A Quick Baguio-Elyu Trip (August 2026)

 

August 24–26, 2026

It’s nice to be back in Baguio and Elyu!

For a work trip, I got to visit these two memorable places once again.

More than a decade ago, I had a solo trip here as part of my healing journey.

It’s just a quick trip this time, same as before.

Our first stop was Baguio City. We left Manila at 9 in the morning via Victory Liner Express.

After six hours, we reached Baguio and were off to work. We went straight to La Trinidad.

After work, we rode a taxi to Burnham Park and looked for a hotel to stay in.

We checked in at a hotel near Burnham Park on Kisad Road. The name of the hotel was City Travel Hotel.

After settling down, we went out for dinner.

We just walked to Burnham Park and ate at the food stalls.

We had siomai, shawarma, enoki rolls, sweet corn, and grilled balut.

Then we did what I had really been looking forward to—and that was biking! It was already dark, but I enjoyed it. We paid 100 pesos for a single bike, which was good to use for one hour. For a go-kart, the rental was 150 pesos per hour.

The child in me was so happy!

It was already almost 10 in the evening when we decided to go back to the hotel to rest.

Good morning, Baguio! This was a nice window view from our hotel. It was facing the back of Burnham Park.

For this day, our work destination was Tuba, Benguet.

But before that, we had breakfast at the famous Good Taste Restaurant.

We ordered chicken with rice and veggies. The serving was big and worth the price.

We then rode a taxi to Tuba.

After work, we went back to our hotel to check out at 12 noon.

We rode a taxi again to the bus terminal near SM.

We took a bus going to Bauang, La Union. I took a short nap while on the bus. It was an hour of trip or so going ti Bauang.

Upon reaching Bauang, La Union, we did our work.

Then, after our second work assignment, we took a bus to San Juan, La Union, to check in.

We chose JV Aplaya Lodge. It was a cheap but decent room. We paid 1,700 pesos for one night. The room had air conditioning, its own CR, a bunk bed, and a single bed. It was quite small but enough for us to move around.

After settling down, we went to the beach to witness the beautiful sunset.

It was a bit cloudy, but at least the sun peeked through for a minute.

We took some photos. When it was already dark, we looked for a place to eat. We ordered a seafood boil, boodle-style, good for two, which cost us 499 pesos.

Then it was time to rest. Good night, Elyu. It was nice seeing your waves again.

The next day, we woke up at 7 a.m. and went to the beach for a morning dip.

Then we went back to our hotel to rinse off.

 We had breakfast at a nearby 7-Eleven. The 7-Eleven here was huge and nice. It looks like a café. It rained a bit so we had stayed longer inside.

When the rain stopped, we then went back to the hotel to check out.

We rode a tricycle to the bus terminal, and our next destination was Pangasinan.

We went to Pangasinan for a work trip as well.

By 6 in the evening, we took a bus back to Manila.

We reached home by midnight. I’m going to end my blog post here.

Thanks for reading!

Cebu-Iloilo-Davao Trip for Work (March 2026)

I am just so happy and grateful.

Because of work, I was blessed to travel at all expenses paid. Even though I went to Cebu, Iloilo and Davao for work, it always feels great to fly! It also felt nice to be back in these places I love. Traveling even locally excites me every time I was given the chance to go.

Here’s the breakdown of my itinerary for the past two weeks I was out for official business.

March 16-17, 2026

My first flight was going to Cebu City. Specifically, in Mandaue City because my work location was there. My flight was at 6 am and I was already in Cebu at past 7 in the morning. I had a breakfast at Jollibee which is inside the airport. Then at past 8 am, I was already at work. 

After work, I checked in at Metropark Hotel Mandaue. 

After settling down my stuff, I went outside for dinner. My feet brought me to SM Jmall - just a walking distance from my hotel. I had Japanese food for dinner. 

Then back to my hotel to have an early sleep. I was already awake by 3 am.

The next day, good morning, Cebu! I went to Mandani for a quick run. And despite the low energy, I’m glad that I showed up to see the sunrise. Mandani is a perfect place to see the morning sun. I went there via riding a taxi since I am not familiar with the area. The driver dropped me off exactly where I wanted to go. My sleepy eyes had a sudden burst. I was loving what I was seeing during that time. A mini boulevard with a nice landscaping on the right side and a lovely sea with a peeking sun on the left side. That’s the best way to start the day! Sea, sun, and a great view, a breather. 

There were also a lot of people who were running and walking. I run and walk for at least 3 kilometers. And of course, my phone gallery had additional files. I took a lot of photos. It’s my first time to be here so why not seized it.

By 7:30, I was already back to my hotel via grab car. I had my breakfast and then went back to my room for wash up and checked out. 

At past 8 am, I was already at work. For lunch time, our sales team in Cebu brought me to a local eatery. We had beef stew and corn rice. It’s my first time to try it and I enjoyed it!

Then at 5pm, I was already back at the airport to catch my flight bound for Iloilo.

It was a 30-minute flight, but I was able to take a short nap. Good evening, Iloilo! I rode a van going to SM City Iloilo and had my dinner there. I had burger steak with egg. Then I rode a taxi going to my hotel.

 

March 18-19, 2026

Good morning, Iloilo!

I chose not to run this morning when I woke up because I got so tired from last night’s trip.

I took a lot of walks while waiting for my boarding time at Cebu Airport. It’s like a mall inside.

I had breakfast on the nearby 7/11 and had my favorite DIY iced coffee; it’s black coffee with oat milk and with a lot of ice before going to work.

We had group lunch at SM market Terminal Iloilo in a local restaurant.

At 4 pm, I was already back in hotel for a quick rest, and I also took a bath. Then I went out for a walk.

I went to Iloilo Esplanade.

I also went to Iloilo Capitol, Iloilo National Museum, then went to Gaisano Mall for pasalubong buying.

For dinner, I just bought a take-out of chicken inasal. I ate it in my hotel room.

And I went to bed early.

 

The following day, I took a one-hour run at Esplanade.

I got up at 5:30 am.

I filled my eyes with beautiful things while walking or running, while I filled my heart with gratefulness.

I am just so happy with everything that I have in my life right now.

I am privileged enough to travel for work – all expense paid.

I had breakfast again on the nearby 7/11. Then at 8:30 am, I checked out and went to work.

At 4 pm, I’m already at the airport waiting for my boarding time.

By past 8 in the evening, I was already home.

I felt nice to travel but it’s also one of the best feelings in the world to be home with my family, husband and furbabies.

Thank you, Lord, for everything.

 

March 25-27, I was back in Davao City for work again.

For my Day 1, I was already in the airport at 4 am and waiting for my boarding time at past 5 am.

At 8 am, I was already at work.

By lunch time, I joined our Davao team.

Then at 5 pm, I checked in at my hotel and went out again for dinner. I went to a nearby Japanese restaurant and ordered my favorite chicken rice meal.

After dinner, I went back to my hotel room to rest and for an early sleep.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t sleep. Maybe because of the coffee I drank at 2 pm. I bought a coffee near our store because I was so sleepy after lunch.

I slept at past 12 midnight.

 

The following day, I planned to run but it rained all morning. I even went out but the rain started to fall so I went back inside the hotel.

After taking a bath, I just had breakfast at the hotel. Then I rode a taxi going to my work location and started to work at past 8 am.

It stopped raining by after lunch.

One of our sales team went with me to have lunch and we also went to Magsaysay Park to buy some pasalubong for our officemates in Manila.

Then we went back to store to continue to work.

At 5 pm, I rode a taxi again going back to my hotel.

For dinner, I just ate at Mcdo. I also bought a mini chocolate cake at Red Ribbon for dessert. I ate it at the hotel.

Then I slept early.

 

The next day, I finally had the chance to run properly.

I went to Azuela Cove and it’s a nice place to run.

It has a seaside where you can walk or jog.

There’re also a lot of people who were walking or jogging.

The scenery is beautiful.

Finally, the sun went out gracefully today. And it kissed the sea and the nearby Samal Island.

My eyes were filled with wonderful views again.

I soaked in the morning sun before going back to my hotel.

Today’s my last day here in Davao.

And I hope to be back again soon.

I work until 3 in the afternoon.

At 2pm, I went to a nearby church to pray and say thank you.

At past 3 pm, our sales team drove me to the airport.

And by 9 in the evening, I was already at home.

Home sweet home. I was safe and sound.

And thank you, Lord God for this week’s trip.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zamboanga-Basilan DIY Trip (February 2026)

 

On your birthdays, go to places you have never been yet.  And I promise you, it’s a core memory waiting to be unlocked.

Thank God for all the graces and provisions that I can still afford to have out of town trips.

I will always be grateful for strength, time and resources.

For my birthday trip this year, our destinations were Zamboanga City and Basilan.

Yey! Mindanao provinces have always been my dream places to visit.

I bought our plane tickets last November during the 11:11 sale.

While our tours and accommodation were booked via Klook and Trip.com.

Here’s the complete itinerary of our 4-day and 3 nights trip:

For Day 1:

At 2 am, we’re already on our way to the airport to catch our 3:45 boarding time via Cebu Pacific at NAIA terminal 3.

At 6 am, Bienvenidos Zamboanga!

What a beautiful way to witness the sunrise!

From the airport to the hotel, we just took a walk. It was more than 2KM walk.

Somewhere in the middle of our walkathon, we went to a local restaurant to have breakfast.

It was Mang Tinapay a local fast-food chain and bakeshop there. We tried their Mi Goreng and Knicker bucker.

After eating, we’re back to walking going to our hotel. We checked in at Urban Hotel which is in the city center.

We took a nap then we went out to have lunch. 

We walked again going to the city hall and there’s a nearby street food place where we had our lunch. We bought Mi Goreng with egg and rice. It’s yummy and it’s cheap! But just eat at your own risk. If your stomach is not sensitive, then I guess you can also enjoy the food as much as we did.

After lunch, we went to the city hall, 

Then we walked to Fort Pilar. We passed through Paseo Del Mar, but we didn’t go inside because we have a scheduled tour there by Monday.

So, we headed to the Shrine of Our Lady of Virgil Pilar to visit the church and said thank you.

We also fed the pigeons!

Then we went to the Fort Pilar museum to see the different exhibits featuring the rich culture and tradition of Zamboanga, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-tawi.

Walking around Fort Pilar feels like we’re back in Manila inside Fort Santiago.

At 2 pm, we went back to the hotel to freshen up.

At 4 pm, we went outside again. First, we tried Satti. I enjoyed it but my husband didn’t like it. He’s not a fan of curry.

Then we walked again going to RT Lim Boulevard for sunset viewing and cheap food trip which was my favorite part.

We ate chicken pastil or patil, we had ice cream and some nuts.

When the sun went down, we went back to our hotel to rest early. We’ll have an early travel time the following day.

 

For our day 2, we got up at 4:30 am to prepare. We checked out of our hotel at 5 am and our boat schedule was at 6 am.

We rode a tricycle going to Zamboanga Port. And our destination for this day was Isabela, Basilan. We booked a ticket online and we rode Weesam.

It was an hour journey going to Basilan from Zamboanga. We had our breakfast inside the boat. We bought coffee, siopao and patil.

At 7 am, we’re already in Isabela Port, Basilan.

Our local tour guide met us there.

We first had a city walk tour before going to Malamawi Island.

Our first destination was their local market. 

We also tried the Pajam, it’s a sweetened rice cake.

It was Sunday and perfect timing for a church visit to Sta. Isabel Cathedral. 

Then we went to Basilan Provincial Capitol.

Next was we’re on our way to the boulevard or to their port going to Malamawi Island. Before we took a boat ride, we had a short stop at a nearby local food store and tried their different sweetened rice/ flour delicacies.

Next was our boat ride to Malamawi Island. It’s just a 15-minute ride.

Then we rode a tricycle going to White Beach Resort.

We had spare time for photo ops, leisure and swimming.

We even had a yummy lunch at the resort. We had a package fee that included lunch meal.

Then we’re back to Basilan main island.

It’s early for our boat ride back to Zamboanga so we still had time to try the Authentic Pastil. We rode a tricycle going to a house where they sell it. Pastil is an empanada style but with bihon on the inside deep in peanut sauce and chili vinegar.

We’re back to Isabela Basilan Port to ride a roro back to Zamboanga City.

Basilan is a peaceful province, with beautiful white sandy beaches and I won’t regret visiting it.

As we were back in Zamboanga City, we rode a tricycle going to Two Seasons Hotel in Tumaga. We checked in at 4 pm.

Then we went outside again because it’s just a walk away going to Masjid Rainbow – colorful mosque.

For our dinner, we ate at a local restaurant near the hotel. We had batchoy and sisig. We also ordered sweet corn shake.

 

Thank you for the beautiful Day 2!

For our day 3, 

We woke up at 5:30 am because the tour will fetch us at 7 am.

After preparing, we went down to have breakfast. We had free breakfast.

At 7 am, our tour guide was already in the hotel waiting for us.

Then we went to Paseo Del Mar.

Our destination for this day was Sta. Cruz Island. It’s a fifteen-minute boat ride from Paseo Del Mar.

We had a briefing first before riding the boat.

Then for our first stop upon reaching Sta. Cruz Island is the Mangroves tour. We were able to see a portion of the 1877 hectares protected area. It’s a one-hour slow/motorless boat ride with a tour guide leading the way and explaining some details about the island. 

We also got to experience holding a stingless jellyfish. According to the locals, there were only 5 types of stingless jellyfish in the world and one of them lives here. They call it lazy jellyfish because they lay on the sea ground for a long time.

We also tried eating sea grapes or lato.

After the boat tour, we also tried riding the Vinta boat in which Zamboanga is well known.

Then we’re off to the little Sta. Cruz Island via 5 minutes boat ride to see and experience the white sand bar which is only visible during low tide or morning.

Since it was a Monday, we’re the only visitors as if we rented the whole island.

We just took some photos and then we’re back to the main island or to the Great Sta. Cruz Island.

We had some spare time for swimming and photo ops.

Our tour package that we booked via Klook also provided a simple snack for us. They cooked us lukot-lukot (sweetened deep fried rice flour) and unlimited black coffee.

We explored the island a little bit.

There were also locals who were selling accessories and so I bought some bracelets for souvenirs and pasalubong.

The sand is pinkish white and pure, and the water is crystal blue. Thank God for the good and sunny weather that we seized the day!

For lunch time, they provided a grand boodle style food! It was quietly a lot for just the two of us. But we surely enjoyed it!

We also shared the food with the locals because we cannot finish it all.

Words are hard to find expressing how amazed I was for that short period of our stay on the island. I’m just so grateful that we pushed through this trip.

At 2 pm, we’re back in Zamboanga City, in our hotel. We washed up and took a rest.

At 4 pm, we went to Canelar Barter to buy some pasalubongs for our loved ones back home.

We bought Malongs, Old town coffee, Cadbury powdered chocolate drink, and wallets.

Most of the products they are selling are from Malaysia since they are near that country – just a boat ride away.

After the buying session, we went back to the city center to eat Mi Goreng. We also tried some local food like Pyanggang – chicken cooked in coconut and Tiyulah Itum – beef innards in color black. It tastes like Papaitan to me.

 

And then we’re back at the hotel. We rode a jeep back to our hotel.

The following day, which was my birthday, was our scheduled flight going back to Manila at 2 pm.

This trip for my birthday is a core memory. It’s been a dream to explore all the provinces of Mindanao and I’m so happy to fulfill it one province at a time.

Thank you, Lord God for the provision, for the safe travels and for the happiness you let me have.

All Glory to God.

Happy birthday, Self!

To more places worth exploring.

 

 

Here’s the summary of our itinerary. I’ve also included our expenses (for two pax) – 2026 rate.

Itinerary

Day 1:

·       City Tour Zamboanga City

·       City Hall/ Provincial Capitol/ Plaza Pershing

·       Fort Pilar Shrine / Our Lady of Virgil Pilar

·       Fort Pilar Museum

·       Paseo Del Mar

·       Tried eating Knickerbocker, Satti, Patil

·       RT Lim Boulevard – sunset viewing

 

Day 2:

·       Basilan

·       Ride a Jetboat (Weesam/Montenegro Shipping Lines) from Zamboanga City Port to Isabela City, Basilan Port (1 hr boat ride)

·       City Tour at Isabela City Basilan

·       Market walk, try Basilan delicacies (Pajam, Lokot-lokot and other sweet delicacies)

·       Church Visit – Sta. Isabel Cathedral

·       Basilan Provincial Capitol

·       Boat ride to Malamawi Island, White Beach Resort

·       Leisure time/Swimming time

·       Lunch at the resort

·       Back to Basilan main island

·       Tried Authentic Pastil (empanada style but bihon on the inside deep in peanut sauce and chili vinegar)

·       Back to Isabela Basilan Port – ride a roro back to Zamboanga City (1 hr boat ride)

·       Back to hotel

·       Masjid Rainbow – colorful mosque

·       Dinner – tried chicken pyanggang, tiyulah itum

 

Day 3:

·       Package tour from Klook started at 7AM

·       Hotel pick up going to Paseo Del Mar – van ride

·       15 mins. Boat ride going to Sta. Cruz Island

·       Tour at the lagoon with mangroves

·       Touch the stingless jellyfish

·       Experience Vinta boat ride

·       Boat ride to Little Sta Cruz Island white sand bar

·       Boat ride back to The Great Sta. Cruz Island

·       Leisure time/ Swimming time at the Great Sta. Cruz Island

·       Lunch – boodle fight style care of tour package

·       2PM Back to Zamboanga City (mainland)

·       Back to Hotel to wash off

·       Pasalubong buying at Canelar Barter Trade

·       Dinner at City downtown, tried Zamboanga delicacies (Mi Goreng, Patil, etc.)

 

Day 4:

Flight back to Manila

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Total Expenses for two pax:

·       8,000 - Plane tickets (two way), booked via 11:11 seat sale

·       1,300 – Hotel Day 1

·       500 – Weesam Express boat going to Basilan

·       2,000 – Basilan Tour (includes boat ride, tricycle, resort package, tour guide fee)

·       500 – Weesam Express boat back to Zamboanga

·       3,000 – Hotel Day 2 and 3 (2 nights with free breakfast)

·       10,000 – Sta. Cruz Island tour (all in)

·       5,000 – Estimated for city transpo, food and pasalubong

30,300.00 – Grand Total (in Philippine Peso) or $500+ in US dollars