First Glimpse

The Philippines is a very beautiful country consisting of several thousands of islands. I've been there many times. The first time was way back in the 1990s when I joined a tour group to Manila to escape Chinese New Year in Singapore.
At that time Marcos was already deposed so we have the chance to see the Malacanang Palace. The palace was opened to the public and there we got to see the much publicized Lady Marcos' collection of shoes and also the private treasures of the family.
I remembered places like the Manila Hilton, Olangapo City, Pasajan Falls, and White Rock Beach where we saw fireworks been let off on Chinese New Year Eve.
The next time I get to visit the country was when the company sent me there to look at the Seagate Cebu project. This was followed by another one in 2003 to visit Lexmark factory.
I still remembered the Cebu International Airport was just newly opened and it was somehow experiencing frequent power trips until our flight was delayed several hours.
The passengers were left with nothing to do but wait out sitting on the floor and smelling sweaty as the air conditioning was also down.
The province of Cebu is even better than the capital city Manila as it is away from the hustle and bustle of the commercial capital city. For a holiday destination it is more relaxing, not so crowded, lots of free space as you moved inland away from the provincial capital of Cebu City. The city is more or less looking like Singapore in the 1970s; the sprinkle of townships along the coast of the main island is more livable and is ideally recommended for building a retirement retreat.
If you love the sea, the sand and the country side with lots of space to wander, this is the place for you.
Unaware to me Cebu would later become my second home; a place I would return more often than usual. This is the story of how it all started and the adventures of my home coming.