Today, the 20th of March, my high school best friends and I are celebrating our 11th year of friendship and I would like to share a wonderful reunion, we celebrated last year.
When I moved here in Cebu a few years back I had been traveling from north to south and west. I have been to a lot of places in Cebu and when I shared the photos on facebook with my high school best friends, they always asked me to tour them around Cebu. I offered to host them at my place in Cebu- To celebrate our reunion, and they were excited for the vacation!
Allyssa (@chabbychacha), Romela & Floriza (@florizdemayo)
Jocelyn wanted to see The Temple of Leah while Allyssa wanted to go to the beach on the south side of Cebu. Rodien wanted to see the 10 thousand roses in Lapu-Lapu city but it was impossible to visit all of these places in just one day since they are all spread over Cebu, and not to mention the travel time.
I suggested that we just go to the mountain side of Cebu since we have beautiful beaches in our hometown anyways, and as for Rodien I told her we will be visiting a garden park with real flowers because the one in Lapu-Lapu city are handmade roses only, yes they use 10k roses but I think we'd rather want to see natural flowers. ;D
Finally, I was able to convince them with the itinerary I planned.
Three hours of sleep wasn't enough for us, but since we were all excited for the day- It made it more tolerable than starting a work shift! One at a time we took a shower, at my old place we had two showers so we saved ourselves some time.
Even though I don't eat breakfast, it would not be nice of me not to offer my friends something to eat since they're used to eating breakfast at home. Luckily I had some premade made sweet potato tortilla in the fridge so cooked it in the pan after I rolled it and made scrambled eggs and salsa for the dip.
A few days before our get together, I was able to book a seven-seater van that would take us on our day tour. Some tour agencies will charge you higher fee so in order for us to save some money I looked through olx.com and there's a ton of vehicles for rent and I chose the cheapest price, for just PHP 5000 for all day in one route. So to round it off it's 834pesos each and my friends were happy to know that I was able to get this deal, they don't have to worry about getting broke after this trip. ;p
Our driver picked us up right outside my place and without wasting any time we headed on the road started our day tour. On the road, we go!
Temple of Leah
- Entrance Fee: 50/person
A 10-minute ride from my place is a Roman-inspired temple that still a work in a progress being built of the husband dedicating his 53 years of love to his late wife, named Leah.
This temple is on the hilltop of Busay and from here you will see the view of the city and the islands beyond if the weather perfectly sunny.
I read somewhere on the internet that if you come here in group you will get a discount on the entrance fee but unfortunately we didn't get any discount at all, lol
I remember I was complaining on how they raised the entrance fee because the first time I visited here they were only charging 25pesos and they were still doing construction. Then I noticed my friends were just eager to go inside and curious to see the huge building. So I held back my frustration because I didn't want to waste our time arguing with the collector.
The only problem with going to this place with a car is that it's hard to find a parking since the road is really narrow and they don't have their own parking lot. It was a good thing that we got here in the morning, the place wasn't as busy.
Lantaw Native Restaurant
This place is just a few minutes walk from Temple of Leah like literary you can just walk to get here but mind you the road going up is very steep and you can see the temple and the view of the city from the restaurant.
When we got here, the restaurant wasn't ready to take our order, since they weren't open for another 30 minutes- However they allowed us to sit and let us ordered drinks while waiting for them to open. @florizdemayo and I both ordered a hot coffee while the rest ordered some juices.
The host came to our table and was ready to take our order. We picked on the menu that we all wanted to have on our plates. While waiting for our food, we took our time talking about the memories of our high school days and it's always fun to look back on the silly stuff we did during our high days. Oh how we miss the life with no responsibilities! :)
Having been here so many times the food can be hit-or-miss, but still decent compared to many other restaurants in town. Since Lantaw likes to use a lot of salt when cooking, I asked the waitress to put less salt in the dishes we ordered.
P.s. This restaurant is permanently closed at this location, since they relocated to Tops Skyline Garden of Cebu (just 10 minutes further uphill).
Sirao Garden
*Entrance Fee: 50/person
Time to see the beautiful flowers of Sirao!
This was my first time to visit this garden and I'd be honest, it is not a year-round of full bloom flower season so there might be areas where you can see that the flowers are just about to bloom. When we got here, we got lucky to see a lot of beautiful blossoms all around us.
You can also rent a cottage for only 20pesos if you and your friends are planning to picnic here and you can bring your own food.
It took us some time to get some pictures since the sun was scorching that afternoon when we got there. We rested in an open cottage which was free of charge and looked around to find a perfect spot to take our photos together and of course solo. ;)
We were all so jumpy when we saw the flowers and the view in the camera it's indeed a picturesque place. We took turns to take our solo photos.
When we were walking back to the car we saw a food stall selling some rice cakes wrapped in banana leaves for very cheap so Jocelyn and I bought enough for everyone to share and some for the driver. You'll find a lot of food stalls selling different kinds of fruits and Filipino snacks. Don't miss out the rice cakes and fried bananas they're one of the Filipinos favorite snacks.
West 35, Balamban
*Entrance Fee: 50/person consumable
About 30 minutes away from Sirao Garden is a Resort called West 35.
A very nice resort on the mountain and perfect to chill. If you go here on weekdays, the entrance is consumable but none-consumable on weekends. They also have available rooms if you want to spend the night or if you interested in their tour package including the zip line and city tour as far as I remember it was 2,800 per person.
They have recycled tires in the playground and hanging bridge where you can off-leash your kids or perhaps for adults who want to have fun and go back to their childhood ;D
I had been back here six or seven times and I must say the food I had here was way better than Lantaw. They have their own garden where they grow most of their vegeatables and free-range chickens. We only ordered drinks since we were still full from our lunch at Lantaw.
Our favorite place to hang out here was the upper viewing deck on the restaurant which gave us the lushest view of the surrounding landscape and mountains. It's probably one of the highest peaks in Balamban and it can get really cold at night and even have thick fog.
Adventure Cafe, Balaman
On the way back, we stopped at this decent looking cafe called 'Adventure Cafe'.
We didn't really have a plan to visit this place but since we still have enough time we didn't want to just pass it, so we decided to do a quick tour. Just like West 35, the view here is breathtaking- Green everywhere!
If you are an adventure seeker and want to challenge yourself, this place offers a lot of activities such as; ziplining, trekking, wall climbing and even a cave and waterfall tour. If we only had one more day together- We'd love to visit the cave and the waterfall but the tour was a whole day activity so we would not have been able to do other stuff and plus we didn't know this until we got to the cafe.
Well, the good thing is, I was able to try the zipline to pacify my adrenaline rush, since I had too much energy and wanted to do something extreme. Although this wasn't an extreme activity for some people, it was for my best friends, haha! So I was the only one who was brave enough to do this activity (charot!) ;D
Although it's only 256 meters, you get to do it back and forth for only 150 which I think is a good deal. I would have probably done two more rounds if I wasn't afraid of my friends getting bored and I want them to spend more time with them.
Tops Cebu
- Entrance Fee: 100/person
Our last stop is Tops Lookout, less than ten minutes away from Temple of Leah.
This where you can glimpse the best panoramic view of the city and nearby islands at day time; And if you happen to stay until evening-You'll appreciate more the beauty of this place. It feels romantic at night with all the glowing lights and perfect for stargazing if the sky is not cloudy.
Of all the people here, we were the loudest ones, we did some funny stuff that made us all die in laughter. I guess it's one of the perks of having crazy, cool friends and having each other that day was very special. Just look at these photos below, we all had a great time! ;)
I just hope they don't charge much for the entrance fee but nevertheless, the visit was worthwhile and took some nice photos to add to our album and memories.
I wanted them to see the view of the city at night but since we didn't want to get stuck in traffic so we left around 5:45 pm.
Allyssa had to left that night because of her work schedule, but it was nice that my other friends stayed for another night and left at dawn.
There were only two of our friends who missed this gathering, Fatima who was pregnant at that time and Shenalyn who couldn't just book a ticket and fly to the Philippines because she works in Dubai and she wasn't able to get her vacation leave approved. ;(
Even though it was a short visit, nobody could take those golden memories that we shared for the rest of our lives and rather it kept our bonds closer especially Floriza since she lives here in Cebu. I am looking forward to seeing my other high school best friends soon and share again the fun and laughter. ;)
Thank you, everyone, for taking the time to read. It means a lot to me and I really appreciate your time. Our best friends are our extended family. I hope you will take the time to visit or call your them and let them know how much they mean to you. ;)
XOXO,
Gilaine
what a adventure ! Great:D
Upvoted dear
WOW, stunning places! I really miss my school companions. its been morea than a decade that i never attend our alumni or even just a simple gathering of my classmates.
Marami din pla magagandang places sa cebu, nkapunta ako jan once pero maybe soon visit ulit ako jan :)
daghan npud mga steemians sa cebu, woohhoooo :)
HEY WRITE NEW POST https://steemit.com/travel/@jokercry/10-reasons-to-visit-antalya-turkey READ AND UPVOTE PLEASEE
yes so many sis, you should visit sometimes
Wow! I had been there at Leah's Temple a Roman-inspired Temple during our seminar at Ecotech Cebu. It is a nice place. I am enjoying reading your posts.
Waaaah! Dapat @micch meada ta hine nga knda ate. Hahaha,
hahaha permi man kamo nagkikirtia ha guiuan
astig kayo madam oi, ayos kaayo inyo gi adtuan
Ang ganda naman dyan!! love the photos lalo na yong solo ka sa flowers!
You are beautiful inside and out!
Missin my high school friends:(:( college friends too.
ngayon mga cyber friends na lang wabhahahah ayaw nilang mag steemit eh! hmp!!
So happy for you that you can still keep in touch with them
Real friends are forever!! Stay beautiful xoxo
Thanks for your love and support.
love the footer gift from Teom? hehehe
makita mo kaya e2? ang haba na naman d2 trafficcccc
thank you sis
haha yaan mo darating din yan dito haha
haha matagal na yang nag aantay mag lagay ako ng footer, naghihiya lang magsabi, gi send lang niya yung image sa fb haha
haha kita ko to, may ctrl +f d ba? haha
Good morning @purepinay ,how are you doing. Sorry for the late comment on this post, I am having little malaria that I could not able to check my blog.
hopefully you missed your high school and it is good to celebrate with good friends and have fun. you girls are so cute and beautiful. can you give me one out of your friends to marry me. Hahahahahahahahahahah. following your two friends that you mentioned right away friends .
wooww, I also went to Temple of Leah about a year ago or two... not sure but I want to try the zip-line too :D
there are two ziplines I tried in Balamban, at West 35 and Adventure cafe... you should try both ;)
okay :D thank you very much
My pleasure 😉
Haha.....@purepinay In fact the picture shows that you look fitted that you are able to do the zipline and hopefully you did it perfectly. Those pictures shows that you're really excited to have them. Thanks for your touch.
its just so nice to see you guys happy even if i don't know you i really hope you guys stay friends not one but 10 decades more. stay blessed and good posting
@purepinay
Upvoted your beloved post.
what a great adventure.
nice kaayo madam ..
we are so lucky to have you in this community.
Ohh you guys looks really had great adventure!
What you did seems much fun than going to the places your friends was requesting.
I would say, HS friends are great! I miss my HS circle of friends!
Thank you, Wilson! I had wonderful time with them. 😊
You should plan a reunion with them 😉
This is weird and funny yet true. I just had a dream last night about you invited me and my wife to your house tapos ang bahay mo when we got there puno hin mga coins at you were so rich hahahaha
congratulation to your ever-lasting friendship! it's funny how most of my best friends are from high school as well.
thank you! that's cool, I didn't have close friends in College, I'd say my high school is the best memory I've had during school days ;)
I wish to hold my crypto portfolio for 11 years, just as you are holding your friends😜
thank you
You should! 😊 Don't forget about me when you're rich? 😁
You are a part of the family now😎
Love 👻
Looks like you girls had such a great time! The playground looks so fun!
People come and go and some friends remain through thick and thin. Shouldn't we be grateful to have them by our side? Great photos, ladies!
true! we should treasure those friends that stick with us through thick and think
thank you for visiting my page,
@vegasgambler.
Happiest birthday to your mom, and hope she'll get wellvery soon.
It was your whole day tour in Transcentral Highway @purepinay. We have there at Adventure Cafe last Sunday with my fellow riders. sayang mam hindi tayo nagpang abot. The adventure cafe and felixberto is the favorite place of all riders in Cebu. The felixberto burgers and hotdogs is our hang out place and our resting place.
this tour was a year ago ;) kaya hindi tayo nag kaabot, hehe
ahw nakita ko yang burger place sa gilid ng daan, marami ngan tumambay na mga riders jan
oo mam @purepinay pag sunday jan kami nagtatamby mga riders. akala ko nung sunday yan tour ninyo mam.. Hehehe
Lovely photographs. You all looks so beautiful.
thanks!
Your friendship is great, the friend you treat would like to be friends with someone like you. Friendship is everything for me.
you may also be willing to become me as your friend.
Thank you, friend ;)
hello how are you
Am good 😊 how are you?
Very well said @purepinay!
gwapaha jud nemo madam oy :),,, nilutaw jud ba labi na tong didto sa tunga sa bulak... nindot kaayo tan awon ang pic,, gitutukan sa jud nakog mga 5 mins bago nibasa ug balik, salamat kaayo sa emong ka friendly :). dli na jud ikatingala nganung hantod karon dili ka nila mabalibaran :) gob bless madam ug amping permi,,, salamat pag usab :)
haha salamat po ;)
XOXO
layo ra ba nang temple sa labangon gwapa? :)
not sure where labangon is ;) if you know Marco Polo Hotel, about 20 mins lang siya from the hotel
amm wala pod ko katuod anang marco polo hehehe,,, pero duol ra na sa inyoha? :)
5 mins from JY square yung Marco Polo, yes doul rang samin
ahh.. dugay na ba nang marco polo dha?
Beautiful environment. Cute faces.
Reuniting with friends comes with a lot of fun.
I have not being chanced to reunite with old secondary school friends.
aw, thanks ^_-
why not? you should organize a reunuin for your friends
I have it in mind but the cash and the distance
Amazing Photos and friend
Gilaine 😍 another beautiful blog, you’ve got some pretty epic friends! Hopefully nobody misses the next one though. Wouldnt say no to a swim with all you beautiful people, water looks so nice. Much love @purepinay
pretty epic... you mean crazy friends! hahaha
Hopefully ;)
haha you won't be able to handle the craziness when you're around them lol
thanks for dropping by ^_-
Friends are our best itinerary in this world @purepinay. regardless of wherever we go - a simple beach, a restaurant or at a simple tour of a mall, they can always make powerful moments with us by just simply being who they are. Their honesty, silliness, spontaneity, love and care are what paints a beautiful world to us...
Cherish and value friendship because it is a gift from God.
Wow you look too young to be out of highschool for 10 years! That flower pic is gorgeous! This inspires me to want to have one!
Have you seen them at all in ten years?
Zip lining and pool also look amazing! Great post
aw! thank you for the compliment ;)
Yes, I saw them months ago, when I visited my hometown ;)
What a celebration with friends !!!!!!!! Everyone wants to have fun with this friend.. I am too @purepinay
Fun, chat and travel.....Enjoy it ..You and all of your friend looking so pretty
thank you, @prince121 ;)
incredible, very beautiful, beautiful travel, with the presence of beautiful girls add to the atmosphere so beautiful. @purepinay
Wow! So sweet! Wish you all the best. Hope you all will be the same in future. 😊
aw thank you for the wishes ;)
You're most welcome dear! 😊
Wow that was great, being reunited with your friends is great experience, Me and my childhood friends are about to celebrate our 30th anniversary next year so we are planning for that....
Have a great day ms. @purepinay 😊😘❤️
30th? wow! congratulations in advance. It's always nice to reunite with friends.
Thank you, you too have a wonderful day! <3
XOXO
Gilaine, Your posts always make me jealous. Its awesome how frequently you go for holidays. Its your posts which inspire me for a holiday but the inspiration dies down in 2-3 days. Why don't you post more often. lol
I would love to post more often if I can finish writing in a day or two, sadly am pre-occupied with so many things and I ran out of words to say haha!
Pre-occupied with trips and holidays ? Just kidding.
I envy you to have such great friends for this long :) enjoy each holiday to the max.
Aww! Spending time with your good friends is the sweetest miss @purepinay. Your blog is making me miss my college friends. We also visited some places in Cebu years ago when I was still working there. But we went to other places instead.
I went to Adventure Cafe when my Korean student invited me. I had to try zip line because my student forced me. Haha
Awwwwww... You guys really had fun @purepinay
My favorite part is the hanging bridge, I remember using it 1s, was scary at first but fun after all. Av always dreamt of having the privilege of using a Zipline to get that adrenaline rush experience!
I wish you guys many more happy years ahead with more memories my friend.
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!
hi. grabe maka inspire jud kaau imong mga post. trending agad2x. naa kay tips for me nga nag start pa lang dinhi sa steemit? I will really appreciate it gyud. thank you.
@purepinay
I agree with you @jsantos17 I am one of the minnows of @purepinay and she really guides abd supports me all the way to my journey here in steemit, you should have to upvote comments and posts quality contents :) thats one of the few techniques I've learn to ate gilaine..
my tips: engage in the comments (a lot) you have to build your followers and keep blogging, do not withdraw your income right away instead reinvest it by powering up or you can boost your blog. ^_-
Wow, thank you. That will surely help
They said, if your FRIENDSHIP will last 10 years then it will be a lifetime. Wow! Aside from going to this beautiful place what it made it more beautiful is the smiles and celebration of your friendship! Congratulations guys and more years to come! :)
God Bless you all!
Been to lantaw but during night time. From your pictures, it is like I have seen lawtaw by the day. Nice food there. Also happy for you to see you high school friends again. Again, you have a nice article :)
Beautiful places and I must say in this era good friends are hard to find. You are very lucky to have some friends like this. I pray you and your friendship stay longer and forever :)
Stay Blessed : )
Fantastic! It seems like you guys have a wonderful friendship, very admirable.
Cheers for the joyful post!
Agree with you @phoebs there friendship is really admirable.. :)
It's fantastic to see :)
That's true @phoebz :)
Bratty dapat meada ta sugad hiton nga knda ate. Hahah,
Haha since elementary bratty? Ihaan na ada.. Hehe
To meet with these friends is always great! Very beautiful pictures! I think you've been everywhere! It is seen that the mood You are super! I wish you more such happy days in my life! Cherish your friends!
Thank you for the comment to @purepinay she is really such a nice friend, no doubt having a long friendship to her friends :)
what a fun post! :) looks like u all had a great time. yay! i was surprised tho, that u would choose to get coffee while waiting for that restro to open. strange..
u look like u put on some muscle.. or maybe it's just the way u look in those pics. :)
You should come to cebu @chinito :)
:) that would be fun. maybe someday..
Haha come here now :)
:)
haha agad agad
ahaha, I wonder I ordered a coffee ;p
shhhh, haha! it's natural haha
Well I guess it is perhaps one of the best day you would never forget in your life . Reunion with friends always makes us happy , we all flash the good memories we did in our childhoood ! I’m glad that you had some really good time and it happened as it planned :) Many more reunions to come ! Happy 😃 11th year of unconditional friendship!
indeed it's fun to reunite with our friends
thank you, @pranithreddy ^_-
wow! great!
high school friendship is the best friendship. this friendship always be happy or not broken.
I had no idea one can get a cheap transport means from olx.com. Will have to make use of the website for my next travel.
The view of Cebu from Lantaw Native Restaurant is breath taking. I fall in love with nature whenever I catch a glimpse of it. Though I feel the best spot for a meal is Adventure Cafe. A good place to have a piece of mind away from the world. The pics alone tell the massive amount of fun you guys had. The poses huh..... Would love to know who brought the idea of those lovely poses.
It took me almost a week to find the cheapest transportation since some are a bit pricey haha I am good at bargaining though ;)
West 35 is more relaxing, I forgot to upload more photos of the restaurant, it's a really peaceful there... we could have had our lunch there but everyone was already hungry and the closest restaurant within us was Lantaw hehe
Haha! uhm, me? haha
Hehe I knew.. the poses came out just fine car. Great bunch of friends your having.
Looks pretty fun indeed, Gil~!! ^^ Have a great one today, too! :D
thank you, dear ^_- enjoy your week! <3
XOXO
You're welcome... :) Yep... I will.. ;)
Wow wonderful travel experience and excellent photography. it is really look.
like and resteem
thank you for resteeming ^_-
Nice! Hope ma visit ko Yan this summer especially Sirao Kay na apil Yan sa Song ko "Pag Uli Ko SA Cebu" check mo sa [email protected] and resteemed...
Your friendship is great, the friend you treat would like to be friends with someone like you congratulations in advance. It's always nice to reunite with friends
All your photos are awesome. Cebu has several tourist spot destination. I and my friends are planning to visit Cebu this summer. I wanted to visit cirao, the temple of Leah and this adventure cafe balaman. It's a nice place on top of Cebu. It's beautiful to see the city at night.
I hope you can visit soon, so many places to see in Cebu ;)
I am from Cebu but I haven't been to these places yet, except Tops and that was ages ago.. 😅 Great to see friendships that last that long.💚
then you should start visiting those tourist spots that you haven't been in Cebu, hehe ;)
Thank you, dear ^_-
Omg you are all sooooo beautiful like the flowers in sirao.What is also so beautiful is your friendship.Look at the bond use have.Amazing to see real friendships doing real activities.Rather having million of friends and not enjoying their company.I only have a handful of friends and love it that way.Thank you for the glimpse of you celebrating.Bless you all and long may your friendship blossoms!!!!❤
There are many entrance charges huh...
Anyway, enjoy reading the gathering of yours!
haha I know, traveling can be a little bit expensive
Ya, it shows that they are managing it properly. Because I know some of the marvellous scenery spots have not being commercialised, so there won't have entrance fees. I know philipine has a lot breathtaking scenery and beaches!! Hope you show us more!! Thanks
thank you for reading ^_-
XOXO
Wooooooooooow mind blowing really very nice place i have never seen such place in my life you are so lucky
your friends are awesome... ganda talaga ng pilipinas....
thank you dear
your welcome po..