The good thing about going through old files is you get to relive some awesome memories. I had already forgotten that around this time last year, my girlfriends and I were in Cebu to celebrate a milestone. Two of us were turning 50, and we had decided, a bunch of old ladies, to haul ass and fly to Cebu for a whirlwind celebration.

One of the most hilarious memories from that trip was crawling through Cebu traffic as I drowned in the scent of essential oils. You see, my friends are so into their oils that they practically slather them on like perfume. In fact, one of them had spilled some on her leather bag and the scent was overpowering. It was decidedly a different kind of high, I tell you.

When ladies of a certain age, who’ve known each other all their lives, get together, all they do is talk, and eat, and talk, and shop, and talk again.

Here, some photos of those 48 hours in Cebu.

We were booked at the Henry, which is a happy, quirky space. You can tell that the designers went overboard as practically every nook and cranny of the hotel was Instagrammable!

Lunch at Tavolata was delicious and filling. I don’t exactly remember what we had, but it was chicken and pizza and pasta, and they were all delicious. I remember the bread being particularly memorable.

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We went to couple more restaurants, I believe, and got just a little drunk on our second night in the city, or at least I did.  When we got home, we were all exhausted. Doing a city in less than 48 hours, and packing in all those activities, can certainly take a toll on a fifty-year-old body.

But then I remember what one of my friends told me as we were having breakfast the day we were to fly back to Manila. She was having second thoughts about joining us in Cebu as it was going to be too tiring. But then her husband sat her down, and told her what a precious thing it was that she had this opportunity to celebrate such a milestone with life-long friends. And indeed it was… precious.