Wednesday, March 6 84°F 70% Humidity…read more I didn't have a lot of free time tomorrow because of my travel plans. Had an early morning flight to Manila in order to catch another flight to Seoul, which eventually flew me back to LAX. So today was filled with last minute shopping! Kultura is a chain of souvenir stores owned by SM Retail. This one is located on the upper ground floor of SM City Cebu, a large shopping mall along Juan Luna Avenue Ext. I already went to their Makati location last Friday, so I had a general idea of what I was going to buy. You'll find Filipino snacks, home goods, clothing, jewelry, bags, and more. I bought a box of polvorón (shortbread cookies) for less than $5 USD. Selection is not great compared to their other stores. Only one brand (Goldilocks Bakery) was available, which was not surprising given SM Investments has a 74% stake in the company. And they had fewer flavor options. But it was cheaper than the Goldilocks in SoCal. It's a sweet and crumbly treat. I also bought a miniature metal bahay kubo (traditional stilt house) sculpture to put on my desk. Buyer beware, airport security made a big deal about it before ultimately waving me through. Your mileage may vary. Less variety and less to choose from overall. Philippines 2024 collection: https://www.yelp.com/collection/DHwKzvo7o_ll8jmXFFU3KA/PHIL-2024

I like Kultura shop as it has a lot of traditional Filipino knick knacks. We found some beautiful…read morecoconut bowls , sea shells galore, various types of soap , beauty products, pearl jewelry and of course: clothing. Hubby and I tried on barong and dresses made of pineapple fiber, of banana fiber, and lastly, of "cocoon" which I figure must be silk. Our sales lady said it was from "saliva of butterflies" but that could just be a fanciful translation. Anyway, after an hour of trying on stuff, with super helpful staff showing us different styles and prices, we bought a Barong for hubs and matching shawl made out of pineapple fiber for me. We had great fun !!!