*This post is a continuation from Lunar New Year in Canton, China and Philippines Food & Travel Diary, Part I – Cebu City*
For the second part of our Philippines journey, we escaped city life to find solace at Nick’s aunt’s nipa hut on the beach. We traveled three hours in a little van along a continuous stretch of coastline to Santander, the southernmost tip of Cebu island. My knuckles were nearly white from gripping my seat through the tumultuous drive, during which we shared the road with animals, pedestrians, and various open “vehicles” with no regard for traffic rules. The scenery beyond my window definitely helped, though.
Carefree children playing outside their homes:
After getting dropped off at our destination, we hiked briefly through a jungle of sorts before reaching signs of inhabitants, as indicated by tethered cows, goats, pigs, and other livestock. Here I am in my travel OOTD – Nick’s tee (had to conserve my one and only outfit on the trip) and my sexy JanSport knapsack from middle school (conveniently left behind in China back then, now suddenly useful):
Upon arriving at the nipa hut, the simple beauty of it all took my breath away. This picture captures the essence of our stay…the basic structure of the home, the wooden boats lounging on the shore, the forlorn stray dog, and the proximity to the serene ocean. The only things missing are the pesky chickens.
The original base of the hut got washed away a decade ago, and was replaced with cement:
One of my first naive questions was how stuff doesn’t get stolen from the home with roll-up walls. Nick’s aunt gave a little chuckle and responded “There’s nothing to steal…”
Activities during day-to-day hut life included snorkeling (but there sure were a lot of sea urchins) and rowing in a “banca” boat. It was my first time snorkeling and I was easily fascinated by all the starfish down under. Unfortunately, I panicked each time a little water got inhaled/leaked in and thrashed uncontrollably at the urchins.
We did quite a bit of laundry due to our light packing. Below left: Washing clothes by the water tap, keenly keeping a side eye out for the aggressive chickens who walked around like they owned the place. Although they roamed freely, they each had a little leg tag marking the family whom they belonged to. Below right: The “dining” gazebo doubled as a clothes line.
As much as I’d like to say I transitioned to this way of life seamlessly, one of the biggest surprises to me were cold showers. The first night, I stood in the bathroom for a good ten minutes twisting the water knobs in every combo possible before asking for help – and being met with amused smiles.
I loved tagging along with Nick’s aunt to buy meals. The muddy coolers by the side of the road served as storefronts for fishing families. Salted and then grilled, these were satisfying with rice.
The neighboring homes:
The volume of stray dogs in the Philippines broke my heart. It’s not something we see often where we live, but it was prevalent at every turn during this trip.
Are you my mommy? …no…
Are you my mommy?
As one would expect, this water-surrounded area was largely a fishing village. We observed numerous small boats going out at dawn, manned by bronzed fishermen with nets swung over their shoulders. Nick and I stood out like ghosts in comparison ; )
Fishermen pulled up outside our hut with the morning’s catch. One came and handed a friendly offering through our open walls:
The incredibly vibrant colors, a theme throughout this trip:
Living in the States, I love my share of processed and fast food. It felt different being so close to our meals. Seeing Juanita (the household helper) harvest plants and grab a squawker from the yard, then being served chicken and veggie stew a few hours later, was strangely startling to me.
Juanita preparing dinner (gift from the fishermen, also present):
The main road was more lively and lined with storefronts and vendors. I was so pleased to find one of my biggest guilty pleasures, fried chicken, to be plentiful throughout the Philippines. Locals would scoot up to this stand in mopeds and exchange coins for a tasty snack. I couldn’t help but indulge as well! The chopped up crispy-skinned pork was also delicious.
Cooling off by the main road with Coke in refillable bottles.
Nick has told me of so many fond memories from his aunt’s hut, such as napping lazily on the open porch, dodging sea urchins in the ocean, and eagerly waiting for the beach side vendors selling mangoes and sweet sticky rice. It felt wonderful for me to experience some of these things from his childhood. I have to thank his family for an incredible, authentic experience which I could not have had as a mere tourist.
Thank you for reading and for letting me share my travels with you!
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hi im sharing this post on my fb page..thanks! I love the way you write btw!
hi im sharing this post on my fb page. Thanks! I love the way you write btw!
Love your blog! What type of crossbody are you using here? It looks like the perfect size for travel.
i live in the united states now but im from cebu,philippines.. im so happy to see your post
Kind of a wonderful escape to a simpler life! Love the doggie narratice!
Thanks for sharing your trip photos! You're so lucky to have gotten to see the real Phillipines and not just the tourist traps, although the cold showers and constant laundry might be something I wouldn't mind miss out on lol
Thank you Jean for sharing this with us. Kudos to Nick for sharing his childhood memories with you. Even though he lives in US now but he never forgets his roots and his heritage.
xo
Sam
http://fabulouspetite.blogspot.com
Loved this post Jean. I need to pack light like you when I go on vacation. Honestly, it doesn't matter what you wear when you visit family and enjoy the simpler things in life.
P.S. That's my chicken. 😉
OMG. Best. Post. Ever. Or at least top 5. My second comment ever and I love this. I can identify with the stray dogs, cold showers, roadside stands and yummy fresh food(it's similar to where I am originally from)
I totally lol about your comment about the cold shower. I remember asking my mom why do they have two knobs for their shower if choices are cold and very cold haha! But I really enjoyed your posts it's nice that you had a different experience and not the typical supposed 5 star tourist trap locations.
Thank you for sharing this wonderful experience with us. Now I want to go traveling.
Warm regards,
Grace
Great post! I grew up in Thailand and it seems like food culture is very similar…I terribly miss the mangoes and sticky rice, fried chicken stands, refreshing drinks off the street (especially the ones in little plastic bags). It made me very homesick indeed 🙂
Hi Jean! It's great that you opt to stay at the kubo and not in some 5-star resort. All those glamorous hotels and resorts do not reflect the real situation in the Philippines. Glad you enjoyed the trip! 🙂
I love your travel posts! I love to travel and love a mix of tourist and local experiences. You just sold me on the Phillipines. We are adding that to our list of places we need to visit!
Hello 🙂
today I found your blog and I have to tell oyu something:
You are the most beautiful women I have ever seen!
I looked at all you posted otfits, and you are getting better and better and better…
Thank you so much for your inspiration!
For private it is too "business" for me, but for my work it is wonderful!
Thank you, honey!
I will follow you!
xoxo
http://lapeace-lifestyle.blogspot.de/
Thank you for this delightful post of Cebu. Cebu is one of the larger islands that not many people inside the US had heard of, since Bohol's chocolate hills and Manila's capital is the most well-known. When I have traveled to Cebu, my outfits weren't really anything special — baggy tee and shorts. Could you let us know some great island getaway outfits that are heat friendly? The towns outside of the city provide a wonderful fresh and relaxing feeling, since it's more cooler at night. But the city is way too hot and somewhat humid.
Hi Jean! I've been reading your blog for awhile, but this is my first time commenting. I enjoyed your Philippines posts immensely. My husband and I reside in Texas currently, but he is from Cebu – we actually had our wedding there this past February. I was fortunate enough to spend time on the beach, and a few days in the city as well. It was fun reading about the Philippines from the POV of another Chinese girl. I'm looking forward to more travel posts!
Is that person in "Picture 3" by any chance wearing a Boston University basketball t-shirt?
Hi! Jean went to Cebu but I recommend for you to go to Palawan if you want to visit the Philippines 🙂 Coron, Puerto Princesa(where you can find the Underground River, a world heritage site), & El Nido. If you have some cash to burn though, I suggest Amanpulo Resort 🙂
Beautiful pictures and post. Thank you for sharing your travel with us.
You might find this pretty weird but I know exactly where the first photo was taken – it was in Boljo-on, Cebu, right? Though my siblings and I were raised in Naga City (south of Manila, in Luzon), my mom grew-up in Boljo-on. My parents used to take us there every school break so we could get in touch with our cousins from Cebu.
I've moved here in the US in 1995 and I've been back a few times to see my mom who still lives in Luzon, but never really found the time to visit Cebu. Looking at your photos brought back memories – me playing with my cousins on the beach, me taking cold showers, and me staring at the "hill" shown in the photo. Thanks for sharing…