SIDE SPLITTING AND THE ART OF WAITING...

I’m happy I’m alive. Praises be to God. I’m so thankful. Let’s all be.

I just came back from a side-splitting and spectacular one of a kind experience.  Hoot, just came back from Cebu, and I so loved it!

So, if you’re a beach bum, a go-getter, or a person who wants to travel to places, I suggest you go to this wonderful city.

If you want to go there, all you need to do is book your flight either to Cebu Pacific (the major carrier of all domestic flights in the Philippines) or Air Phil (the budget carrier of Philippine Airlines). They offer flights at a very reasonable price. (If you’re in a tight budget, you can try to wait for seat sales that they are throwing once in a while.J)

Once you’re there, you can roam around the city and look for a place where you can leave your things. Another tip: don’t bring a LOT of things. It’s not necessary to bring your whole closet with you. Be wise to know what’s going inside your bag and what’s going out. Out! Light baggage minus pressure is equivalent to a happy vacation.

Speaking of happy vacation, I all pictured it as a wonderful trip. But it was not THAT wonderful. I’m not telling this to you all to discourage you from going there; I’m just telling MY story and what had happened. I think our stars were not just right.

First stress of the day: we left around five in the afternoon (that’s Tuesday, January 25) and LUCKILY (+ sarcasm), were able to get a taxi around five-thirty and arrived in Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) after an hour. We arrived there an hour and a half early. Traffic!

My housemate slash interpreter, Minalene, told me that she was trying to check our flight in the net and said that she can’t find it. Huh! Little did we know, our flight was changed. The seven thirty flight became flight 5J 579, 2130H. Nine-thirty!

The early birds became the bored birds. We were so stuck in NAIA. We got nothing to do there but to wait. Wait, wait and wait.

The waiting just blew the beautiful scenery in my mind. Great! Second stress. I smoked the whole night, and my cute sparkling red shoes didn’t fit for the scenario. In my mind, this is supposed to be fine right? Another smoke. 

Lungs and smoke. Good combination.

Then finally, were there on the plane. First time. And there’s a lot of pain in the ear. Ouch! But I love the feeling, though. The feeling of being there… thinking it’s going to be your last… being up in the sky… of flying. Literally.

We arrived at the very rainy Cebu. And the feeling is very exhilarating, and overwhelming. From there, you can ride the airport taxi situated at the right wing of the Mactan International Airport in Lapu-lapu City. The fare is cheaper unlike here in Manila.

The three of us went straight to La Guardia Hotel in downtown Cebu to get some sleep. And eat. Actually, the food and everything in Cebu is pretty cheaper compared here. We ate puso, it’s a heart shape rice wrapped in leaves (I actually don’t know what kind of leaf is that but I bet it’s under the family of coconuts) and fried chicken, cheap P60 good for three persons. Yum! We had to wake up early that day because we need to catch the first bus going to Hagnaya Port going to Santa Fe. We planned to go to the famous Bantayan Island.

Rain and wind greeted us that early next morning. We arrived at the North Bus Terminal around five and waited there in vain until six thirty. I slept the whole time. It’s actually a three hour drive to Hagnaya, the fare is P110 by the way and we finally stepped our feet at the port exactly nine-thirty. The winds and waves is just so angry that day and we had to wait for half a day only to find out that it’s to no avail the ship is cancelled that day, said Philippine Coast Guard and the port people in Santa Fe.Third pain in the ass.

So, after the long hours of waiting, and after eating a ton o’ times at Ate’s barbecue stand, we decided to go to the pension house nearby and took some sleep. I slept for almost twelve hours in a not so spacious room where the three of us tried to fit in a queen sized bed. We slept with our  feet hanging out of it. Cool?

Not so cool.

We woke up five in the morning, again, to catch the first ship going to Santa Fe. The first ship was scheduled six thirty but it was cancelled, again, so we have to wait until eight a.m, again for the next ship. You can ride the Super Shuttle Ferry going to Hagnaya, P140. It’s an hour ship ride to Santa Fe. We prayed before we boarded the ship. One may not know what will happen next.

The ship ride, whoa! It’s a one helluva kind ride. The ship is so big but the waves are persistent. You might think that it’s going to be your last. Minay and I got so dizzy and I was near vomiting. Sea sick! Hoo, I thought I’m going to throw up. Thinking of it makes me massage my throat right now. Dammit.

But before we were able to feel the land again under our feet, another thing happened. That's the same exact thing that the PCG and the port people told us. "The ship will have a hard time to dock at the port. It's an open area and the wind is just too strong." It's now or never, I said to myself.

That's the fourth stress of the trip: learn how to dock a big ship and learn how to go out of the window. See how the mouth of the ship (where people as well as cargo trucks pass) bended itself like an elastic band. Careful!

We arrived there ten a.m, at the beautiful island of Santa Fe and went straight to Kota Beach Resort. And know what, it’s worth the pain… and the wait. Really.

The place is majestic, beautiful and magnificent. Actually, you can’t put words to describe it. It’s just glorious. We were able to get a nice and cozy hut. I had a very good sleep that night. 

By the way, that afternoon of 27th, they didn’t have a scheduled trip for the ships. Weather was such kill joy. So we are so stuck. In a good way. We missed our return flight the next morning. So we have to book another flight and pay for it, again. Fifth agony.

We were able to book a flight for the 29th, 2350H. So Sunday, it’s back to reality. The ship ride going back was such a near death experience that I felt like the ship wanted to go to a 360 degrees turn. Whoa!

Finally, we were in Cebu City again. Sixth stress: the search for a hotel to sleep. We were like stray cats that night when we arrived in Cebu. We inquired to almost seven or eight hotels, which some of them offended us with the price. Good thing, the cab driver suggested us a hotel and told us that there were some eight thousand people attended some kind of convention that’s why the hotels were full. He was actually suggesting a hotel named Verbena and we passed a certain Hotel Stella, which is actually nice and affordable.

 So, we took it. And there we were, comfortable as ever. The food was great! The service was good as well. It’s a new hotel, just had a soft launch last January 8, a day before Sinulog. And I had a breakfast just fit for a queen. Fabulous.

            The next day, we went shopping for pasalubongs and roamed around the city. We ate lechon at the famous CnT, just across SM City Cebu and in front of Radisson BLU Hotel. It was scrumptious! Yum! You should try it.

            Well, the trip and the near-death-experience-that-you-don’t-know-what-will-happen-next moment, taught me two things. When you are faced in this kind of situation, it don’t matter who you are, it don’t matter what status are you in the society, or what nationality. It will just happen, you just don’t know exactly as to when. The only meter that will apply is how great your faith to Him is and how you believe that He can do great things for you.

            I’ve learned the art of waiting. Of waiting in vain… of patiently waiting in vain…

            But it’s worth the wait. It’s worth the pain. Really. And this has been your travel girl, now signing off. 

You know you love me,

~ C ~