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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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 by star…
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The Ber Months: What Actually Changes for Travelers, September to December
September and October 2026 have no national holidays at all. Not one. Then everything lands at once: a…
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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 three days…
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Which Cebu Road Trip Should You Actually Take?
There are four good road trips out of Cebu City and most people do the wrong one first.…
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Philippine immigration asks a departing tourist for three things. The rest never became law.
A self-funded Filipino tourist needs three documents. The bank statements and proof of employment everyone talks about come…
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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 speakeasy in…
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
All food stories →-
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…
-
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…
-
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.