“Once I had put enough distance between myself and where I grew up, I started to see its beauty. I started to see it the way outsiders do – maybe because I had become an outsider.” ― Taylor Jenkins Reid

October 2016 … It has been more than a month that I have been away from my home in Melbourne. As you can see in this blog…Hubby and I went on a 23 day European tour plus a few extra days here and there…and spent about a week with my cousin Connie and husband Rick in Scotland. Those were such hectic times so staying in my native land the Philippines for a few weeks after that was a breather.

Next stopover… Philippines.

On the next day of our arrival, I took the flight to Cebu via Philippine airlines. My other sister, Pilar, from Manila came with me. It was a fun bonding time as well.

First thing we did was see my other sister, Ellen, and her family in Cebu.

And like last time, we again visited the Basilica del Santo Nino, but what was different was, this time we witnessed a procession. Processions are a significant part of Filipino Catholic life and this is where statues of saints are put in beautifully decorated carriages and carried around the church and nearby streets while people walked with it praying and singing hymns.

The wall carvings on the facade of the church which I always found so impressive.

And as always, I never get tired of looking at the colourful balloons with a variety of designs. When I was young I remembered balloons to be just simple single coloured ones but now they are so intricately done.

Next we played around with selfies taken at different locations while walking around town. From L to R: Magellan’s Cross, the inside altar of the Cathedral, the walls outside the same cathedral, the facade of Magellan’s Cross and last is the front of the Basilica del Santo Nino.

This is the inside and the facade of the Magellan’s Cross which was first planted there by the Portuguese and Spanish explorers upon arriving in Cebu.

Our day won’t be complete without having a taste of Filipino food and desserts. The first is called a piaya which is a muscovado-filled unleavened flatbread, and the modern version is having purple yam filling. The second is a cold dessert with sweetened beans, banana, jackfruit, etc all mixed in together topped with crushed ice and this is called halo halo. (meaning mix mix). The last one is just our lunch from a local fast food.