Field Dispatch · Visayas · Cebu
Bantayan is flat, and that explains everything
The highest point on the island is twenty six meters, so there are no rivers and the whole place drinks from one rainwater aquifer. Ferry fares came down in May 2026, and the church in town has been shut since the earthquake.
Suroy is Bisaya for “to wander”
Explore the Philippines through the eyes of someone who has actually been there.
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Osmeña Peak to Kawasan Falls: Is the Hiking Trail Open?
Before you plan the Osmeña Peak to Kawasan hike, one thing needs saying: nobody publishes whether the walking…
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The Cash Ladder: How Much Money to Actually Carry on a Philippine Island Trip
Carry cash in four separate amounts, not one pile. A working system for island ATMs that run dry,…
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The Transcentral Highway After Dark: Fog, Fuel Gaps and an Active Slope
No 24 hour gasoline station, an active landslide zone between Cansomoroy and Gaas, and one gate open all…
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Stop Paying Everyone One by One: The Barkada Trip Ledger That Keeps Friendships Intact
Stop turning every van, ferry ticket and lunch into a fresh payment request. This simple barkada ledger tracks…
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Tipping in the Philippines: that 10 percent on the bill is the tip, and by law it goes to the staff
The service charge line is the tip, and since 2019 the law has sent every peso of it…
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Bringing a Vehicle on a Cebu RoRo: Papers, Rates and the Clearance Nobody Asks For
Bringing your own car or motorbike onto a Cebu RoRo is mostly paperwork you already carry. The registration…
One archipelago, three island groups
7,641 islands
Sinulog Festival, Cebu City · 9:12 PM
Festivals · Culture
Sinulog is not a parade. It is a heartbeat.
One Sunday every January, two million people move to the same drum. We have shot it from the street and from the sky since 2022, and it still finds new ways to stop us cold.
Read the festival guideBite into Cebu
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Where to eat ramen in Cebu: four bowls, four broths, and what each one actually costs
Four ramen shops across Ayala, IT Park, Banilad and A.S. Fortuna, picked by broth rather than…
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The steak arrives raw. You cook it yourself on a stone from Mount Fuji.
Seven visits in ten months, three of them on consecutive days. Nobody eats at a steakhouse…
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Balai on A.S. Fortuna is a house, and the best thing in it is not theirs
Balai is a converted house on A.S. Fortuna in Mandaue with a charcoal chicken spit, a…
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Dispatches from 7,641 islands
Field guides, drone routes, and the honest version of every destination. Written after the trip, not before.