It's Coffee Time At Cafe' Maruja Boracay
Hello there, readers!
In Boracay, I had a great cup of coffee.
Station 3 of Casa Pilar Beach Resort is home to Cafe Maruja. My husband and I returned to Boracay two weeks ago for a second visit. The beautiful island has been a part of my life for the past three years. Since my last visit to the island in 2016, I've been surprised by how clean it has become. Boracay is where I go to eat, sleep, and unwind. I opted out of participating in water activities this time around because my past experience with them left me feeling ill and unable to enjoy my vacation as I had hoped. All I want to do is unwind and eat some food. While sipping on my favorite iced coffee, I'd like to unwind and take in the scenery. As we walked from Station 1 to Station 3 on our first day in Boracay, we came upon this stunning Cafe'. Cafe' Maruja is the finest place to relax and wait for the sun to set the following day. I'd like to go to a lot of cafes and restaurants, but I'm in so much pain that I can scarcely walk. I've made the conscious decision to only stay in areas that allow me to wander around freely without getting blisters on my feet. The cafeteria is completely filled, so I patiently awaited my turn to sit down. As soon as I walked in and saw the excellent music, the waiter handed us the menus and took our orders. We had maruja speciale pizza, a spanish coffee, and a beer for our drinks. I don't want to eat too much because I'm looking forward to a lavish supper following. Crabs, shrimp, squid, scallops, and a smorgasbord of other seafood were on my mental menu. I ordered a Spanish latte and my spouse a beer, and the waitress returned to deliver both. While sipping my coffee, I'm taking in the view. We sat and watched the sun go down so that I could have a little plunge in the sea. My time at Cafe Maruja was enjoyable. Overall, the atmosphere was cozy, the staff was friendly, and the meal was excellent. I'll be returning for sure.
Osmena Peak | Mantalongon, Dalaguete Cebu
We decided to climb the famous **Osmeña Peak** since my friend who's been traveling other countries but has not yet explored her own home town (as she's a flight attendant) wanted to see and experience the summit. Climbing on a Sunday was a good idea. I have been unhealthy and I needed some sweating since I didn’t do my daily exercises I feel so unhealthy. I feel like my body is weak and not responding well so I needed to do an activity to sweat it out. Lately I was eating unhealthy food as well because I was really busy and filed up with so many chores in my tea shop I was stress eating. I also need to breathe fresh mountain air and once in while. Weekends are my favorites now since I can go with out worrying about my store since I close it on Sundays. My friends and I decided to go on road trip and this time we planned to go hiking in Osmena Peak.
**My flight attendant friend and I**
**struggle is real**
*Osmena Peak is located in Mantalongon, Dalaguete Cebu in South province.* I am excited because I can now see trees and nature. This isn’t my first time to climb Osmeña Peak. Around February of last year we went there with my fiancé and his bestfriend. When we went there, a lot of people were up, too, and they brought tents, food, water and other things for their camping. There was no Covid 19 and that’s the good thing you can act freely , no mask cover you mouth and nose and you can breathe well. Yeah it was around that time that you don’t have to worry if the people you meet has virus or not.
When we arrived we paid for 50 pesos entrance and we were given a tour guide to assist us in climbing. Our tour guide acted us our photographer, too. It was a 3-km hike before you reached the top and when you reached the top you can finally say **“ A breath of Fresh Air”.** The view is really amazing.
My friends picked up us at our home around 6:30 am and we had a drive thru mcdonalds for our breakfast. We arrived in Mantalongon, Dalaguete around 10:00 in the morning. There was fog and the air is so refreshingly cool. I can smell the grass. I brought water with me and my sunglasses since I forgot my cap. *When I reached the top, the beautiful view of the mountain still amazes me. I loved the fresh air and cool breeze, the fantastic views of the blue ocean and the island. This view is what I needed! A peaceful and tranquil weekend and for those who are hikers this is a great campsite for overnight camping, too.*
**the love of my life**
**It's famous because of the mountain formation.The highest peak of Mantalongon Mountains in Dalaguete, Cebu, Philippines. If you are a Hiker, Camper, trekker and nature-lover then you should come and see to experience and conquer the height of this peak. Even though it is my second time, still the beauty of nature amazes me.** The weather is so hot and we didn’t stay that long. Last year we also climbed the other peak opposite to Osmena Peak the one’s headed to Badian Cebu however last Sunday it was closed due to pandemic and no one’s allowed to climb there. We stayed there for about 30-40 mins and decided to go down around 12 noon since we are hungry.
**The Hikers**
We looked for good restaurants nearby and we spotted this beautiful resto that has a cozy ambience near the sea plus they are on an Unlimited buffet. It’s called **"JUANS”** seafood unlimited buffet. We checked the food and we liked it so we decided to have our lunch there. **Eat all you can for only 199 pesos.** The price is very affordable for an eat all you can seafoods. Shrimps, Mussels, scallops and many more. They also have ready to eat like pasta, chicken stew, chopsuey, braised-pork (humba) , chicken liver adobo and many more filipino dish. The side dishes are excellent too as they have kimchi, eggplant salad, cucumber salad. **I have a big appetite for “SEAFOODS” especially shrimp and scallops even though it has too much cholesterol but I didn't mind. The price were very reasonable so I cannot stop eating the shrimps. It was really big unlike in the city that is so small and you pay 300 pesos for 6-8 pcs. So I ate a lot I never mind the cholesterol (lol).**
After eating we decided to grab some coffee. There is a new cafe in Argao that they recommended so we dropped by to try their coffee. Before hitting the city we stop by the coffee shop called “ SIP MA CHA” . I ordered Large Iced Caramel Macchiato. The place is great too. They follow protocols and the dining area is nice. We needed caffeine so that we will not get sleepy heading back to the city. It was definitely a fun and exciting weekend. Till my next road trip. See you around travelers 🙂
*** content, photos, and caption are all mine 😍
Morena Travels: Who I am and Why I am Here | #Read.cashIntroduction
@morenatravels
Lost but now found. Saved by grace. Traveler, actor wannabe, avid coffee drinker, an avid fan of Rihanna, into the law of attraction, manifestation and having an attitude of gratitude.
Hello read.cashers, my name is **Joyce** and I go by the name of **Morena Travels** here. **I love to wander and travel!** I want to cross the seven continents, swim the deepest ocean and eat my favorite Asian cuisine. I have a passion for writing. **I am a journalist by heart.** I crave justice, basic human rights, and I want to speak up for my rights as a citizen in this country. **I want to spread good vibes to every wanderer.** I live for fairness and equality. I am a traveler and a beach lover. I prefer the beach over the mountains since I am not fond of hiking. **I love the sound of the waves from the sea as it gives me tranquility.**
I love Asian food. My favorite Asian cuisines are Thai and Japanese. This is also the reason why I love to travel so that I can taste authentic cuisine. When I was young my dream is to become a writer because I love to write anything. When I was 12, I wrote about my teenage life under our campus tree however I stopped because I have to make a living at a very young age. *I forgot everything because I needed to survive.* I felt that at that moment in my life, passion seemed like a crime. *Passion is for rich people only.* Some people work for passion but for me, I work for money. Poor people need to work hard. During my teenage years, I never experienced the things at my age had, because what is important to me was to survive the bare minimum. That is why I was so driven when I started to work and earn.
I have my Bachelor's Degree in Mass Communication. However, I never ended in a media industry. My dream is to be in a limelight to showcase my talent however our wants don’t cooperate with our needs in life. I am the 2nd child among 8 siblings, as my mother told me once that your ambition cannot sustain our needs and finances so I have to choose to be practical. It was the year 2012 when I was 27 years old that I finished college and got my diploma. **After my graduation, I landed a job in the corporate world and what I have in mind is to work hard, earn money and save up for the future.** I worked so hard and I did side hustle by selling beauty products at that time. A year after that, I shifted my career and stayed there for nearly 5 years. I worked in one of the highest-paid BPO companies. This was the time that I was able to travel internationally.
My childhood dream of going to Disneyland was finally fulfilled. **I GOT TO TRAVEL ABROAD!** It was also because I met the man that is destined for me. He supported me all the way-- my life-long goals, my career, my family. I am too blessed to have him in my life. Year after year, we make sure to spend our anniversary outside the country. We travelled together to Macau, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore. **Because I love to travel, I also work harder than anyone else.** "Work like there is no tomorrow." Working an 8-hour shift with graveyard shifts to sustain my lifestyle. I also do baking and hosting. **I enjoy life, I travel, I go shopping and eat like a queen.** I deserve everything since I work so hard for it! I quit the good paying job when I was 32 in my mid-life crisis.
I got tired of everything and I wanted to find peace and happiness. I was feeling lost and don’t know what to do. At 32, I was confident enough to apply as a cabin crew/ flight attendant. The pay is really good and aside from it, you can travel the world for free. **I applied several times and was rejected every time.** It was heartbreaking. That was when I decided to apply for a different job. I applied as a **sales specialist in one of the leading car companies in Cebu**. As luck would have it, I got the job knowing I don’t know how to drive with no sales background. The owner put his trust in me that I can do the job well. It was truly rewarding!
Fast forward 4 years, I resigned and decided to shift my career. This time, I wanted to be in the medical field. At 36, **I worked as a medical sales representative** and my coverage was in Cebu city area. I truly enjoyed my work, it was fun running after doctors during coverage from one hospital to another. However, this pandemic came and I have to choose between my career and my health. My world turned upside down because I was jobless at 36. I was a bit devastated. But God is so good to me. He gave me a man who will be there and support me with my goals in life. **Last year 2020, together with my boyfriend, we opened a milk tea shop right in front of our house.** For now, this is where I am spending my day as a barista and a cashier at the same time.
**Now at 37, I am happy and contented, currently engaged and soon to marry the man that God has prepared for me. I am beyond excited to open another chapter of my life.** I will soon be blogging about my wedding preparations and my expanding business as well.
**Stay tuned for my travel blog posts coming very soon! Have a blessed day, read.cashers!**
@morenatravels
