I never thought I would ever find myself one day standing in front of Gaisano Grand Mall in Lapu-Lapu City engulfed in awe.{Handel's Hallelujah Chorus gloriously plays in my mental soundtrack}.

The sight of Jollibee made my daughter scream while running to hug the popular fiber glass statue. I belted out orgasmic "ooohs and ahhhhs" gazing at products and brands that were only available in the cities, under the luxurious confines of air conditioned (yes air-conditioned!) supermarket aisles. My husband could not resist treating himself to a Belgian Waffle. 

A plane ride later, we weaved our way through the urban jungle of Manila. I suffered an indigestion one evening from stuffing my face with a gigantic burger from Zark's, something that I was craving a lot when I was back in Santa Fe. To sum it up, our family had a bit of a frenzy after missing the urban comforts that we were used to.

One perfect bed weather morning, our family took the scooter around the island of Bantayan to keep our toddler from feeling bored. The light drizzle did not deter us. Fully equipped with packable raincoats in our small backpack, we drove along the main highway of Santa Fe.  Just before the Bantayan Town Welcome Arch, we  turned left towards a damp dirt road that leads to Marikaban.

Thank you so much for all of your mixed reactions from my previous post, both public and private feedback.   

In this blog post, I am answering questions that I have received after sharing our adventures on the island.

Living on the island is such a great opportunity to bask in the beauty of this paradise and to meet locals who are equally lovely.  Yet, I aspire to illustrate an honest view away from picture-perfect Instagram photos.  In reality, behind every smile and gorgeous landscape are factors that may pose as challenges. Please let me make it clear, we have so much to learn and it is our own responsibility to adapt.

To long time readers of the blog, it is without any doubt, a big contrast to our previous life. Friends who know me by heart might be perplexed with this big change.  Good Lord, I wasn't gifted nor had the passion to play "Survivor".  I was in fact deemed  fragile when I was in my teens to early 20s. My life abroad later toughened me up. I nod at the fact that we have come a long way from Dubai , France, Manila and now on this island.

"What is the biggest challenge of island living for you?"