Our first stop was always going to be a test case.
We expected Cebu to teach us a lot, and it did. Not in dramatic ways, but in the practical, daily ways that shape how it actually feels to live somewhere rather than pass through it.
We chose to stay in Airbnbs for a few reasons. The cost is significantly lower than spending three or more weeks in a hotel, and it forces us to engage with a place more directly. Cooking meals, shopping for everyday items, and managing a household in a new environment adds a layer of experience we had not really explored before.
We wanted our first stop to be an easier entry point, and the Philippines made sense for that. English is widely spoken, the American connection is still visible in everyday life, and that gave us some room to adjust without also trying to solve a language barrier at the same time.
We chose Cebu over Manila because Manila felt too large for a first landing. Cebu felt more manageable, and that proved to be the right call.
What we had not counted on was losing January entirely. That was the month we had set aside for research, logistics, and booking: finding movers, selling cars, narrowing accommodation options. Instead, John spent most of it dealing with pneumonia that spread to three lung lobes, working through rounds of antibiotics and complications, and still managing professional obligations in the fog of it all. He has written about the full experience on his blog. By the time we were making decisions properly, we needed to move quickly. We had done enough research to narrow the options, but not enough to know the right questions to ask. In the end, we chose a place that seemed fine.
It was fine. It was also an education.
Is the Wi-Fi unlimited?
We saw that Wi-Fi was included, but did not think to ask whether it was unlimited. It mattered immediately.
We are both working while we travel. John has a fractional CTO role that depends on stable internet. I am blogging, starting a new project, and learning video production, which means downloading new tools and editing software and uploading files I could not have anticipated until I was actually doing the work. All of it requires reliable, unlimited data. Within a day in Cebu, we had used the data our host had allotted. What followed was a round of back-and-forth conversations to sort it out.
That question now sits near the top of the list.
Is there hot water?
We assumed that a shower meant hot water. It did not.
Arriving to find only cold water was a surprise. Cold water is standard across much of the Philippines, particularly in warmer cities like Cebu where a heated shower is the exception rather than the assumption. Where a shower heater does exist, it tends to be a small plug-in unit mounted above the shower head; hot water at the kitchen tap or elsewhere in the unit does not appear to follow. We adapted. For dishes and cleaning, I boiled water in the kettle. For showers, I tried the local method of using a bucket and scoop for quick rinses. In the heat of the afternoon, the cool water was actually refreshing. John took longer to adjust and eventually fell back on the method he had used across much of Africa: quick, efficient navy showers. He still finds it amusing that they are called navy-style, given that the navy is surrounded by water.
By the time we left the Philippines, I was so proud of myself. The cold water was fine, I said. It really did not bother me. Then we arrived in Kuala Lumpur, turned on the shower, and that first hair wash was like heaven. I am still proud of my resilience, and I could do it again if I had to. But I will admit that hot showers are wonderful.
Is it in the right area?
We were happy to be in the city, but we had not looked closely enough at walkability or proximity to the places we wanted to visit. Our Airbnb was farther inland than we expected and not as close to IT Park as we would have liked.
Getting around meant long, hot walks or using Grab, Southeast Asia’s version of Uber. The rides were affordable, but with it being the first stop, I was hesitant at first to go out alone while John worked. That added another layer to the challenge of figuring out what daily life looked like here and how to navigate this new way of living.
The ordinary errands matter too
Part of living somewhere, even briefly, is dealing with the things that do not usually make it into travel planning.
Prescriptions need to be refilled. Groceries have to be bought. Toiletries run out. And eventually, someone needs a haircut.
Those errands were part of the experience, not a distraction from it. They were how we learned the city, adjusted to it, and found out what we actually need from a place when we stay for more than a few days.
What Cebu taught us
The main lesson was simple enough: ask better questions, and specifically about the things that shape daily life rather than the things that make a listing look appealing. We did not know what those questions were before we arrived. We do now, and we took the list with us to Kuala Lumpur.
Bring your own washcloth. There was not one in the unit, and I could not find any in the shops. Apparently they are not commonly used in the Philippines. My face never quite felt clean, and I suspect I was leaving makeup residue every time I wore it. I will not attempt to count how many times John found occasion to reference The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy during this period. It was a considerable number. He is, after all, a man who knows where his towel is. He had not, however, packed a washcloth. When we arrived in Kuala Lumpur and found the same situation, I went straight out and bought a few. My face is considerably happier.
Cebu was the right first stop. Not because it was easy, but because it was manageable enough to let us make mistakes without being overwhelmed by them. What we learned from that apartment, and from exploring the history and neighbourhoods of the city, has shaped how we approach every booking since.
John has also been working through Cebu’s food, which deserves its own account. That is documented separately in the food section, and he is still adding to it.
The Macs