Filipino Sojourner

I am not choosy when it comes to accommodations. I can sleep anywhere. I slept in luxury hotels. I slept in good hotels. I slept in a friend’s house. Heck, I even slept in a mosquito-infested-bahay-kubo somewhere in Davao Oriental!

Of the many accommodations that I slept in, I can only count two that I consider worst hotel. One is the old hotel (with a very noisy and old aircon) in Tabaco City, Albay. The other is Pacific Tourist Inn in Cebu City.

I went to Cebu for on official business but our office is very stingy when it comes to allowances for field works. I was given less than a thousand pesos a day allowance that includes accommodation, food (breakfast-lunch-dinner), and incidental expenses.

My personal stand is that I must not shell out my own money when it comes to work-related-activities. Thus, I searched for a cheap accommodation that will fit my meager allowance.

The truth is that it is hard to find a cheap hotel in Metropolitan Cebu. Thankfully, I found Pacific Tourist Inn.

The darkly lit hallway of Pacific Tourist Inn - Cebu Hotel

The place is cheap so I didn’t mind the dark hallway.

Bedbug infested bed in Pacific Tourist Inn - Cebu Hotel

I also didn’t mind if my room is small.

Toilet in Pacific Tourist Inn - Cebu Hotel

I also didn’t mind if the toilet is not super-clean.

The truth is that I slept in a room that is worse than this room in Pacific Tourist Inn.

What made the place worse is that I felt itchy few minutes after a lied on the bed. I believe that there are bed bugs and they feasted on me that night.

Pacific Tourist Inn is indeed budget friendly but I will not sleep in this hotel again because of the pesky bed bugs.

---

Laag-Laag sa Cebu (Part 3): Feasting on Consolacion’s Fresh Talaba
Laag-Laag sa Cebu (Part 2): Finding Consolation in Consolacion Church

Laag-Laag sa Cebu (Part 1): My Boat Ride Under the Bridges of Mactan Channel

A Foretaste of Cebu in Mactan Cebu International Airport

It is the last day of A.D. 2016!

This only means that it is the best time to publish the obligatory year-end post where I will look back to the year that was.

The Obligatory Year-End Post

2016 is the year when my second child – our Little Samantha – came to us and filled our home with fun.

2016 is the year where my firstborn – our Little Samuel – has plenty of milestones. Our little boy is learning fast and he is advancing to the delight of his Lolo and Lola.

2016 is the year when this blog went to the backburner due to my busy days as a Father, Husband, Employee. The office-stress and the sleepless nights when caring for our children took a toll to my creativity. The result is almost-a-year-long Writer’s Block. I only published 24 blog posts, which is the lowest since I started blogging in 2007.

2016 is the year when I withdrew from other activities like my involvement with pro-life groups because I focused most of my energy in taking care of the family.

2016 is the year when I started my journey for financial freedom. I purchased a life insurance which I hope will help my family save and grow our money. I don’t trust life insurance companies in the past because of the issues with CAP and other pre-need insurance firms but a good friend convinced me to think otherwise.

2016 is the year when I finally finished my post about my adventures in Thailand. This is a major achievement for this blog since I was posting about Thailand since 2012. It took me four years! Now I wonder when can I post about my adventures in Malaysia, Indonesia, and other great places around the Philippines.

That’s the highlight of my 2016. I do hope that we will see each other again next year.

P.S.

Special thanks and mentions to the following bloggers to this blog who is always present in the combox.

Arthur Wee (a.k.a. Suitapui)

Arvin U. de la Peña
Jonathan
Lux G.
Milton Coyne (a.k.a. Bluedreaamer)
Nancy Chan
Steve

Thank you also to all of my suki (and those who are shy to leave a comment) and subscribers to this blog. Please continue patronizing my blog and I do hope that you start to leave comments next year.

---

Read all of my twenty-four blog posts for 2016

January

Exploring Ayutthaya Historical Park (Part 5): Gruesome Skeletons of Portuguese Village

Exploring Ayutthaya Historical Park (Part 6): Good Bye Old City of Siam

Trying Something Different at Sunigbaan

February

Family Time at Nuvali Park in Laguna

Nothing Special at Uncle Cheffy Nuvali Park
The Issue of Tipping and Service Charge at Filipino Restaurants

March

Visita Iglesia 2016: The Ruins of the 400-Year Old Church of Vinzons, Camarines Norte
And We Will Call Them Sam-Sam

June