Unexpected Awesomeness. Part Two.

Hidden paradise.

With the warmth of the scorching rays bearing down on us, we bid farewell to the diving house and took a quick hike (a challenging one for our lazy butts!) up the road to our next unplanned destination. Along the way, we noticed an interesting stretch of private (?) beach with a sign that indicated an entrance fee of 20 pesos. 20-freaking-pesos. Seriously.

That famous ice cream commercial should fit well here.

Further up, we passed by a Spanish tower (baluarte) and contemplated its strategic placement along the Southern Cebu coastline (probably to serve as a lookout for invading armies) while local vendors casually chatted us about potential sales and profit along the coast. C handled the communications here quite well *coughformerworkcough*. :)

After ten (or twenty?) more arduous steps and one well-timed application of our bus-evasion-skillz, we arrived at Eden Resort, with its bushy, shrub-filled pathway welcoming us, and immediately proceeded to the lobby area to settle the usual registration. Along the way, we noted the lovely infinity pool with a fantastic view of Tañon Strait and the crowd of topless foreign guys serving as a reminder that we're the only locals staying at the resort.

No topless foreign guys on this picture, unfortunately.

With key in hand and one of the staff helping us carry our things, we made our way to our assigned room situated on the far end of the resort, past some more green leafy things, the resort spa, and a construction site.

And then came utter amazement and awe.

The door swung open and we were instantly stunned by the details inside: high curtains, artsy wall decor, an LCD TV, comfortable beds, chairs, tables, a large closet, clean bathroom, and our own private balcony! We spent quite a good time snapping pictures and simply voicing out our pleasure to be staying in such a lovely room. Throw in the very affordable rates and I think we have ourselves the winner for "Deal of the Year".

Much comfort. Such amazing. Very nice. Wow.

Clancy enjoying the sunny balcony.

After recovering from our spazz attacks, we decided to head out and make full use of the afternoon sun by going for a swim. And no, the infinity pool would have to wait because our first watery agenda was the 20-pesos adventure of Santander Pebble Beach Resort. So back we hobbled down the negatively-sloped pavement to find a shiny stretch of clear water and pebble-filled shore.

Not. Bad. At. All.

Initially, we conducted a thorough search for a way to deposit our precious 20-peso bills but soon realized this must be a free-for-all beach! (Nevertheless, we vowed to ourselves to pay the fees the next time we visit here.) We then took over an empty nipa hut, placed our stuff down, and watched Clancy enjoying the bright view from the shore.

Drama-filled polar bear.

Soon thereafter, we flapped, dipped, and skipped across the cold waters, carefully trekking the rocky bottom while watching out for the occasional stronger wave brought about by the incoming fastcraft from Dumaguete. Adding more fun to the light-hearted moment was a "name-that-tune" competition between C and I in honor of the random guy who peppered the whole coastline with his videoke singing prowess. While I pride myself to be good with music in general, C completely dominated me in this match-up with the finishing blow coming in the form of a David Pomeranz song (That I was born for you...).

Seal-y couple. <3

Back at Eden Resort, a sumptuous dinner consisting of clubhouse sandwiches and calamares (ze obsession with fried breaded squid!) filled our grumbling tummies while Clancy calmly drank his share of Cuba Libre and Long Island Iced Tea. We ended the night gors-style perched on the chair watching intently a National Geographic special about JFK's assassination.

#medyobadbear

A fantastic view of local fishermen paddling along the quiet strait greeted us the morning after. Instead of waves crashing on our bare feet, a refreshing swim followed at the resort's infinity pool soothing our body's thirst for aquatic ventures. Clancy, meanwhile, wondered about the existence and purpose of a coffee press during breakfast while we sneakily enjoyed chomping away at our hearty meals. Next thing we knew, we had our bags strapped to our shoulders, uttering our appreciation and praise to the crew, while C started conjuring the words for one pleasant TripAdvisor review.

Back on the road, we marched to the ferry terminal which also served as a bus drop-off/pick-up point of some sorts. C couldn't help but notice how well-maintained and clean the waters were at this port. Not something you'd expect given the influx of people and boat activity here.

Wish all ports were of this kind.

With some guidance from the local folks, we rode the correct Ceres bus liner back to the city where along the way, C introduced me to more Cebu delicacies: Carcar chicharon and Argao torta, with the former being comparable to the Pampanga variant and the latter giving me a bread-heaven moment. More #cebuimmersion for me! The little trip down South Cebu concluded with a quick dinner at Harbour City Dim Sum House, a relative of my beloved Dimsum Break. Oh, and by quick here, I meant an immediate decimation of the steamed rice and assorted dim sum. Burp. Moments later, I hopped on the plane back to Manila, reminisced how awesomeness can come in such an unexpected form, excitedly pondered about the next adventure with C, and promptly dozed off for the remainder of the flight.

Where to next? <3