GNZGA Goes to Cebu (Day 3)

Today’s our last day here at Cebu, so Jayson and I decided to use it to shop for souvenirs and whatever the kids wanted to bring back home. ?

The original plan was to visit the renowned Temple of Leah first thing after breakfast + the morning routines. But because of how crazy traffic was yesterday, I decided to skip and Instead head directly to SM Seaside City Cebu. Jayson’s extended family’s picking us up again and taking us there.

No complaints here.

Unfortunately I didn’t take a lot of photos since our hands were full with the kids the whole time. But the mall certainly lives up to its name as the Philippines’ 3rd largest mall.

The entire building is circular where you’d walk in a full circle to see all the shops. There were a handful of shops and restaurants that weren’t available back home, such as Uniqlo, Me&U, Cath Kidston, and Hong Kong’s Michellin dim sum house Tim Ho Wan. I love Tim Ho Wan’s pork buns, so I requested that we had lunch here.

I couldn’t shop for myself today though because of how busy we were watching over the kids. Not even Jayson could buy his new pair of shoes. We only bought the kids’ clothes and toys before it was time to head back. Just thinking about it makes me feel sad all over. ?

After thanking Uncle Nilo and his family for taking us around, Jayson and I started packing for tomorrow’s flight while the kids played with their new toys. The boys got new nerf guns while Holly picked out a Disney Descendants doll.

Around 8-9pm we had dinner with a good friend, Wriz, and her husband, Mark, while the kids slept soundly. It was nice catching up with her as I haven’t seen her for six years. We ate at a sushi bar right across the hotel, so it wasn’t difficult returning to the hotel.

Three days still isn’t enough to really make the most out of Cebu since we had to skip a lot of places, but I’m glad I got to spend this much quality time with the kids. I love seeing how happy and curious they are with their new surroundings, which is super important knowing how “sheltered” they are back home.

The trip was equally challenging because of how feisty and naughty the two boys were. We’ll definitely plan our next family vacation when they’re bigger and more aware of themselves and their surroundings. Hopefully that next trip will be abroad where the kids can see and experience what it’s like to travel outside of the Philippines. ✈️