Soda Cafe – not just another Korean cafe

Korean population in Cebu, and in the Philippines in general, is becoming larger and larger. They came here for our affordable yet high quality English education.

But some are not just plainly English students, some are businessmen as well. Korean started the concept of a cafe with double deck amenities. You can see the commonalities among Korean owned and managed cafes such as cafe noriter, coffee prince, and cafe talk library. Soda Cafe will not take its backseat among its contemporaries.

Soda cafe is located inside Rain Tree Mall along Mango Avenue. It is few meters away from Greenwich Pizza.

MichaelAngelo’s pizzeria in Mango Avenue

Mango Avenue is one of the liveliest places in Cebu City. It is known for its hideous traffic jam due to traffic lights ever single corner until you reach Gorordo Avenue. Not only that it is also the night life capital of the city where the tourists and young professionals converge every night to have some good booze and party. Not to mention the strips of clubs and bars intended for adult audiences adjacent to INC Church.

Aside from the bustling traffic, Mango Avenue remains to be a good spot for travelers due to its proximity to the Fuente Osmena Circle – the heart of Cebu City.

The Ruins

This is one of the best churches I’ve ever since here in Cebu. I do apologize because my memory doesn’t serve me right that I can’t really recall the exact town where this church is located. If anyone of you know the town down south please let me know.

I took these photos while on our way to Sumilon Island. Due to nature’s call we dropped by a gasoline station to pee and refuel our service. It was the owner of the gasoline station who suggested to visit the abandoned church.

I can see that indeed this magnificent infrastructure was a bit for quite sometime. But today, it’s undergoing a total face lift.

Sumilon Island here I come

After a long time of dreaming to explore Sumilon Island, at long last it’s a dream come true. Tomorrow will be the day of its fulfillment. I would like to thank Karla Paner and her team in letting me join her team for this trip.

Malapascua Island’s Guards

Malapascua Island is blessed with pristine waters and nice, fine , white sand shoreline. Though I’ve seen countless numbers of tourists visiting the magnificent island, yet I haven’t seen any security guards moving around to check and make sure that the place is risk-free. However, dogs are everywhere.  Dogs seemed so friendly and accommodating. They will walk along with you. These dogs are so lovely to look at, though I am not a pet lover really.

Private Guard

Private Guard

Private Guard

The Watcher

Sunset at Malapascua Island

Sunset at Malapascua Island

Malapascua Sunset

Malapascua Island

St Catherine’s Church – Carcar City

Every time I visit a place, the first thing I need to see is their church. That’s why as you can see in most of my entries here I featured the different churches of the places I’ve explored here in Cebu province. I don’t know, it seems like there is a magnetic force the draws me near to this kind of edifices. Then I just find my eyes feasting the beauty of the golden structure.

One of the good architectural designs I’ve seen in a church is the St Catherine’s Church in Carcar City. The church was built in 1859 during the Augustinian Friars and it is the second oldest church in Cebu. St Catherine’s Church was named after the town’s patron saint St. Catherine’s of Alexandria. The design of the church is admiSt Catherine’s Churchred for its Byzantine architecture, Greco-Roman altar and twin bell towers.

Every November 25th the town attracts thousands of devotees & visitors from different walks of life to pay homage to our Saint Catherine’s of Alexandria. Today the church stands historically on the top of the hill with peeled paints, rotten woods and cracked foundations, to the point of dilapidation. People noticed the changed of its physical structure but these defects did not change the profound devotion to the Blessed Mother.

Every woman’s dream

Let me quote Viktor Frankl, think-tank of logotherapy and author saying “For the first time in my life I saw the truth as it is set into songs but so many poets, proclaimed as the highest wisdom of so many thinkers. But the truth is LOVE is ultimate goal to which man can aspire.” Indeed, to love and be loved in return is everyone’s dream. Who do you think don’t like the feeling or love or being loved? Even the wealthiest or the poorest of the poor person in the world is yearning for LOVE.

But does love ends? Honestly, for some yes. But for others it adds another chapter of their lives. Love if it is destined for two individuals living as one brings them to a different level of union. That is the sacrament of matrimony.

Argao Church