.

Hello, Royal Canine – the sponsors. How do you say Royal Canine? The host keeps on saying, “Kah-nan”, and another one said, “Royal Kay-nayn.” Oh, well.

Now this is a family of shih tzus. Adorable, right?

The mom had a lovechild in the form of a – chihuahua. Yes.

This menace of a baby looks like the alpha male in this family.

See how he sizes up my baby.

Nah, they’re not ganging up on him.

I think he is just gorgeous.

The boyf giving Basti a hug before getting his annual anti-rabies shot. This was free by the way, thanks Cebu Veterinary Doctors!

Now.. there, there.

Dog shows in Cebu are not rare. There are actually several dog clubs that are active with their four-legged members and chairmen who sometimes initiate dog walks, etc. My friend Lord Latonio is the President of the Cebu Shih Tzu Club! It is so adorable they way he raised his shih tzus. I believe he has more than 5. Hahah. Compared to last year’s, the dog show attendees dwindled down. I didn’t see those gorgeous chow chows anymore.

Toodles.

**Text and photos by Kristine Roa. Reproduction without consent is not allowed.

April 2010 – Camotes Island is exactly what we imagined it to be: quiet and full of white sand. It was just sheer luck that we went there on a festival-less weekend and I did not really have any part of the planning which was entirely a good thing because I hardly get to enjoy a vacation that does not require me to run to the reception for billing inquiries or even freak out about the itinerary.

Heading to Camotes Island was almost an hour drive away from Cebu City to Danao which is North of Central Visayas. You can always get on a public vehicle for P20 or van for more. The boat ride, however, took two hours and at P180, the entire trip provided us a movie shown in their flat screen tvs and amazing views of flying fishes and jellyfish if you head out to the deck.

My favorite part was the dining hall the resort has. It was huge! It could seat 20 people and house a party of 100. There was a terrace with white columns that stands on a cliff which overlooks the ocean. So gorgeous. Sad that I wasn’t able to take a photo of the cliff but perhaps these grabbed photos from the company we were with will illustrate how pretty the view was.

Please enjoy the photos. I hope I got the name of the resort we were in. The rooms were made of bamboo, had king sized beds, huge closets and a clean bathroom. Basti was happily jumping around the extra space he has. He can’t stand not sleeping beside his mommy hahah.

What do you guys think? I could always have had the site done by a Washington DC web designer but so far opted for basic templates from WordPress developers. The site is open for suggestions and I would love to hear what you think. Technically, I had a huge help from SEO experts  who are friends of mine who did the backend and what-end and was able to do all that in two weeks while juggling my social life and my job at the same time.

Has anyone of you started a website from scratch? I was almost ready to tear out my hair in frustration! Eventually, my cpanel has become my bestfriend and I think Fantastico should be the author to The Complete Idiot’s Guide to WordPress. There really isn’t that much out there and if you google how to set up your website in two weeks, you’d be lucky if you can manage to understand all that jargon just by reading the instructions. Some of you may have already done this a million times but to engineer this in a matter of days was overwhelming.

In this sense, installing and html-ing your way to a decent .com requires at least user flexibility and a thorough SEO analysis tool. It is hard to keep up with other local sites who also share your space at Google’s SERP (see, I’m talking like I’m from the moon here) and although it might take months to get back on track, this site is set to to take on the rest of Cebu.

To InstyleCebu readers, thank you for coming back.

Save for the huge crowd that milled around the island and beaches during Holy Weekend this year, Bantayan Island is without a doubt a person’s best choice to be at when you want to celebrate Easter and reflect on your spiritual growth. This is said with poetic honesty, mind you. I guess this is perhaps one of the reasons why we also decided to go around the island and escape the merriment of the beach to coalesce a province that is dubbed as the Lenten Capital of the Philippines.

We missed the procession that usually takes place near the large colonial-era church of St. Peter and Paul but it is more reverent to visit this old church sans the people, the noise and the festival. There were stories of epic real live performances of the crucifixion and people actually nailing themselves until they hemorrhage but I couldn’t just bear to see that. I would like to remember the passion of Christ as a serene, peaceful and obeisant moment no matter how appalling Christ had to go through to make us remember that day year after year.

It was heartwarming to see my friend Miguel or Bash (his Muslim name) go inside our Catholic church and take all the grandeur of colonial times into heart. There was no differences in religion during holy week. It was purely the perfect time to reflect on one’s faith and religion and understand that unity resides in the heart and not in paper and prescription.

We took pictures and realized how different it is to be inside St. Peter and Paul Church. Surprisingly, it was cold and warm at the same time while the temperature outside remained at 30 degrees high. 

Basti enjoyed the long drives so much he practically sat still the entire time.

Bantayan’s Market

Gross, I know.

We had difficulty choosing which was fresher! That’s Hedge, Joven and Bash by the way.

Fresh Bangus (Milkfish)

I am guessing this is swordfish.

Saang Shells – never tasted it. Best when grilled.

Aj rattled off its history when she told us that Bantayan Island became her thesis paper since she was a local from Bantayan and would be the perfect person to do that job. Madridejos was one of the towns in Bantayan that gave them popular landmarks such as the 187 meter Bontay Baywalk and the watch tower that is made from corals and stones. I felt bad I didn’t get more photos from that tower. At least I have something to look forward to the next time.

Bantayan Island certainly carry a popular cache due to the Island’s glowing recommendation as one of the best beaches in Visayas and the best places to be in come Holy Week. There is so much to learn in Bantayan and so much history and culture to soak in. Perhaps next time, we will go back there on a non-peak season where there are less people and more time.

**Text and photos by Kristine Roa. Reproduction without consent is not allowed.

April 2010 – From Marvin’s place in Bantayan, we had to walk a good five minutes to get to the beach and hang out there. On Good Friday, Sugar Beach was not allowed to turn on their sound system because it was the holiest night of holy week after all. We stayed pretty much at one place that had good iPod music and was far away from Sugar Beach as possible.

Black Saturday usually signals the birth of Christ and is revered until Easter Sunday. By 12:00 am, Sunday midnight, we were already at the shore passing around tagay and sucking on glow-in-the-dark lollipops.

Dinners were sometimes spent at the house or at the restaurants near their marketplace. Nothing fancy and pricey but you’d think you are not in a Visayan-speaking place when restaurants are full of white people. So ironic.

Casting: Aoi, Brylle, Wowie, Pau, Aj, Miguel, Joven, Jossa, Jing, Jad, Yves and Ardie

April 1, 2010 – Backlogging seems to be me nowadays. Thank you for those readers who still keep coming back even if my stories are somehow past current times. March, April and May have been a blur, too, and lately, we have been seeing beaches, sand, corals, pump boats, unlimited SPF 30, and lycra. Last holy week in April, we were in Bantayan Island.

For someone who just got there for the first time, I felt like I’ve already been in Bantayan Island. Don’t you sometimes have that feeling whenever you are in ANY province in the Philippines? Except for Vigan whose photos that I see make me want to go there and be transported into time, Bantayan gives you THAT kind of feeling and no, it isn’t sad, it is actually familiar. The island does treat you kindly yet the sight of small streets that you know you’d always end up going back to or beach shores that will forever stick to your toes will already make you feel that you no longer need to bring home sand like you used to do.

 Arriving at the port confirmed our worst suspicions because the queue to get boat tickets were so long. I was warned about the influx of humankind in Bantayan during Holy Week but really it. was. overwhelming. Thoughts of enjoying ever observing holy week flew out of my head already.

Road trip = 3 hours. Boat ride = 1 hr. Total number of hours = 4.

The whole thing had been last minute, too, and we didn’t get a hotel reservation on time. Luckily, my friend Marvin Evangelista, (check out his gig sometimes at the Ayala Center Terraces or Taproom, Banilad) owned a house and was happy to accommodate our friends. We were with Yves, Eden and everyone else, too.

Heading to Sugar Beach. Tents, BBQ, and music – a party was just getting started on Good Friday Night.

Holy Week wouldn’t be complete without binignit!

Sugar Beach Resort had an event going on that weekend and was entirely closed for people who bought tickets and rented tents inside. There were neighboring resorts in the beach so everyone can pretty much enjoy the huge crowd that partied on Friday Night. All I can remember were too much booze, photos and people. It was pretty much the same on Saturday Night, too. I fell asleep on Saturday Night already and didn’t get to join in the beach thing. I feel old but it was pretty much too generic so I didn’t really feel bad.

We roamed around Bantayan on our last day, visited their market and even went to Madridejos, another municipality.
The fact that it was my first visit to Bantayan didn’t give me enough time to really appreciate the island. Everything was so commercial, so dirty and crowded. 

Now, let’s stick to the obvious yet very helpful facts. Getting to Bantayan Island is going to the Northern part of Cebu which means you can either take a bus, a van for hire (VHIRE) or a private car. You will normally find these at the South and North Bus Terminals and get off the Daan Bantayan – the port that will take you to the Island. We hopped on Miguel’s car, skipped the bus fares and sang our way to Bogo and Daan Bantayan. I guess it is more fun and convenient to be on a private vehicle that time because we were pretty certain Bantayan would be so crowded. Have you heard horror stories of people jumping inside windows of the bus just to not miss the trip? They are true. To be continued..

**Text and photos by Kristine Roa. Reproduction without consent is not allowed.

Brought some of my bestfriends here, too and celebrated my birthday dinner here

Check out their menu. Some of these photos are on it:

Beef Set

Seafood Platter

Salmon Skin Maki

Kani-Mango Maki

Cali Maki

Pork Yakiniku Bowl

Buki Sukiyaki Rice

Pork Tunkatsu Bowl

Ebi Fry

Coffee jelly, my FAVORITE.

And of course, there’s Patio Ecila in Asiatown IT Park. Totally out of leftfield but these were photos from the same day.

Guyguy

I miss Sobie (middle)! So happy to see her in Cebu the last time she was here – and by last time is April 23

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**Text and photos by Kristine Roa. Reproduction without consent is not allowed.

In Valencia, Negros Oriental, approximately 11.5 kilometers (says Google) from the provincial capital of Dumaguete City lies the Vicuñas Family pride – Forest Camp.

Check out these major vintage military truck and vehicles.

Above is the family picture and below is the pre-nup hahah!

There was a cute hanging bridge, a tree house, a wishing well, major cool climate, some impressive greenery and a fish pond all for PHP30.00. I don’t think you’d like to go swimming in their spring water pools. It just doesn’t look right.

Two coke bottles and three Selecta ice cream cones later, we left the camp and went straight back to civilization. We stopped over at the newly constructed mall in Robinsons Place Dumaguete and appreciated the high-ceilings, major spacious interior and the convenient souvenir shops right smacked in the center of the mall. And of course, full blast A/C! It is so hot outside and being on that motorcycle for hours doesn’t help.

Sans Rival Cakes and Pastries is located at the 1/F Robinsons Place Dumaguete. You won’t miss it.

 Sans Rival Cakes and Pastries was just right beside Mang Inasal and my friends and I giddily sampled the revered Silvanas and Sans Rival that has been tickling sugar addicts since the 70s. Sorry we didn’t take photos. We had to eat them right away or else they’d melt.

It is amazing how the city and everything else is just within reach in Dumaguete. I can practically relate because I grew up also in small town Cagayan de Oro. I loved how you don’t have to familiarize yourself with trivial stuff such as road blocks, pedestrians and even pedicabs. If you wander along (or motor along) the streets, you’d marvel at how busy Lee Plaza is and why Sundays should be spent in churches at 4pm.

Dumaguete Church and Belfry

Silliman University Road

Heading back to the center of the city

Pedicabs in Dumaguete!

Stopped by PANDA Fried Ice Cream (they have a website!)

Panda Ice Cream – low in fat and sugar, has no preservatives and is both hot and cold – Epic!

This small restaurant has a lot of their menu! GIANT CROWD PLEASER for P250? Wow, wonder what that is! We ordered fried ice cream and spaghetti and felt like we were on a kid’s birthday party that went overdue.

Nah, it is not even half as good as our local Selecta or Magnolia.

Lee and Sheila is just all smiles. We were heading of course to the famous Rizal Boulevard

Explore the entire strip on foot. Though the stench of the saltwater sometimes gets to you, ignore it and think positively. Everything is dramatic in Rizal Boulevard with the streetlamps, the people and a guy singing to Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean in his guitar. We sat on those very tiny monobloc chairs, had tempura and squid balls and stayed there till 7 o’clock in the evening. We returned our motorcycles after paying the rent at P150 (for 8 hours) and had a pedicab take us to the boat terminal. We missed the 8pm bus at Santander and had to wait till one Ceres Liner will leave for Cebu at 9pm.

The entire trip back home was so conclusive of Dumaguete that I knew it would be an entirely different story had we had stayed there overnight. Every minute was worth it and when other people go to beach resorts to unwind, Dumaguete City could almost pass as one of those convivial moments of peaceful places to go to.

I can’t believe I was in Negros Oriental, in Region Seven (VII), Central Visayas. I didn’t know that someday, that Geography or Philippine History class could somehow be useful.

**text and photos by Kristine Roa. Reproduction without consent is not allowed.

 The coastal ride heading there 

Hello, Lab-As. Do you know this restaurant has been here since the 1980s?  

Lovely exteriors! You can eat and dine outside and see all that coastal view. But it was 90 degrees, mind you. 

So yes, you’d rather want A/C and view all these lovely decors. 

You feel like you are inside a modern kitchen with wood finishings. So pretty. 

Lab-As Restaurant’s pancit canton – tasty yet too oily.  

The waiters said this is Lab-as’ version of the Bicol Express – their Lab-As Dumaguete Express. Almost as good as the Bicol Version but no difference really. One caveat – this dish is super spicy hot! And their dishes take forever to be served. What is up with that? We were the only ones dining in Lab-as that time. 

Lab-As Restaurant’s Sinuglaw! Grilled pork in kinilaw sauce – super love! Considering the fact that we were in a famous seafood restaurant in Dumaguete known for their fresh seafood dishes, the sinuglaw and this grilled tuna belly were the only seafood dish we had. Does that mean that once you have eaten seafood, you have eaten them all?  

Lab-as restaurant’s version of the crispy pata. The dish’s serving is small and there were hardly any bones of it. I’d still want my Alejandro’s in Cebu. I remember being full for the time being and was looking for desserts at their menu. Nothing appealed to me at all. Perhaps their famous fried ice cream or sans rival could do the trick. That would be another story, though. *wink* 

Lab-As is not even that expensive and our bill did go past a thousand but hey, there were seven of us and we might as well have been eating at Golden Cowrie and no one would be the wiser. This could work in Cebu but sans the coastal road view and the Dumaguete flavor on it, I’m beginning to think twice. 

**text and photos by Kristine Roa. Reproduction without consent is not allowed

I was a bit groggy and grumpy and hungry but very much ready to get on a bus and just get lost in all that landscape view.  Yes, we can still smile like that. Photo below taken at the South Bus terminal with Chim, Andrea, Lee, Jihan and Randy. The boyfie took this shot.

Now for logistics, should you decide to not bring a car to Dumaguete City, the South Bus Terminal has scheduled trips of Ceres Lines bus from Cebu to Dumaguete that costs P100 from 6:00 am to 7:30 pm to the town of Bato where you get off the terminal to get on a pumpboat to Dumaguete City. Ceres Lines bus from Bato to Cebu schedule starts from 6:00 to 7:00 pm. You’ll be lucky if you get on a bus at 9pm and you’ll find out later why.

A man hops on the bus somewhere along Carcar and started selling chicharon for P20!

The bus dropped us off at the terminal in Bato/Santander where we paid for our P60 ($1.30) boat fare.

Hello! I was talking to my dad here and telling him of this wonderful adventure we are doing.

Getting to Dumaguete City on this 40-minute boat ride was bumpy!

The view outside the boat

Hello, City of Gentle People, we are finally here! The first thing my friends did was rent motorcycles to go around the city. I am scared of motorcycles but if you can’t beat them, join them!

Of course, we took a road more travelled in Silliman University.