Cover photo made in Canva
I want to share a pregnancy memoir, a pregnancy photo shoot actually, while I was pregnant at 26 weeks. Being the adventurous person I am, a friend of mine in Cebu sent me a message to travel for a weekend getaway. This happened in November 2019. I was hesitant at first but I asked permission from my then-boyfriend now-husband if I should go or not. He was in France at that time. He told me it is good for me to move around and swim as my exercise.
Freediving at 26 weeks pregnant
My friend is a scuba diver and freediver, an adventurous mama herself. So it's really good to be friends with the same passion and hobbies. I met her while doing volunteer work in Cebu. She already has two kids when I met her while I was single back then.
For this trip, I booked a place to stay. Just a simple accommodation with three beds. The location is within Basdiot near Panagsama Beach where we can easily find the sardines and sea turtles.
She had another friend with her, so the more the merrier. Coming from Cebu City, I told her to reserve a seat for me and I'll pay the same rate from Cebu City to Moalboal. I live in the middle of Cebu going to Cebu South and told her to let the bus stop in front of the church. We update ourselves on Facebook messenger and check the GPS on how far or near the bus where I was standing. Of course, the number of the bus where you can find it in front.
From my town, it took us two hours to arrive in Moalboal. We arrived at lunchtime so we bought some chicken, ngohiong and hanging rice or poso. But they also brought pancit bihon, bread, banana, and adobo so it was a really good lunch before we went to the beach.
As certified scuba divers as we are, we always have our own masks, snorkels, and fins with us so we don't need to rent. With our bikinis, we were ready to go. Yes, I was in a bikini while showing off my baby bump.
The sardine run photo taken by me
Chasing a sea turtle at Panagsama Beach taken by me
Baby bump silhouette with the sunset as background taken by my friend
We also brought our underwater cameras with us but my friend has a better and more expensive camera.
At night, you can actually go for nightlife as there are some bars at Panagsama Beach but for a pregnant woman like me, I need to sleep early. We were also tired from swimming so it's good to rest. For our dinner, we just ate what we had for lunch.
I think we spent two nights for a weekend getaway.
The next day, we had our breakfast and bought some coffee sachets, and eat our bread. So we go to Basdaku Beach for another photo shoot.
Basdaku Beach
A Weekend Well Spent
It was a good decision that I went for a weekend getaway. We really wanted to extend but my sister sent me a message that a package has arrived with my passport in it. I never thought much about my passport as I just wanted to enjoy the weekend.
I've been to Manila twice to apply for a Schengen visa but I was denied at first. I arrived home, opened the package, and was elated when I saw a visa attached to my passport. I called my then-boyfriend for a video call and showed him my passport. He was so surprised as well as my strategy worked with a Japan visa.
Welcome to iTravelRox! Roxanne Tamayo is a Cebuana who is a traveler. Now a mom of 2 kids and a wife. She is a travel blogger and a digital nomad. As a Virtual Assistant, she does a lot of things like content writing, WordPress web design, WP updates and maintenance, graphic design, and photo editing. She is into wedding photography, as well.
If you like iTravelRox's content, please don't forget to upvote and leave a comment. She will share a lot of stories about solo travels, motherhood, family travel, and working as a VA.