Hey there, it’s Aksel! Welcome back to the VibePinas journey. Today was one for the books—a massive family outing to the Cebu Safari and Adventure Park. We had the whole extended family with us, nine people in total, including seven adults and two very excited kids.
The adventure started early in the morning in Ronda. We grabbed a quick breakfast at a local eatery before hitting the road. I have to laugh when I think about how we travel here; we had some of the guys in the back of the car, which would definitely be a jail-long sentence back home in Norway! But here, it’s just part of the adventure.
We spent the first night at a beach resort in Danao. We had a bit of a rough start finding the place—the car barely squeezed through some narrow roads because I took a wrong turn—but we finally made it. We actually got a "lucky" break at the resort; they upgraded us to a much larger family room with a big balcony and air conditioning for no extra charge. It was the perfect spot to relax, have a few beers, and share some "strong" Chinese wine with Jessa's family before the big day at the safari. Darrel even brought out his fancy new drone, though we were all holding our breath, hoping he wouldn't crash 83,000 pesos worth of tech into the ocean!
The next morning, we finally arrived at the Cebu Safari and Adventure Park. I’ll be honest, the entrance fee for nine people was quite a hit—14K or thereabouts pesos!—But seeing how happy everyone was made it worth every cent. We started with the beautiful flower gardens and then moved on to the bird park, which Liam absolutely loved. Seeing him so excited to see the different birds and even a few kangaroos was a highlight for me.
Then came the "adventure" part. Most of the family, including Jessa's ma, Nita, went ziplining and did the sky bike. I’ll tell you right now, you wouldn't catch me up there! I was perfectly happy staying on solid ground, holding the bags and watching the boys. Jessa and the rest of the gang were much braver than I was. Seeing Nita on that bike high above the ground was incredible—she’s one tough mama!
After all that excitement, we had a nice lunch overlooking the giraffe enclosure. It’s not every day you get to eat while a giraffe is just a few meters away! We then took the tram through the African Savannah, seeing zebras and antelopes. But the real star for the kids was the crocodile feeding. We paid a little extra to feed them, and watching those massive beasts snap up the food was both terrifying and fascinating. Liam was so brave, though I made sure he didn't get too close to the edge!
We wrapped up the day visiting the lions (who were predictably lazy and sleeping), the orangutans, and the tigers. By the end of it, we were all exhausted but so happy. We finished the trip with a big family dinner at SM City. To make the day even more special, we surprised Jessa’s mom with a new phone since hers had recently been stolen, and we got her brother, Jillcar, a new one too.
It was a long, expensive, and tiring day, but seeing the whole family together and making these memories is what it's all about. Thanks for being part of our life here! See you in the next one!
