Oh, Kidapawan. Nandito na naman ako, pero sa pagkakataong ito, may biyahe ako papuntang Cebu / Oh, Kidapawan. Nibalik na pud ko, pero karon, padulong ko’g Cebu

Since I’ve been here quite a few times already, I’m just going to focus on the days I wasn’t working where we were able to do stuff.

Kidapawan

Cebu

Saturday 10th January › Kidapawan
We left the hotel around 12:00 and decided that we would go and pick up one of the nieces and head to Lake Agco. Lake Agco has some pools you can swim in and it has a geothermal mud pool too.
The drive was up in the mountains and it was good because it meant cooler temperatures and I was loving that.
We picked up the niece and then made our way further up to the lake. As we were driving, Addy was pointing out the areas that had been affected by the earthquake and landslide in 2019. It was sad to see how much was still in ruins.
We got to the lake and you could feel the heat from the geothermal pool. We parked up and paid our entrance fee (of course) of ₱20 for entry to the geothermal area. On the way up, it was marked that you couldn’t take mud or plants from the area because it was a sacred indigenous space.
We skipped the mud pool and headed to the geothermal pool. It was a nice walk in nature. That being said, I also fell over along the walk. Thankfully, I didn’t do any damage to myself or anything I had. I was just annoyed that it happened.
We went and stood by the lake and the smell was so bad that you couldn’t really tolerate it for long. It was cool to see, though.

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We left here and then headed to the pool, where the niece could swim. It costs ₱70 for an adult and ₱50 for a child.
The smell was so much better, thankfully. We were here for about an hour and then we headed back to drop the niece off. Then we went to a part of the river by Addy’s house. It was quite nice listening to the water flow.
We stopped on part of the old road (pre-bridge build) that usually floods when there is heavy rain. We walked along the path and had to do some stone hopping to get to a part where we could sit and Addy could swim. I just sat there listening to the flowing water and the insects chirping.

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I decided to have a wander around here and I fell over here too. Thankfully, no injuries to me or my stuff.
I decided we should just go back to the hotel. We got here and I just went to sleep as I couldn’t be bothered with anything else.
Sunday 11th January › Kidapawan

Today we decided that we would go to a restaurant that we had seen on the way back from the lake yesterday. It’s called Bernardo’s.
We headed to the supermarket at the mall first to get some drinks and snacks for the coming week, as I am working 5 days in a row and the shift timings are 14:00 – 02:00 each day.
We dropped our stuff off and then headed out back up the mountains. The drive was really nice and it was nice to have the cooler temperatures again.
We drove past more of the ruined buildings from 2019.
You can see in the image below that they have put up netting to shore up the mountain.
The place was nice and the food was good. The portions were quite big, too. Better sizes than Hillside. The views weren’t as good, but you were still surrounded by the mountains and the mountainous terrain.
We stayed here for about 90 minutes and then headed back down to Addy’s sisters to do some laundry. We then went to see his mam and then back to his sister’s house for some food.
We had Pork Adobo, Pork Sinigang and then some rice. It was really nice. I wish I hadn’t gotten so full; I would have eaten more.
We left here and then headed back to the hotel as we both had to work on Monday. Thankfully for me, I could lie in a little longer than Addy could.
Monday 19th January › Cebu

Fast forward about a week and it was time for us to go to Cebu. I didn’t think it would happen as the hotel had cancelled our booking. We both couldn’t decide if we wanted to go or stay in Kidapawan.
I managed to find a hotel that was cheaper than our previous and we got ready and headed out to the bus terminal.
We didn’t have to wait long for the bus. There was a 2-stop service headed to Davao.
We thought it was going to be empty, but we were wrong. It was a full bus and it was so uncomfortable. The journey seemed to take ages and I was so uncomfortable on it. I was glad when we finally got to Davao. We stopped at the Ecoland Mall and just sat in there for a couple of hours before heading to the airport.
We were checked in already, so we went through security and sat in the gate area. Our flight ended up being delayed by almost 90 minutes. I was so annoyed by it. We were supposed to be in the hotel in Cebu already, but we didn’t end up getting to the hotel until after midnight.
We checked in, dropped our stuff off and then went in search of food (because Addy didn’t listen to me at the airport. Grrr!).
It was around 01:30 when we finally got to sleep and we had a walking tour booked for the morning.
Tuesday 20th January › Cebu

I woke up and said to Addy that I wanted to cancel the walking tour and do it tomorrow because I was so tired and my stomach was hurting. I think he was glad that we did, as he was still tired.
I booked us another tour for tomorrow and then went back to sleep.
We got up and left the hotel around 11:00. We booked a Grab to take us to Fort San Pedro so we could have a look around there and just see what was there.
We got to the Fort and it was so hot. We paid ₱30 per person for entry and went in and had a walk around.
The fort has been here since 1565 and the days of Magellan.
It isn’t a huge place, so you don’t really need to spend more than 90 minutes maximum here to see everything it has to offer. It was nice walking around it, though, because you got a nice breeze in the scorching heat.
We left here and went to the park across the street. It was so dirty. Full of stalls and litter from the Sinulog festival they had here the previous week. Addy said that in Kidapawan, that would have been cleared within hours. Here, not so much. It was awful.
It was a nice walk around, though. I got some pictures of the various statues and monuments in here.
We decided it was hot enough for us to go to Jollibee and sit in the cold air and have some food. We had to cross a road that had no pedestrian markers. I showed those waiting how to do it and just walked across. I’ve walked across roads far busier than this on my travels.
We went inside Jollibee and it was heaving. So much so that it was hard to move and to find a seat. I tasked Addy with finding a seat and he was able to find us one. I was so happy to be sitting down and relaxing.
We left here and then went to our favourite store – 7-Eleven – and got some cold drinks before heading to the port. I was hoping we could get a ferry to one of the other islands and then come back. No such luck, I’m afraid. We were far too late there for any ferry that would take us and bring us back the same day. We certainly didn’t want to sleep on another island and come back at 04:00
We headed back to the fort so I could ask them to go inside to the souvenir store to get some magnets. The lady there said it was fine and we got our magnets.
We left here and walked back through the park and made our way to Basilica Santo Niño. On our way, I was accosted by an American asking if I knew where the basilica was. I told him we didn’t really know. He asked if I was asking Addy for directions or if I was with him. I told him I was with him and he decided to tag along.
We managed to ditch him when we got to Magellan’s Cross outside of it.
It’s a cross inside a building that signifies where Magellan introduced Catholicism to the Philippines. Addy said you used to be able to go inside the small building, but now they offer candles to it.
It’s crazy. There are thousands upon thousands of candles that have been given as offerings.
I tried to go into the Basilica, but the security nazis at the entrance weren’t having any of it. They said no shorts of any kind. I tried explaining that they were below the knee, but they still weren’t having any of it – all the while allowing women with knee-length and just below knee-length skirts in.
I asked them why they had allowed someone with the same length of shorts in but I wasn’t allowed in. They couldn’t answer. Of course they couldn’t. It’s a stupid rule. Religion isn’t about the clothes you wear (within reason) but what’s in your heart. They were still not having it. I looked them dead in the eye and said BILATS and they looked shocked that this fat white man knew what some words in their language.
I was really annoyed. So, so annoyed. It’s such a stupid rule that isn’t in place in 99% of Catholic churches throughout the world. I don’t say this lightly, but FUCK THOSE SECURITY BILATS!
We left here and went to the Pasalubong store across the street, but everything was expensive. Oh well, there was an I <3 Cebu sign out front. We got our obligatory pictures and then went to the McDonald’s across the street and sat in the cold air for a while.
We left here and then headed in the direction of the Heritage of Cebu Monument. I had told Addy that I wanted to see that today.
On our way, we passed by Cebu Cathedal but mass was going on, so we couldn’t go in and take pictures. Addy saw a museum across the street so we went in there instead.
It was the Archdiocese Museum of Cebu. The entrance fee was ₱100 per person. We paid and then went in and looked around.
The building dates from the times of Spanish Colonial rule. You can see in the pictures below the different levels of the foundations and when each was.
I impressed Addy in here when we saw some music manuscripts. He asked if I could read music and I told him I could. I was telling him what the notes were and he was super impressed. I also told him I could play the piano with one hand and he was even more impressed. He said he wishes he were more musically inclined.
Anyway, below are some pictures from the museum.

We left here and then went to the Cathedral to look around. We sat down and no sooner had we sat down than another mass was starting. We weren’t able to take pictures during Mass. I looked at when mass was and there were so many during the day. I saw that there is no mass between 12:30 and 15:00. I told Addy I wanted to go back there tomorrow after the walking tour, so we could look around.
We left and then made our way to the Heritage Monument of Cebu. We took some pictures right at the entry and Addy said it wouldn’t look as good from the other side. I told him I still wanted to walk around. He was glad we did, as the monument is really ornate. It’s definitely one of those out-of-the-way monuments that is deserving of a visit.
It tells the story of Cebu on all sides. It really is impressive – as you will see from the pictures below.

The monument is in the Barangay of Pari-An. Right behind the monument is the Pari-An fire station and clock tower. Right in front of the fence is another I <3 Cebu sign. Pictures were a must, of course.
We went across the street to the 7-Eleven to buy some snacks and drinks and just sat there for an hour or so. We then decided to come back to the hotel and it took us another 40 minutes to find a Grab. It was super busy on there. We had one driver accept and then cancel 10 minutes later. I was so glad when another one finally accepted. I was ready to be back in the cold hotel room (yes, dear reader, I left the card in the slot to keep the electricity on so it would be cold when we got back).
Today has been a good day and I’ve enjoyed wandering around Cebu.
Now for an early night, ready for the tour tomorrow.
Wednesday 21st January › Cebu

The alarm went off at 08:30 today because we were going to do a walking tour at 09:45. I woke up so many times in the night that I was still so tired, so I asked Addy if he still wanted to do it. He asked if we would see the same things we saw ourselves yesterday and I said we would.
I cancelled the tour at 08:35 and no sooner had I done so than I received a message from the tour guide asking why I had cancelled and that he was already at the meeting point. Bear in mind that the tour was still not starting for another 70 minutes. Sir, if you are there that early then that is on you and if you can’t understand that plans change, then that is on you also.
I went back to sleep for another hour and then we both decided to get up. Addy had been looking for other places for us to go and he said he found a Taoist Temple that we could go to. I was letting him plan today, as I don’t want to do all the planning. The only place I wanted to go back to was the Cebu Cathedral and I said that to him yesterday.
We got ready for the day and then I booked us a Grab. It was about 10:40 by the time we were on our way. I did see some things that I thought would be cool to see, but we don’t have the time to see more than what we were going to see today.
On the way, I saw a familiar-looking building and I told Addy it was the Mormon temple. Fitting, seeing that we were on our way to another religious temple.
We got to the Taoist temple and could tell it was really cool just from seeing it outside.
We climbed the stairs and just wandered around and took in the views of both the temple and the city. The temple here offers some amazing views of the city. You can see the temple and the city views in the pictures below.

We ended up spending almost 3 hours here. It was peaceful and gave some amazing shots. It’s definitely worthy of a visit if you ever go to Cebu. Don’t make it a quick visit, though. Enjoy the surroundings and the views!
I booked us a Grab and we headed back down towards the sea and stopped at the cathedral. Thankfully, there was no mass going on so we were able to get some pictures. I got the pictures and Addy just sat there. He’s not a fan of being in churches, it seems. Before the cathedral, we stopped to get some statues of Santo Niño for his teacher friends. He wasn’t overly comfortable getting them, but I told him it was just a gift and didn’t go against his religion to get gifts for friends that he knows they will like.
As we were driving to the cathedral, we passed the Heritage of Cebu monument and Addy said it was closed. We both said we visited at the right time, as we were able to get pictures without the scaffolding in.
The cathedral is quite nice in its own way. It’s worth a visit if you are ever in this part of the city. I’m not sure it’s worth a visit just for that, though.
We left here and then headed to McDonald’s to get some food and just sit in the cold air and have some cold drinks. I ordered some Sprite but they gave me Coke since they didn’t have Sprite. I asked them to change one of the Cokes for a Royal (Fanta in the rest of the world) and she told me twice that they didn’t have Sprite. I said slowly: I know. That’s why I asked for Royal. The manager had to intervene and say the same thing. So annoying.
We left here and headed in the direction of Colon Street market so Addy could get some Pasalubong for his mam and sisters. He found some bags for them. I said that we could just walk back to the hotel as it was only a mile away. He agreed and we did that.
I stopped for some pictures on the way from McDonald’s until we reached the hotel. It was a nice walk as it wasn’t too hot and the wind was blowing.
I was glad to be back at the hotel so I could rest my feet. They are aching from walking. Also, we have to pack our few bits and pieces for the airport tomorrow. We have to figure out whether we stay in the hotel until check-out time and sit in the mall before heading to the airport, or do something before we head to the airport. The flight is in the evening, so I’m not sure what we’ll do.
I’ll update tomorrow.
Tuesday 22nd January › Cebu - Kidapawan

Today was the day we left Cebu. We didn’t really have time to do anything, so we decided that we would just check out at 12:00 and then head down towards the port to go to a Pasalubong shop to get some biscuits that Addy could bring back.
On the way to that one, he saw a Shamrock Pasalubong shop so we got out of the Grab there and went and got some stuff. Once he had his stuff, we headed to Jollibee to have some food and just sit before we needed to head to the airport. We ended up spending a couple of hours here.
I booked us a Grab and it seemed to take a while to get to the airport. We got there and we just went to the Starbucks and sat inside for a couple of hours before heading into the terminal, then to security and the gate.
We sat at the gate until it was time to board. It was nice to be in the cooler air and out of the sun and also to just sit without having to do anything or go anywhere – especially with the heavy backpacks.
We boarded late and sat on the apron for a while before we taxied and took off. I was concerned that I was going to be late for work, even more so being late leaving Cebu and arriving in Davao. We had to get a Grab to the bus terminal and then a coach to Kidapawan. I messaged my boss to let him know I would be about an hour late.
It turns out that I didn’t need to, as we got to Kidapawan in just over 3 hours. I think that’s mostly because it was 22:00 when we left Davao and not during the day. Less traffic, fewer stops, fewer people.
We went to McDonald’s and 7-Eleven to get some food and drinks. Addy was glad to be back at the hotel as he needed to sleep, as he had to leave early for a wedding that was 2 bus rides and 6 hours away.
I was able to get logged in for work with about 20 minutes to spare.
Sunday 25th January › Kidapawan
We didn’t really have anything planned for today. Addy was tired from the long drive back from the wedding and I was recovering from a night shift.
We ended up getting ready and left about 10:30. Addy asked his sister if she would make some food for us and she said she would. We went to the supermarket and got a few bits and pieces for us and some pork, carrots, potatoes for dinner.
We headed straight to his sisters’ to drop the food off and he did some laundry for me. I had T-shirts that needed to be washed and I didn’t want to do it at the hotel as there was nowhere to hang them to dry.
We stayed at his sister’s for around an hour and then we headed up towards Lake Agco. I wanted to pick up a magnet that I forgot to get when we were there last time.
We had a nice drive up as far as we could go. We couldn’t get past where the entrance to the geothermal power plant was.
We then headed back down to the lake and I got my magnet and we had a drive around the area. Addy took me to where he taught before the earthquake. It was interesting to see and it was sad to see that it was still in a state of disrepair since 2019.
Very few people were still living there and Addy was pointing out where the school was and where his students lived.

We headed to an area we first went to when I was here but we were turned around as the DENR had closed it.
We eventually went to the area of the river we were at last week. The river itself is called River Matingao.
I like it here. There weren’t many people and we found somewhere to sit and just chill. I brought my flip flops so I could go in the water. I didn’t want to swim; I just wanted to wade in the water. It’s cold and refreshing on the feet, but I don’t want to be immersed in it.
We went into the water and I fell in and then we carried on wading through the water. I wanted to go and sit on a rock there and we did. I then wanted to go to where there was a shallow pool. Addy skipped stones and I just watched and videoed him.

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We headed back towards the riverbank to get ready to head for dinner. We sat down and then I wanted to show Addy something on my phone, but it wasn’t in my pocket. He went and looked in the river and my phone and my tripod had become detached and were in the water.
Thankfully, the iPhone is water-resistant and it was fine. Not a crack on the screen protector either. I was relieved as it had all my travel documents on there – not to mention my photos that hadn’t been uploaded to iCloud.
We went and had dinner. It was the same as last week – Ginamay [pork with potatoes and carrots] and rice. I ate half of what is shown in the picture below.
We left here and then headed back to the hotel via Red Ribbon so I could get some cake. As we were in the shop, a dad with his son walked in. The kid covered his ears because of the AC and twice went up to a worker and poked his finger in her backside. I was livid for the worker. The dad didn’t seem to grasp the situation either and just pulled his kid. If it were mine, it would have been out of the shop so fast and punished so fast, too.

Aside from that, it was a good day and the countdown to my final week here.

I am so ready for home and all my creature comforts – this includes the absolute cold weather too.
Sunday 1st February › Kidapawan
Today was my final day here in Kidapawan and I mentioned to Addy that I would like to see some places that I hadn’t seen before.
We left the hotel at about 11:15 and headed to the mall so I could pick up some stuff for the flights tomorrow and he wanted to go get some rice as he was hungry.
One thing I won’t miss about being here is how slow they are at the checkouts in the supermarket. I think we queued for around 25 minutes before we got served. I also won’t miss the multiple receipt and bag checks either.
The cashier writes on the receipt how many bags you have. At the exit of the supermarket, there is someone else who checks your receipt and bag. At the exit of the mall, there is yet another person who checks your receipt and bag. Those at the exit are on some sort of power trip, though. I think it might be because they are in a uniform.
I digress. Addy had his rice and we went to Jollibee so I could have some fries and a drink before we set off on our road trip through the area.
In Mindanao, they have a motorcycle race and they passed through Kidapawan. I didn’t see any of them because I was ordering. Addy said he saw some. He said it is called The Boss Iron Man.
We left here and then went to another hotel to check on their room prices and they were far more expensive than where we are, so we won’t be going to that one in April. The rooms are around ₱1200 (around £15) a night more expensive.
We left here and then had a drive around. Addy went to get some flowers and a candle for his father’s grave. He hasn’t been there in around 3 years and he said he would go since I wanted to see a public cemetery here.
We went to a cemetery that has gone to ruin because of a landowner dispute. It is the land of the Indigenous People, but there aren’t any documents to prove that – despite a law being passed to say it belongs to them.
It’s sad to see how it has been left to go to ruin. We drove in and had a look around. You can see where graves have been opened and the coffins removed.

We left here and then made our way to the public cemetery in Ginatilan. This is where his dad is buried. He laid the flowers and lit a candle.
It was interesting to see the setup of this cemetery. It is overgrown, but it is not in ruin. A lot of the graves are covered and some have printed pictures of the deceased.
We also saw a couple of goats here who seemed unimpressed that we were there.
We left here and then went to his sister’s house so we could get something to drink. We then left here and made our way to the school that was his first teaching post.
The drive was really cool. It was nice to see different parts of the area that I haven’t seen before and it was nice to see where he taught. It was fun to see the memories come flooding back for him.
We found a place that has a river running by. It must flood because it has a rope bridge across it. We had to stop and walk across and get the obligatory pictures and then the obligatory videos of throwing/kicking stones in the water.

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We left here and then made our way to Datu Igwas IP Integrated School. Addy taught at this school from 2017 to 2020. The school that is mostly intact is where the school was relocated to after the earthquake in October 2019.
He saw one of the parents of his student and chatted with her for a little bit. I was just amazed at how primitive the school is and how content the students are to attend and learn. The UK can learn a lot from that.

We carried on further down the road and it went from concrete back to a dirt road and back to concrete and back to dirt again.
He saw the tribal chieftain (they call them Datu’s) and got out and spoke with him and sought his permission to go onto the land of the barangay.
If you don’t do this, you will be called into the barangay office and given a fine for trespassing. You also have to give a native brass instrument (called Agong) and then animals (usually a horse).
If you get permission, then the chieftain will ensure you are looked after and anyone causing trouble for you will be given a similar punishment from the barangay.
We parked up and then walked to the old Datu Igwas IP School. Nature has really taken over this place and it’s good to see that nature is reclaiming it. Addy said that some of the classrooms and offices had collapsed and you could only see the tops of the classrooms – notably the corrugated iron roofs. You could also see where the building had been cracked in the earthquake. Addy also said that some of the offices had fallen off the cliff behind the school because of the quake.
Looking behind the school and the land, you can see where there were a couple of landslides on the mountains. So sad to see, but also very interesting to see.

We left here and then made our way to the old Mt Apo National High School to look around at the damage from the earthquake. Addy said that they built and turned over a 2-storey building, but they never got to use it because of the earthquake.
On our way, we came across a little garden with some gnomes/dwarves and they had a couple of funny sculptures outside. I had Addy reverse back so I could get pictures of it.
We got to the school and Green had a little bit of a tough time getting up here, but he made it. I wish I had my drone with me to get some pictures and videos of the school and the damage. Instead, you’ll have to see it from my phone pictures. There is a classroom, the 2-storey building, the science lab. There are also a couple of houses here that were destroyed.
In the ground-floor rooms of the 2-storey building, the books and papers you can see are all here from before the earthquake and were left. Addy said it has recently been cleaned up and the papers and books stacked neatly.
One thing to note about the house is that the upper-floor windows weren’t damaged like the ground-floor windows. It seems weird to me that they weren’t.

From here, we went to where the school is now. The school looks better and is quite contained. It is set against a backdrop of a mountain and it is a really cool view. They have their own garden created by the students and they have some chickens there too. It’s cool to see how looked after it is by the students. Again, it is primitive by UK standards, but it is nice to see that they look after it.
Next stop was to see if Addy’s friend was home. He wasn’t and we decided to stop by the elementary school and see how damaged that was. I can’t see that it was as badly damaged as the high school, though. We got our pictures and then headed to his sister’s house.

We went from here to his sister’s house so he could get some food. I tried some, but the soup was spicy, so I couldn’t have any. We said our goodbyes and then went to his house so he could drop his case off and pick up some things for his brother – we’ll see him tomorrow in Davao.
We had to leave pretty quick as I was getting eaten alive by mosquitoes. It wasn’t fun at all.
On our way down, we saw a lot of traffic. We also saw a flashing blue light. As we got closer, there was more traffic and there were traffic officers directing traffic. We heard people saying that there had been an accident and that there were 3 people dead. It was horrific. We were ushered through and we saw a few people lying in the road. There was blood all over and smashed glass. There was a motorbike that was mangled and the front wheel was gone and the fork was damaged.
I was shocked at the number of bystanders just looking and leering and taking pictures of it. I was telling Addy how different it was at home and how the road would have been closed for hours for investigative work.
As we were heading back to the city, we saw 3 more ambulances with lights and sirens going there. It was awful to see.
We got to the hotel and someone had posted a video of it on Facebook. How awful. There seems to be no respect for the injured here! Addy said that one of the females on the bike had died and the other 3 seemed to just be injured. Tragic is an understatement. He said the girl was a promising student and they were good volleyball players and were on their way home from practice.
I packed my cases and then we headed out to McDonald’s for some food. When we were there, Addy saw yet more people he knew and introduced me to them. I think I’ve met more of his friends/fellow teachers today than I have the entire time I’ve been here (including the previous trips)!
Aside from the sad ending to the day, it has been a really good day overall. It was nice to see more of Kidapawan than I have previously and nice to see more places in Addy’s life.
Until April, Kidapawan!

The day came to leave Kidapawan. When I checked in all the way back in January, I specifically asked the front desk not to call me on checkout day because I knew when I needed to check out. Of course, they didn’t listen. It doesn’t really surprise me with this hotel, though.

We checked out and they told me they needed me to wait a while while they checked the room before giving my security deposit back. I told them I would charge them ₱500 a minute and they were super quick getting it sorted and giving me the deposit back.

I spoke with the person on duty and made them aware of all the issues we had:

Renovations without warning
No power to the shower, and it taking 6 people to agree with me
Guests watching TV at full volume 24/7 – they did nothing about it
No power to the door lock and not believing me when I told them it still wasn’t working

They thanked me for the honest feedback and said they hoped I would stay again. But for the AJ Hi-Time costing ₱900 a night more, I have no choice. I will be setting some expectations when I go back in April.

We headed to the terminal and waited for the bus. We had to collect some clothes for his brother’s girlfriend as we were meeting them in Davao. Once we got the clothes, we got on the bus. It was a 2-stop service. Thankfully not a stopping service. It was a fast journey and it only took 3 hours. I was so happy to be off the bus at the Ecoland Mall.

I sat on the right-hand side for this journey – I usually sit on the left. I saw so much more on this side of the bus. It was so weird to see some of the signs on the way. They were warning signs no less:

Coastal Surge Zone
Earthquake Fault Zone
Earthquake Fault Line (you can see that in the picture below).
Tsunami Warning Zone

It’s not somewhere you want to live when any of these happen!

The English on the picture says “This marker serves as a warning to all residents of the hazards of ground rupture and ground shaking due to the movement of this fault”. The fault line is called Kinng Lugara Maoy Giagian Sa Larson Fault.

We had our tradition of KFC and sat inside the mall until we needed to leave for the airport. Addy was telling me more about the accident we saw last night on the way back to the hotel. He said there were 3 motorbikes involved. A teenage male on each bike was racing and 2 teenage females on the other bike were turning into a side street. They were hit by the guys on the bikes. Both females and one of the males died, with it being 50/50 for the other male.

Anyway, enough of that. We got a Grab to the airport and I didn’t wait for long outside before going in and dropping my bag off. I was expecting to wait for a while in the queue to check it in, but nobody was waiting.

Addy messaged and said he would wait 10 minutes and then get a Grab back to the terminal and then the bus back to Kidapawan.

I went upstairs and through security and just sat waiting for boarding time. I looked and saw that our plane was late leaving Manila and it would be late for us to leave. I also saw that there were ground delays in Davao, so I wasn’t sure how this would affect my time in Manila.

It wasn’t too bad, though, as I ended up having a row to myself on this flight and that made up for the slight delay.

It turns out that we landed earlier than planned. I forgot that Philippine Airlines disembarked via row number. I was one of the last to deplane. As we were leaving, they kept announcing that the baggage carousel was 7. I went there and couldn’t see my bags coming out. I asked someone and they said it had changed to 9. I walked over there and my bag was already off the belt, looking lonely.

I didn’t have to wait too long to get the transfer bus, but I had to wait a while for it to head off to T1.

I saw the check in area and it was heaving. I was beginning to think I might have issues with getting to the next flight on time. Thankfully, it wasn’t for Air China. The queue for Air China was moving slowly, but then it started to speed up. At this point, I still had 2 hours and I knew I would be fine as immigration and security were really close.

I got myself a drink and a sandwich from Subway and just went to the gate to wait to board.

This flight, like the last one, I was fairly quick to board and I was happy with that. I got the overhead bin space I needed.

The 2 flights to get to China were quite turbulent for parts of it. The one to Chengdu was shaking on the way down. I wasn’t a fan.

I got off the plane and went through to secondary security screening. It’s been updated since I was last here. They have 2 security queues now and it moved quicker than it did when I was here in January. Of course, my bag was selected to be looked at in more detail. It turns out I forgot I had an umbrella in the bag and they don’t like that in bags here.

My bag was also selected for extra screening in Manila. They didn’t find anything worth looking at in more detail.

I went to the KFC in Chengdu and waited 10 minutes to be served and I was told to use the machines. I couldn’t because it was pay by QR code and I’m not set up for that. I just walked off and went to the 7-Eleven at the airport. They didn’t even have any fizzy drinks. I tried to ask when they would be filled and they couldn’t understand me.

I just went where there were some sockets and seats so I could just sit there until I needed to go to the gate for the next flight. I had a 9.5-hour wait at Chengdu and I wasn’t a fan at all.

I just spent time walking around and seeing different parts of the terminal. I found a place downstairs that was fairly cold and somewhere that I could sit and charge my phone too. The best bit of it is that there were no passengers here – just workers every so often walking by. It was bliss.

I went back upstairs once I saw that the gate had been posted and just sat there waiting for the boarding time.

After a couple of hours, I started to think we would be super late leaving as I could see workers changing the front landing gear wheels of the plane. They worked super quick and we only ended up leaving about 15 minutes later than scheduled.

I kept checking the Air China app to see if it had updated the seats, as it was showing I was the only one on the row. When they called boarding complete, I was so happy, as I had the row to myself and it meant I could lie down and sleep.

I think I managed about 2 hours of sleep in total. At least I was able to lie down in the row. We did have some moderate turbulence on the climb and for about 30 minutes after that, too.

I was so happy when we landed at Heathrow. It was so cold and I was loving it. I got through immigration pretty quick and my bag was on the belt after about 5 minutes of waiting.

I headed to the tube and got to King’s Cross and then went to sit on the platform at St. Pancras waiting for my train back home. I was so glad to be in Peterborough. It was a misty rain when we got there and I thoroughly enjoyed walking through it home. It felt so good.

View all of my Cebu media here

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chris | Sunday February 8th 2026 | Travel| Asia, Cebu, Kidapawan, Philippines, Travel | 0 Comments

Oh, Kidapawan. Nandito na naman ako, pero sa pagkakataong ito, may biyahe ako papuntang Cebu / Oh, Kidapawan. Nibalik na pud ko, pero karon, padulong ko’g Cebu

Kidapawan

Cebu

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