Travelogue: Oslob Part 2

We head down south of Cebu with a packaged tour from Costabella Oslob Whale-watching services which included trekking to Tumalog falls, old town tour at Oslob and of course, swimming with the Whalesharks which I will share with you on a different post. Just too many pictures to sort out right now.

It's a three-hour drive from the downtown Cebu and I could say if you are in good company, getting there will never be a bore. Ours was fun! We got there a little bit over noon and we were greeted by our gracious host and tour moderator, Pearl. She let us in her gated property with incredible views of the Oslob shoreline. It was breathtaking! It felt like I was somewhere in Santorini, Greece for a moment. She served us her home-cooked meal which was included in the package. After lunch and a lot of snapping, we were then briefed the rest of the afternoon's itinerary- Tumalog falls and Oslob's old town church tour.

We weren't so thrilled about the trkking part as we were so busy taking photos of the amazing view from the gazebo. Can you blame us? 

This is the best vantage point to fully appreciate the beauty of Oslob. So when planning for a trip here, make sure to look for Pearl and book an all-inclusive package. 

hubby's shot -- no filter here. 

View below the gazebo

My bestgal friend Kristal and our host for this week-long trip.

I can definitely see myself spending a day here reading a good book. So peaceful. A good place for a pre-nup or post nup session.

You have no idea what I have to go through just to get to this position and get this shot lol

According to the tour guide, this was an old hospital during the World War .

Trekking to Tumalog falls....

What we had in mind at first is that it won't be worth the trip and it would be just the usual cold spring waterfall. When we got there, we were glad we didn't pass it up for an afternoon nap. It was beautiful! What I liked most about it is that it isn't deep and you could go under the waterfall and feel the cold water through your skin. The water is only knee-deep so even kids can play and go under the waterfall. Amazing!

For all of you thinking about not getting this as part of the package, I suggest you should sign up for it. It's not very far and the trek won't take that long. You can even hire a motorcycle (habal-habal) to take you there. There's a bit of a steep concrete road that you have to go through on your way back to where the car is parked. It's worth your while in the afternoon after a quick lunch at the gazebo.

Photo Diary: Sinulog Day 2

Where in the world can you find Street Dancing or parades that lasts till sunset? No wonder we were told to dress up comfortably and wear shoes that can save us from long hours of walking and standing as all the streets were practically closed. Everywhere you look there's thousands of people eagerly partying and orchestrating on the streets of Cebu. We were almost in a stampede-like crowd while looking for a place to eat. It was an all day affair and we only lasted for 4 straight hours and was dead tired by the time we came back to our hotel. Nevertheless, we had our fill of the Mardi Gras like costumes and the dances where every one else was smiling from ear to ear. Everyone still in festive mood despite the blazing heat of the sun.  I could feel my skin burning. Photographers from all walks of life surely had a lot of photogasmic shots that day. Here's a few of my husband's photos:

The Brady bunch..roasting in the streets of Cebu. Super hot day!

Next time, we'd try dancing in the middle of the road all dirty and sweaty to really feel the Sinulog spirit. This visit was a bit laid back as we were gearing up for something more adventurous - swimming with the whalesharks at Oslob the day after. I will post pics about that too! Stay tuned.

Photo Diary: Sinulog Day 1

This was our very first Sinulog experience. I didn't know what to expect then, since I have been hearing a lot of stories from friends saying that it is the Mother of all festivities in the Philippines.

Well, we were not dissapointed. Day 1 was spent mostly at the Sto. Ninp Church.

Herb-Infused Lechon Paksiw

With our recent trip in Cebu, we brought home loads of leftover Lechon. What better way to salvage the meat is to cook Lechon paksiw! This is basically a pork stew made out of vinegar and leftover roasted pork called "Lechon". Here I am sharing with you a recipe adapted from my mother-in-law; which included a bit of dried herbs, soda and native vinegar concocted into a sweet-sour version of this popular Filipino dish.

Let me know what you think by commenting below.

(Simmering  Lechon right after adding the can of soda)

Ingredients:

• 1.5 Kilos Leftover lechon (carefully seletced meat and skin only)
• 1    Can Sprite soda
• 2    Cups Lechon Sauce (Mang Tomas)
• 1    Cup of Native Vinegar (Tuba version in bisaya)
• 1/4 Cup Soy Sauce
• 1    Tablespoon Olive oil
• 1    Whole Bulb of Garlic, mined (the more the healthier)
• 2    Large Onions, chopped
• 1    Teaspoon whole Peppercorn
• 4    Pieces Bay Leaves
• 2    Teaspoon Thyme (dried)
• 3    Pieces Cinnamon bark 
•       Dash of Salt
• 1    Teaspoon Muscovado Sugar

Cooking Instructions:

1. Heat the cooking pot and pour in the oil. Saute the onion and garlic until soft and fragrant. 
2. Put in the leftover lechon, meat first. Gently tossing.
3. Pour in the whole can of soda and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Add in the bay leaves, peppercorn, cinnamon bark, thyme, soy sauce and leftover lechon skin. Simmer for 20 minutes or until meat is fork tender.
5. Add in vinegar and simmer for another 10 minutes.
6. Add the sugar and lechon sauce and simmer for another 5 minutes.
7. Season with a bit of salt. Adjust according to taste. 
8. Remove the cinnamon bark and turn off heat.
9. Serve hot with steaming rice. Enjoy!

Cebu Lechon!

As you all know, a trip to Cebu will never be complete without trying out their famous Lechon (roasted pig). Our gracious host and besties in Cebu, the Delantar family made sure we get the best tasting Lechon in town. As early as 9 am we were already munching on the crispy pork skin dipped in spicy vinegar and Mang Tomas. Yummy! No words. Best I've had so far!!

They ordered the lechon from Bernadette's Lechon and Catering services. It comes with free dinuguan (pork innards made into stew) and crispy fried Chicharon Bulaklak (fried pork intestines). For non-Filipino readers, it tasted so much better than it sounds. You should give it a try when you visit the Philippines and Cebu in particular.

Photo from my Instagram feed

My version of Lechon paksiw recipe to follow in my next post. Thanks for reading!