A Taste of Thai

Although hubzky and I love to eat, we are not the adventurous type.  We do not crave for exotic food nor do we long for something beyond Filipino cuisine; although sometimes we love to try something new.   Except for Japanese and Mongolian food, we are confident that some other foreign dishes served in restaurants here in our place are adjusted to suit every Filipino taste buds and so here were are tasting one of the foreign dishes we both love – Thai food.

At Krua Thai

Krua Thai Authentic Cuisine is one of the many restos here in our place.  This restaurant is located at Smallville Business Center, Mandurriao, Iloilo City.

“Krua Thai” simply means Thai Kitchen.  I’m not really sure what happens in any Thai kitchen but I really love the harmony of all ingredients in every Thai menu.

Here are some photos we took when we had dinner at Krua Thai:

from the placemat to the utensils, the look has an impressive native touch

guess they knew it was our anniversary so they gave us heart-shaped serving of rice

forgot the exact name of the shrimp-based addition to my rice but I really love its spicy taste

At Banana Leaf

Banana Leaf is a restaurant we randomly chose while strolling around The Terraces in Cebu.  Its also menu offers some Thai food.  Here are photos of the ones we ordered:

wondering why it’s called banana leaf?

now, I know why

I couldn’t take the taste of the Thai drink (the one inside the taller glass) so I ordered bottled water

For those who love Thai food or those who are interested in knowing how Thai food tastes, hope this post helps.  The menus above may look different but for us who are leaning more towards the safe side than the adventurous side, you’re assured that the said dishes will suit your Filipino cravings plus it won’t get you into any stomach-related trouble

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Two Days in Cebu

It was suppose to be a 3-day trip to Cebu and Bohol.  The tickets were bought months before the trip.  Our itinerary was ready long before the trip pushed through.  I had to plan it out because it will be our first time to go to Cebu. But because of an unexpected affair which I cannot afford to miss, I had to let hubby go first and enjoy the 3-day trip while I had to endure the expensive rebooking fees and some adjustments to fit into my schedule the remaining two days.

The Night Before

I went home at around 12mn…and I still have work to do.  This work is my number 1 priority of all the things I do for a living.  The remaining 4hrs of my 8-hr work schedule should cover all of the tasks I need to finish for the day.

It was already 5AM and I’m still not done with everything.  Take note, I’m not even sleepy during that time.  I guess it was because I was very excited to go on board and see hubby in Cebu

I arrived at Mactan airport at around 10 in the morning.  While waiting for my bag – which, despite of its size, I still checked it in – I found out that the airport has free wifi.  I quickly opened my phone, logged in through Facebook Mobile, and updated my FB status saying “hello cebu”.

First problem: where to find a cab.

I texted Hubby who is waiting for me in Pier Cuatro Hotel.  He instructed me to go straight ahead then go up to find the white taxi.  There are actually yellow taxi just in front of the airport.  So I went straight ahead and moved up…but there was no white taxi anywhere.  I looked around and found people crossing and going through this particular stairs.  I followed them and there I found white cabs Whew!

I didn’t like the driver.  He was annoying me.  Perhaps he sensed that I’m not from the place so he kept asking for pamasko.  At first I just smiled but when I got irritated with his repetitive demands, I snapped out at him and told him to just drive! He kept his mouth shut

Since it’s my first time and I was afraid that the driver will go through other routes to increase the meter reading, I used the Google Maps feature of my phone.  Cool ey? Good thing we were going through the right direction.

10:30AM – I arrived at Pier Cuatro Hotel.  Did I mention that it was Hubby who researched for this place? Yep, my handsome guy did.  Very cozy and economical.  Although that time, the hotel was undergoing maintenance, I already found the hotel very nice – nice staff, nice place, practical place to stay since it’s accessible to almost everywhere (malls, ports, etc).

For our lunch, we only ordered from the Hotel Resto instead of going out to order.  This way I can have time to rest while having lunch.

In the middle of lunch, I remembered I need to pay for an item I ordered online.  PROBLEM – where can I find a GCash center.  Hubby and I took a cab which brought us to SM City Cebu.  I noticed that the mall was kind of big – too many wings and avenues but lots of interesting stores We went to a particular wing which houses all stores that sell electronic gadgets and services.  Unfortunately none of the stores that cater to GCash remittances accept payments with no ID from the sender…frustrating…Good thing, the seller of the item I ordered was kind and considerate enough to wait for my payment the day after my due date.

Upon receipt of the seller’s OK, hubby and I took a cab.  Take note, it took us some time to find the taxi lane…haha!  We were at some place overlooking Radissu blu before we could hop in a cab to bring us to…oppps we forgot our itinerary ah, Taoist Temple!

Then, Manong Driver, offered to be our tour guide for the whole day.  I was hesitant at first.  But I was ready.  I did my own research and I’m aware how much a taxi should ask as payment for a whole day tour.  So I asked Manong Driver and he only asked us to pay for the meter reading plus 200 for the waiting fee.  I did the math and estimated that it will be equal to or less than Php1800, which is the usual payment for a day tour in Cebu.  After some convincing and negotiations, off we go to Taoist Temple.

It felt great while we were passing by the IT Avenue, seeing those tall buildings and even those that are still under construction.  Seeing UP Cebu was awesome! The hotels, malls, and more were really terrific!

After Taoist temple, Manong Driver brought us to Mactan where we passed by

Lapu-Lapu Shrine

Shangri-La Hotel

The visit to Hilton Hotel in Mactan was a dream come true.  Here are some photos:

I was still in cloud nine while going back to Cebu City then we passed by a very interesting building with “Big Foot” and a film-like signage of the International Academy of Film & Television.

After Mactan, off we go to Magellan’s Cross,

The Basilica/Cathedral, to see the Sto. Nino image and to light some candles for some wishes/prayers.  I was so happy that I wasn’t able to ask/wish for more

We ended the day with a visit to Fort San Pedro.  Funny because it was just near our Hotel and we didn’t know.

We rested for a while and visited The Terraces for a hearty Cebuano dinner at the Banana Leaf   The food was super except for my Thai tea which tasted like a mix of coffee mixed with grass juice

We wondered why the resto is called “Banana Leaf”.  Here’s why:

I was really surprised that just like Iloilo City, Cebu City kinda sleeps too Despite of the modern image of Cebu, I still noticed that some part of it are still grounded and kinda conservative.  The exception is along Mango Avenue, where Cebu City night life is really alive.

Of all the clubs in Mango Avenue, hubby and I chose the 22nd St. Comedy Bar. We were informed at the front desk that all seats in the bar are already taken.  But hubby and I still opted to stand.  Good thing we found 2 unoccupied seats at the side of the bar.

The bar was really jampacked that night.  I ordered french fries and frozen margarita and I super love both weeeeeee At around 2AM the visitors started leaving. Probably because most people still need to attend the misa de gallo…talk about being grounded

We called it a day at around 3AM…

 

Day 2

The night before our flight back to Iloilo, hubby and I planned to go to Ayala Center to shop and to buy pasalubong.  So we need to wake up by 8AM to give us time to pack up since our flight back to Iloilo is at 2PM.

Unfortunately, we woke up at 12noon!!!  In a flash, hubby and I packed up and off we went to the airport.

Along the way, I didn’t look at the malls, the stores, etc.  I felt bad for not waking up early.  I even hated my CP alarm clock! I just felt better when hubby told me that it happened because Cebu wants us back [har har]!  Awwww sweet!

At around 2PM, we bid goodbye to Cebu City.

Lessons learned:
Do your own research before going to any place.
Although you need to have extra cash with you, always stick to your budget.
Don’t be in a hurry, enjoy every moment.

Visit to Iloilo Museum

To all fellow Ilonggos and people coming from other places who are curious about what’s inside the Iloilo Museum, allow me to take you to a virtual tour at one of Iloilo’s destinations – the Iloilo Museum.

After paying the entrance fee, this large painting will greet you as soon as you enter the museum.

You will then see these relics comprised of various statues that serve as memoir of Ilonggo’s great people.

No history didn’t pass by without war.  Here are some war memorabilia that you can see at the museum.

Now these shots really made me laugh…let’s start off with a native facing a foreigner

But the foreigner didn’t mind the native’s arrow…

The native is so eager to hit the foreigner with his arrow…

The foreigner said, “I come in peace…but if you will kill me then I’ll have to fight back for my life.”

The native’s arrow is now very close to hitting the foreigner.  That left the foreigner with no choice…but to fight back…

The native’s arrow was no match to the foreigner’s canyon.  He won…first, a huge amount of money…but there was a problem…

It looks like the foreigner couldn’t withdraw any amount from his prize money

Going back to our virtual tour…Our next stop is where our brave heroes store their handmade weapons.

From weapons, let’s check out the humble homes of the natives.

We have also seen a section in the museum where you can see lots of paintings made by Ilonggo artists.  Unfortunately, we got so mesmerized with the paintings that we forgot to take pictures.  Well, maybe that’s one thing you’ll have to find out when you visit the Iloilo Museum for yourself.