Cebu Bus

I have never heard a disco version of Hotel California until I came here. Actually sometimes the music is so loud that it could seriously damage your hearing so I often bring ear plugs when getting a bus. But the most dangerous thing on the buses is if you sit too far forward close to the driver as sometimes the horn is extremely loud.

You will also see these big bass speakers and hear the music maxed out so the speakers are rumbling, even blown in Jeepneys too.

We have been to a couple of what they call discos here, they often have house music or remixed popular songs playing and they are also on max bass. They are usually good fun and safe to go to but you need to watch the young drunk men.

I think a lot of people here have lost parts of their hearing as well. We have neighbors who crank their stereo up often from 6.30am in the morning on max bass. That’s when my ear plugs come in handy as the vibrations go right through the house.

I will upload some pictures soon and write some mini reviews of some of the services around there.

Kawasan Water Falls, Badian, Cebu
We visited the Kawasan Water Falls near a town called Badian, Cebu around 30km south of Moalboal. We took some nice pics there so those will be online too as soon as I get organized and get my Internet service activated instead of using this slowBrow crap.

When we arrived at the town near the waterfalls we were greeted by a swarm of men asking ask to pay money for parking the motorbike. We asked if we could park it down by the road but they told us we still had to pay to park it there which I didn’t believe but we agreed to pay the guy 50 pesos to park it in his driveway. When we got back it was all in one piece and the helmet was still there.

The men wanted us to pay them to be our guide but we did not bring a lot of cash and we preferred to make our own way there anyway. They seemed offended when we said we don’t need a guide. Actually all this requesting money really spoilt the day as it was even worse when we arrived at the falls. As soon as we got there this man hounded us for money to pay for a table (150 pesos) or to pay for a raft to take us to the waterfall (also 150 pesos). We bought a drink of water at the shop for 50 pesos and that didn’t include being able to use the tables and chairs. We found a spot to put our bag down and politely told the guy who kept bugging us for money that we only had 50 pesos left, he soon left us alone when he realized we had little money.

My girlfriend watched as I swam out to the waterfall and the water was very refreshing, not cold but just right. When I go to the waterfall there was a couple there who had hired a raft and the guys who were standing on it looked very unfriendly when I swam out there. I never touched the raft but I’m sure if I had put one finger on it I would have received an unfriendly reminder to XXXX off.

The swim was very enjoyable and we had a great time taking photos and relaxing before heading back. The walk to the waterfalls from the bike takes around 15-20 minutes and it’s a very beautiful and scenic walk. It was a good choice for us to not pay for the guides as the walk is simple and there is no need for a guide unless you have money to splash around. We enjoyed walking at our own pace and stopping to take photos etc.

So besides all the people bugging us for money, the falls is really worth a trip to see and it’s probably better to be prepared to pay the money for a table and parking so you will feel more welcome when you are there.

….. more soon….

Flight from Manila to Cebu

I arrived in Manila after 5.pm the same day and then met my (now ex girlfriend) at the airport. After that we then got on our way to the domestic airport to get a flight straight to Cebu. I had no plan to stay in Manila so we just got the first flight out although it was not a good idea to by the tickets then as they were quite expensive. So make sure you buy tickets online before hand if you ever want to fly out the same day.

The flight was with Cebu Pacific and it was a comfortable and quick flight, less than 1 hour to Mactan airport. The problem is the flight was the last one so we never got to Cebu until the late hours of the night. It was around 11.pm by the time we got our luggage. We rang a couple of pension houses but no one answered so we had to stay in the fairly expensive Crown Agency for the first night at about 3,500 pesos. The room was nice and comfortable though and with great service. We also could have a buffet breakfast in the morning that came with the price. The breakfast was quite good and we certainly felt full after a number of servings of various fruits, cereals and toast. The omelette was also worth asking for.

Crown Agency Hotel Mactan

We met a friend of my ex who showed us around Mactan and Lapu-Lapu but some of her recommendations for accommodation were questionable. She showed us an apartment that we could rent out but it was quite run down and I personally wouldn’t stay in a place like that even if I was paid to. These apartment complexes are common in Lapu-Lapu and surrounding districts, often they have a number of buildings and usually around 3 – 6 floors. When you see that some of the rooms have been demolished right next to ones that are furnished and ready to let then it’s time to move on. Thank heavens we never rented one of these places out as we could have being tied up for months once a deposit is paid.

Our friend showed us a hotel to stay at called the Queenslander in Lapu-Lapu. It was 1200 pesos a night for a standard room. The room itself was ok but they had a picture advert of sex toys behind the door so it wasn’t hard to work out who their main customers are. I guess it explains their terrible service and rude woman on the reception. The young men that would let us in the rooms looked like people I would not let in my home but these guys had our room keys and we were not given them as we had to get these guys to open our doors. Unfortunately we paid for 2 nights in advance and the cheeky B%%%S had the balls to give us a bill for another night when we left and asked for the fridge bill. I said what the F$ and the young man soon realized they had made a mistake or got caught out, one of the two but I would not go back there again.

We found a pretty good pension house/budget hotel called The Axis Hotel that is near the Mactan Markets. Many of the taxi drivers we met had no idea where it was so work out how to get there before you jump in a cab. It is clean, tidy, secure and friendly. The security guard was always helpful getting us a cab or tricycle and the staff were friendly and we felt safe there. The price was pretty good too, only $800 pesos a night + $50 pesos for a fridge. That price includes breakfast, cable TV, air con, hot shower etc.

We stayed there for a couple of nights while we looked at condos and apartments around that area but we could not find anything suitable to live in. So we decided to get out of Cebu city and Lapu-Lapu and head over to a small town called Balamban, near Toledo on the west coast of Cebu. We stayed at Pedros after I heard about it on a forum.

Peter (or Pedro) picked us up from the Balamban bus depot after a 2 – 3 hour bus ride from Cebu. Him and his wife Jenny put us in Tricycles and they took us to their home. We would rent out the largest room for $1900 pesos for one week, I gave them $2000 pesos. Now that is pretty good value considering that we would pay that much in one or two nights for a pension house in Cebu city or Lapu-Lapu. The room came with a large fan and good ventilation through louvers. We got cable TV included, although it wasn’t working properly for the fist couple of days but then Peter fixed it. Same thing with Wi Fi Internet, it was not working most of the time but Peter got it working for a day or two. We could forget these small problems as we were some of the first customers and I’m sure they would get these issues fixed. We did find the nights to be a bit difficult to sleep at times with a number of the local dogs barking outside our window.

Peter and Jenny cooked us up a delicious barbecue the first night we were there. Peters pork ribs were something else and make sure you try them when you stay there. We enjoyed the hospitably there but Balamban did not offer a lot for us to do so after a week we decided to leave our bags at a so called friend named Tim and take a trip over to the south, down the coast to a place called MoalBoal. I thought it was time to leave Balamban, Peter and Jenny were having some of their own issue and I wanted to let them have some time alone so I jumped at the chance to move on. Living so close together there it did feel a little uncomfortable after 6 days.

This so called friend who talked us into leaving Peters to stay at his place for FREE and kept telling us how much better off we will be by being able to leave our bags at his place for FREE while we traveled to other places in Cebu until we found a place we liked. Guess what, one of the first things he asked when we got to his house was for some money so I gave him 200 pesos. Again when we left our bags there for one night he tried to con me into giving him 1000 pesos as a loan. Apparently he was going to pay me back when he and his girlfriend came to Moalboal that weekend to go diving. I gave him 250 pesos anyway for looking after our bags but off course he never came to Moalboal and he never intended to. 1000 pesos to me is nothing but I can’t stand fuckwits like that, glad I found out what a shit head he really is. Certainly fooled me before that, seemed like a nice guy, goes to show how different someone really is to what they appear. I wonder how many more expats he will con who go to Balamban?

To get to MoalBoal from Balamban then you could probably just drive south if you have a motorbike but the only way we could get there was by taking a bus to Naga (going back towards Cebu) and then get off the bus at Naga and take a bus or Vhire to MoalBoal. So all that took us a good part of 3-4 hours but the trip was pretty good and quite scenic.

I rang someone in Cebu and asked him where to stay in MoalBoal and he recommended the Love Resort hotel. So after having a bit to eat on the MoalBoal main street we jumped in a tricycle and got them to take us and our luggage to the Love beach resort. The tricycle should cost around $70 pesos but we gave them $100 as we had so much luggage. But as we got there the driver told us he knew of some cottages nearby were we could rent one out. I was a little reluctant to start looking at places with all the luggage but I’m glad I said yes as we found the perfect place to stay (nearly). The only down side is there was no Internet included and my SmartBro is so slow here that it’s painful to use.

But the cottage I now live in is all I need, it has cable TV, a fridge, cooking top, large fan and I can pay extra for air con if I want but I don’t need it so have not used it yet. It’s so peaceful here and it’s just a really nice place to live. There is an assortment of restaurants, bars and adventure services all in 1 – 3 minutes walk. The water is only 50 metres away with crystal clear blue water and white sand. Divers are based here and a number of travelers come here just for the diving.

There is a large beach only 15 minutes on the bike called the White Sand beach and it really is a beautiful and ideal place to go for a swim with the family. You can rent out huts on the beach for around $150 pesos to have some shade and privacy or do what we did and sit under a tree on the sand for free.

continued at Discovering Cebu Part2

We stayed in Puerto Princess for a few days. Enjoying shopping and preparing for the rest of out travel. We found a cafe called iToys that offers some nice European and Western food and coffee. They also offer free Wi-Fi. There is a large store in the center of the town, I forget the name but everyone knows it there so it won’t be hard to find. It is like a type of mall but don’t expect anything like you would get in Manila but you can get everything you need from the supermarket there or one of the other department stores in the building.

We hired a motorbike out from a local bike shop for a reasonable price. Something like $150 AU for a week. It was a Honda 200 XR trail bike and perfect for the terrain we would later encounter. It was also fine for the road too with tires fitted for both road and trail.

We decided to go to Port baton through the back way. You head towards north and take a side road several hours later. We met some locals at the intersection and they said it was extremely muddy and I think they were surprised a foreigner would have the balls to go that way.

So we decided to pay a local to come with us on one of his bikes and carry a couple of our bags. We paid about 1000 pesos and it was worth every cent. It was one of the most exciting and challenging things I have done. Lucky I had ridden a trail bike often when young so I still knew somethings. It was great to be back on a bike in mud and I just enjoyed it so much although it was tough going. I had one drink bottle of water and we finished that about half way and I was sweating like a pig right through. My girlfriend hung on for her life and also enjoyed it.

We got to Port Baton finally and found a nice place to stay by the beach. Check out the pics below:

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I arrived in Manila after the plane flew over the city where I could get a good view of the city on the plane.

Once in Manila I didn’t take long to find my flight to Puerto Princess. I had a snack and some drinks when I started to realize the food was going to be a little different to what I’m used to. I was happy to finally get on the flight to Puerto Princess which took around an hour to arrive and land in Puerto Princess although it is not that far away.

I was greeted by my girlfriend Ruth who lives on the island and I have known for around a year. She and her friend were happy to see me and we got on a tricycle and took a ride back to Ruth’s place.

I soon learned that the Philippines is quite a bit different to Bondi and I had to get used to drinking from bottled water which is cheap luckily as I wouldn’t trust the water there. It was nice to relax at Ruth’s place before we all went out for dinner where I enjoyed my first Philippine meal which was delicious.

One thing about the Philippines is that you can buy your food at restaurants quite cheaply and would cost you less then it would to make it back home. Some of the food you can buy out is delicious and good quality if you stick with what is in season and is locally harvested. Seafood is in abundance so I recommend to get on a seafood diet there as you can have mouth watering meals of Crayfish, Tuna, Marlin and Prawns etc at very affordable prices. At least this is true on the island of Palawan.

We stayed in Puerto Princess for a few days and it was enjoyable. We would often go to the local cafes or markets and get breakfast. One good cafe is called iToys where we could also access wireless Internet and they served Australian or US food if you miss bacon and eggs or a good drink of fresh milk.

Our first adventure was to go and meet Ruth’s family in the southern town of Bataraza. We took the trip down in a mini van which cost around 500 pesos each. It took most part of a day to get there. See pictures above.

 One thing I found interesting and a little worrying was how the people and children would walk close to the roads in the rural areas. As we passed them I felt it would be all too easy to hit someone. Sometimes the driver would warn them with a beep of the horn. The drive was fairly smooth but it felt a little unsafe in a crowded van which went quite fast and most of us had no seat belts. I would have preferred to have hired a car or bike and drive myself and Ruth there.

We arrived in Ruth’s family’s province and by the time we made it to her parent’s home it had gone dark. Their power had been cut so we had to use candles. I was overwhelmed of the hospitality and friendliness of her family as they were very nice to me. They cooked a feast of dried fish, vegetables and rice that I soon learned this was what they ate nearly everyday.

We stayed there for a few days and enjoyed the family’s hospitality even though they were struggling for money they were happy and content. We went to the beach while I was there but it was very stony and had awful views of big industrial ships that looked to have polluted the beach. We also went to the local weekly market and that was interesting. I purchased a lot of fresh food for the family and some fresh fish.

It was sad to say goodbye but we decided to head back to Puerto Princess and stay for a few days before traveling North West.

To be continued…

Being good with his hands, he was drawn to the shop and became fascinated with the strength and flexibility of rattan as they were being handcrafted into furniture by the proficient workers in the shop.

It was John McGuire who thought of a way to give justice to the material in its design and execution when he was presented with an opportunity to deal in the rattan business. Having married and settled back in the US, he and his wife decided to work as a team and founded the McGuire Furniture Co. in 1948.

This after they had traded a warehouse full of rattan furniture and learned these were being bought only for sun porches. He thought the material deserved better treatment and remembered Dona Maria and her shop. When they sent her a design she thought was not reasonable, John didn’t give up. Instead, he remembered what they used to do in those cowboy movies about wet cowhide, that when dry, starts to tighten around the neck. This breakthrough not only solved the problem of strength through cowhide but also revolutionized rattan furniture design and to this day, this combination of rattan and cowhide is a McGuire exclusive trademark with international patents.

McGuire’s real break came when they were able to persuade the famous interior designer of Gump’s in San Francisco, Eleanor Forbes, to design furniture using rattan. All of her 15 designs sold, 2 of which are considered classics and displayed at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.. By the 1950’s, the McGuire collection had not only expanded from chairs to sofas, tables and bar stools but also, a new design created a sensation every year. As their fame and clientele kept growing, they opened 21 showrooms in key US cities and engaged a distributor for the European and Japanese markets.

With the growth and expansion of the McGuire Co. Dona Maria’s Mehitabel Furniture Company in Cebu, being the McGuire’s sole manufacturer and supplier, likewise grew. She had to have subcontractors who could also meet her own tough requirements as well as the high standards set out by McGuire. Thus, enter Mr. Guillermo Figueroa, proprietor of Rattan Arts and along with a certain Mr. Nazareno, of Rattan Pacifica from Cavite, eventually became regular suppliers. Rattan Arts also had its share of fame and fortune. They had furnished posh hotels that hosted international events such as the Meeting of World Leaders in Hotel Cancun in Mexico and the Miss Universe pageant in Hotel Pereus in Greece. Like Mehitabel, it is still going strong to date and same as Mehitabel too, they have sister companies which focus on wooden furniture products, based on market demands.

Another important player during the early development of the Cebu furniture industry is the late Florentino Atillo. He learned the ropes of the rattan furniture trade in Dona Maria’s shop and later ventured out on his own, eventually founding the Rattan & Wood Industries, Inc. This became one of the biggest factories during its time. When he died in 1969, his wife and two sons took over the business but they later sold out. However, one son put up his own FLA III, which is also within the furniture industry.

A footnote to this was the entry of buri furniture during the 1960’s, the very first designs of which were done by Elinor McGuire, John’s wife. The top department stores bought and sold the items but unfortunately, the owners of these products left them out during winter. Thus they did not last and the disappointed owners returned them to the stores, prompting the McGuires to give up on the new material. Towards the end of 1969, Dona Maria, with another American, designed a knock down buri chair. With the right marketing strategy and innovative designs, it made its re-entry into the US market. It became very popular prompting many to go into its production. This made the product too inexpensive and the market too competitive, that it had nowhere else to go but bow out of the export market.

Many have since then joined the industry, although the threat of extinction hung over their heads many years back (early 70’s) when the sourcing of raw materials became very difficult. Cebu was the seat of production yet it didn’t have any rattan plantations at all nor any forest cover. The five rattan suppliers, Mindanao Ratan, Standard Rattan, Alenter, Pacific Traders and Norkis Trading preferred to export the raw poles rather than supply the locals.

The active lobbying by the industry members who have organized themselves into a cohesive group, the Chamber of Furniture Industries of the Philippines, furniture manufacturers cebu groups, resulted in a rattan poles export ban in 1976 and the five suppliers converted to become manufacturers themselves and even became some of the biggest in the industry. Doubling exports and the resulting rash of new factories put up and numerous subcontractors again threatened the industry. Indonesia came in as a supplier but imported poles were more expensive so again, there were factories which were forced to close. Fortunately, an Englishman, Paul Maitland-Smith decided to establish a factory in Cebu. The players in the industry consider this fateful decision as one of the reasons for the beginning of the “renaissance of the industry”. The other reason is, of course, the creativity of the Cebuano entrepreneurs.

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The lack of rattan, a major component, has challenged them to come up with other materials that may substitute for rattan or may be combined with it and thus lessen their need for it. With materials like stone, aluminum, wrought iron, wood, coco and sea shells, bamboo, banana bark, abaca, steel, leather, tikog, sea grass, lampakanai and other indigenous materials, Cebuanos come up with the most creative and exciting designs ever, yet still retaining the beauty of form and function in the resulting products.

The second factor is the skill and artistry of the workers. Cebu has a history of its people’s ingenuity in making do with what they have, given the land they cannot really depend on for food and livelihood. Cebuanos are used to making things work with whatever is on hand for them to work with. And because they are surrounded by beautiful, natural scenery, they can’t help but turn out things of beauty. They are naturally artistic. Capitalizing on masterful Filipino skills, the Philippine-made furniture today is a fusion of eastern craftsmanship, natural materials, age-old traditions, clever designs and modern technology.

Current Trends

Every year, since 1988, Cebu International Furniture and Furnishings Exhibition or “Cebu Xcite”, is held to showcase what a Cebu furniture exporter has to offer to the world. The show, dubbed Cebu X, is held the first week of March at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino, Cebu, Philippines in Cebu Philippines. Organized by the Cebu Furniture Industries Foundation, Inc.(CFIF).

It is now the “must-see” show among the many furniture design shows in Asia. The show has long been recognized as the number one exhibition of its kind in the Philippines, and through 17 years of design innovation and the occasional revolution, it is an influential barometer of the region’s design direction. Make your reservations now to attend the show at the CFIF website.

Based on the industry’s latest offerings, and on talks with a Cebu furniture manufacturer, Alan Murillo, we can surmise the following design trends in furniture:

* First, the trend to use mixed media as material for furniture. There are reasons for this, one of which is the scarcity of materials that have been used for furniture. Now, manufacturers and designers are using non-traditional materials and traditional craftsmanship mixed with modern technology. The materials may be ethnic but the sensibility is modern. Another reason for this mixing of materials is the new awareness among the Cebu furniture export manufacturers not to waste nature’s bounty, but to enhance, protect and preserve it, as much as possible. Not only for this generation but for future generations as well.

* The use of material that makes the furniture light and airy. This is what the Europeans call the Asian lifestyle trend, or what some dubbed as the tropical feel, or the urban ethnic. The material may be indigenous- coco shell, sugarcane stalks, abaca, rope, sea grass, -but with the consummate Filipino craftsmanship and artistry married to the state-of-the art machinery, the results are urbane designs, unmistakably contemporary, thoroughly modern.

* The result of all this is what Mr. Murillo calls a “responsible design.” The design with a social conscience. Materials such as coco and bamboo, long used locally in relatively basic applications are now transformed into highly evolved finished pieces that comply with the strictest international standards on the use of non-toxic chemicals and the preservation of the environment. When designing furniture now, they see to it no laws-social, environmental, or otherwise-are being violated.

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