I went to Cebu a week ago and to Davao last Thursday. Both are quick trips where I attended two important regional meetings. Both were good trips and I feel confident that the huddles we had will yield positive results in the next months (Go, Team!).

I requested too late for my trip to Cebu so I was very unfortunate to be booked on a Cebu Pacific flight outbound. It was terrible! The ground staff were so impolite and they ask embarrassing questions to passengers out loud! I will really try my best NOT to take any Cebu Pacific flights in the future - cheap rates or not! There's absolutely no excuse for bad customer service. They were very different from the personnel from PAL who even gave me a seat upgrade on my flight to Manila from Davao.

Cebu was a delight as usual! I stayed for less than a day but it was still a joy nonetheless. I arrived 8ish and immediately checked-in to my hotel. I was upgraded to one of their suite rooms but I soon realized that it was freaky to spend a night alone in a very huge room (but the plasma TV was great). I had a late dinner at Bigby's at my now-favorite Ayala Terraces, browse a few books at Fully Booked, took some night shots, and had a very relaxing well-deserved massage at The Spa at Cebu.


The new Ayala Terraces


Grilled Rodeo Chops

I've wanted to try The Spa at Cebu since last year but I never had the chance until last week. The facility is okay and they truly made the effort to make the place relaxing and zen-ish. They adapted some styles and elements from the original The Spa here in Manila (but I think they are not related) and it turned out great. It was by far the best spa massage I had in Cebu. Try it on your next visit.


The Spa at Cebu

Davao did not fail to excite me as always. I was unbelievably stressed and anxious on the trip because I left a ton of work at the office and I unknowingly lost my ATM card on my way out. I only realized that it WAS gone when I was about to withdraw money at the airport. Good thing I have SMART Money so a colleague was able to lend me some moolah through our mobile phones and I was able to withdraw it instantly. The joys of SMART Money! Clearly one of our best innovations ever! It's really handy on "ooppps" moments like these.

The highlight of my Davao trip was probably our dinner at Pard's. Davao is known for its hole-in-the-wall restaurants which serve delicious seafood and grilled delights. We had prawns, fish, crabs and one of the best tasting tuna sashimi I've ever had! It was fresh, thinly sliced, and it doesn't have the funky taste that sashimis usually have. Too bad I wasn't able to bring home some because of an early morning flight the following day.


Durian - the most misjudged fruit in the Philippines


I ordered Chocolate Mousse from Room Service. Yummy.


Early morning at Davao International Airport.
Travel SMART, of course!

One of the most memorable moments I had on this trip was my first taste of Durian (the most misjudged fruit in the whole Philippines). I've had durian candies and shakes before but I've never tasted the actual fruit. The smell was so weird that even if it was good it was still weird for me. I took just a bite and gave up on it entirely. Sorry! :)