Sta. Rosa, Laguna | Enchanted Kingdom : 10 Kid Friendly Activities in Enchanted Kingdom

For the past 18 years, Enchanted Kingdom (EK) in Sta. Rosa, Laguna has always been on the Filipino family's list of places to visit during the holiday season. Its proximity to metro manila and other nearby provinces make it a convenient choice for a family roadtrip. Kids, teens and even thrill-seeking moms, dads, aunts and uncles continue to love this world class themed park south of Manila. Currently, Enchanted Kingdom enjoys the reputation of being the "Disneyland" of the Philippines.

The stokedtraveler has already been to EK a couple of times. It hasn't changed much since his first visit except for some minor additions to park rides. The layout of the theme park remains the same. The park features still look like they are well maintained. Even after more than a decade, EK still looks almost the same as it was when it first gained popularity back in the 90's. A feat that is not very common for locally managed parks/tourist spots.

Cebu City, Cebu | A Food Lover's Retreat with a Touch of History

For many of his travels, the stokedtraveler would create schedules and plot out activities. Which places should he visit and what things should he do are usually on top of his itinerary for his trips. That was his only way of travel. That was until his recent Cebu trip.

Travelling without any travel plans can also be fun. Never expecting what to expect and doing what you feel doing for that day can free you of worries and keeps you amazed of things that come. This may not always be the best way to travel but for as long as you are with good company then everything is going to turn out alright.

Read through the stokedtraveler's day-to-day highlights in Cebu as he joins two of his great friends on their first time in the queen city of the south.

Day 1. Failed flight, Apt accommodation and a well-deserved authentic Filipino dinner!

Day 2. A bit of history, indulging in Cebu's lechon and some R&R
Day 3. Greatest ribs, Sky experience and Pasalubong shopping

Cebu City, Cebu | Day 3. Greatest Ribs, Sky Experience and Pasalubong Shopping

Casa verde
No doubt the best ribs in sugbu! For only P208 you get to taste Brian's ribs. (That's right, you get to taste the stokedtraveler's ribs :P)

 "If you taste me, you'll never forget me". That's what was said on the menu for Brian's Ribs. Who knew Brian's ribs tasted that good! :P

The ribs look small in the photo but the rice there is regular sized and the plate is just equally super-sized

 The serving was huge and could easily be good for 3 people on a normal diet. The stokedtraveler and his two friends had 3 orders of Brian's ribs and one salad. The marinated ribs were so flavorful and satiating that they were already too full just halfway through their meal. 

There's no question why this restaurant ranks high on tripadvisor's recommended dining experiences in Cebu . This is definitely a must-eat-at place while in Cebu. Reserve a seat in advance on their original store (not the one inside the mall) to get that authentic home cooked experience.

Cebu City, Cebu | Day 2. A bit of history, indulging in Cebu's lechon and some R&R

Magellan's cross

It was only a 6-minute walk from their hotel to the historic site were Magellan's cross was first erected. While the walk didn't take very long, it was a painful one because of the sun. Remember to bring an umbrella if you plan to walk around the city. People used to living in the northern Philippines and even in Manila may find walking under the sun in Cebu challenging.

The endless supply of candles bought for Php 100 only to be offered back to the altar. Probably only to be resold the next day :)

Magellan's cross had a lot of wooden support all around it that time. 

The aged women dancing the sinulog and offering prayers for tourists (for a fee) said that wood was to strengthen the structure and secure the cross while it was still uncertain if the aftershocks from the recent 7.2 magnitude earthquake that hit cebu-bohol just a month or so ago was already over.

Chanting in the local dialect and dancing the sinulog dance

In his previous travel the stokedtraveler learned that the cross here is no longer the original cross but instead is just a replica. While the sign at the foot of the cross reads that the tindalo wooden cross encases the original cross that Magellan erected, there is no historical evidence that the original cross survived after Magellan's death. There was also no record of it ever being recovered by the succeeding spanish expeditions to the island of Cebu.

Praise!

Cebu City, Cebu | Day 1: Failed flight, Apt accommodation and a well-deserved authentic Filipino dinner!

A Failed Flight Schedule
Airasia, without notice, decided to change the departure schedule of the Stoked Traveler's MNL-CEB. The changed schedule was 1 hour later than planned yet still was delayed another hour. All these resulted to a CEB arrival time of 6 PM from an original ETA of 2pm. This was by far the worst delay the stokedtraveler had flying on a domestic airline.

The trip from the airport to Cebu city proper was already heavy with traffic around that time. The surroundings was reminiscent of night time manila. The cab driver hastily drove past traffic and into detours which made the stokedtraveler a tad uncomfortable. In the end the metered taxi only costed around P200. Atleast the cab driver was honest to give exact change.

Hotel Fortuna

Hotel Fortuna is a 3-star hotel situated on a busy section of Cebu city. Hailing taxis or jeepneys will not be difficult for city travelers. It isn't much to look at from the outside but the inside is so much better than what one would expect from a boutique hotel. They have very courteous staff and this adds to the homey feel of the place. They provide free drinking water to guests too! (An often forgotten necessity when staying in hotels). They stayed at the standard room which is more than sufficient for their stay in Cebu City. The stokedtraveler recommended this same hotel to a group of people travelling to Cebu on the same dates. They too liked how the hotel was!

Terraces, Ayala Center Cebu

On the first night of their stay, they went to the Terraces, Ayala Center to look for a place to dine at. Ayala Center in Cebu was nice but is relatively small compared to Ayala Malls in Manila. It had a wide garden space that creates a soothing ambience within the malls grounds.

Morong, Bataan | Pawikan festival | The Trip, The Beach, A few Turtles and a lot of Politicking

The two-day festival this year was scheduled from Nov.30-Dec.1. Brgy. Nagbalayong in Morong, Bataan played host to the main event because it is where the Pawikan Conservation Center can be found. Morong's beaches are used as nesting grounds by the endangered sea turtles. People who used to be poachers turned into protectors of these sea creatures through the Pawikan Conservation Center.

The stokedtraveler has always been amazed by these gentle sea creatures. Not only are they graceful swimmers but they are also one of the oldest living reptiles in the planet. One of his goals this year was to finally have a face to face encounter with one. He was also looking forward to witnessing the the majestic event when hundreds of pawikan hatchlings are released into the sea.