Patrick
Destination: Cebu, Philippines
Duration: 01-04 November 2007 (Thursday to Sunday)
Cebu. I lived there with my parents for a few years in the early 70s when my dad was assigned there. Thirty-plus years later, and 20 years since my last visit, I was glad to be back.
Leila and I took the 5:00 AM flight last 01 November 2007 from Manila, via Cebu Pacific Air and arrived at the Mactan (Cebu) International Airport a little past 6:00 AM.
With only a backpack and one other hand-carried luggage that we brought, we were out of the airport in no time. We hired a car for PhP375 (US$8.63) to take us to NS Royal Pensione where we would be staying for the duration of our visit.
We had made reservations online at least 2 weeks earlier for a room that cost PhP880 (US$20.24) per night NETT, inclusive of breakfast for 2. We had to wait a bit upon arriving around 7:00 AM at the pension house (located at Juana Osmeña St., Cebu City) because the room we were supposed to occupy would not be ready until at least 2:00 PM. It seems there was an oversight on our request for an early check-in. They made it up though by providing us with another similar room which was already immediately available. And they didn’t charge us anymore with a 50% fee for the early check-in.
After unpacking and putting things in order, we planned our activity for the rest of the day. First on our agenda: Breakfast. The budget flight (PhP1.00 per seat, excluding taxes) didn’t include any meals on board, though there were drinks and foodstuff for sale at PhP50.00 and PhP100.00 each.
We walked from Juana Osmeña to Gen. Maxilom and eventually to Fuente Osmeña where we took the opportunity to take some photographs at the rotunda. We then proceeded to Chowking for an energy booster. What a surprise! The prices in Chowking Cebu were similar to those in Manila.
Our first stop on our tour of the City was the Provincial Capitol. We walked approximately one kilometer from the rotunda along Pres. Osmeña Blvd. and stopped there to take in the sights.
Ah, memories. I still have a picture of myself taken there when I was barely 4 years old.
The picture on the left (above) shows me on the second step from the top, and was taken around 1974. The one on the right has me at the top step, taken on this trip in 2007. See, the tree is still there.
We continued our roundabout trek along N. Escario turning into Juana Osmeña and back on to Gen. Maxilom Avenue for a PhP6.00 ride to Colon via a jeep on Route 4-C. I was intent in looking for the Ding How restaurant which I truly enjoyed visiting when I was still a kid. Too bad I couldn’t find it at my first try.
We walked from Colon, along Quezon Blvd. and passing by Carbon, trying to find the other historical landmarks of the City. I was able to ask directions (in a somewhat broken Cebuano vernacular) from a security guard along Magallanes Street, who gladly pointed that we were actually only a little over a block away from the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño and Magellan’s Cross.
We stopped a while at the site where Magellan first planted the seeds of Christianity in Cebu. The off we were across the street to the Basilica where we lit candles and offered prayers. Then we proceeded inside the Church to see the Sto. Niño. We went around the Church as well to see the different paintings of the era (including some replicas). We had wanted to visit the museum but it was closed, being a holiday.
From there, we went across the street to the Cebu Cathedral, where a mass was ongoing. So we stayed a while to pray and reflect.
We took a break for lunch at Gaisano in Colon before deciding to go to Beverly Hills and see the Taoist Temple. We went back to Gen. Maxilom where we hailed a cab. Due to the distance of the temple and the lack of public transportation there, we asked the cab driver to wait for us for about 15 minutes while we went sightseeing in the temple grounds.
That done, we proceeded via cab to the Ayala Center. Total fare: PhP250 (US$5.70). Too bad though that the whole mall was closed due to the holiday (and to think that the malls in Manila were open on such days). So we went next door to Gaisano Metro Ayala to do a bit of shopping for necessities (bottled water, shampoo).
From there, we went back to NS and called it a day.
Friday, 02 November 2007. Some stores, including the Ayala Center, would already open.
We went to Tabo-an Market and bought a few kilograms of dried danggit and pusit (squid). Leila got a few packs of dried mangoes as well. I bought 2 boxes of peanut kisses, not knowing if they would be available in the supermarkets.
Too bad though, we weren’t able to take photographs of the huge mounds of dried fish and squid there as we were so engrossed in making purchases for pasalubong.
On our way back, we took a cab and decided to stop by a nearby outlet of Titay’s and bought a box (10 x 240 grams) of their famous rosquillos. Share daw kami ni Lei.
(More Details to follow)
On Saturday, 03 November 2007, we woke up a bit later than usual. After having breakfast, we pored over some local magazines to search for some other interesting places to visit.
We settled on visiting the church in the town of Simala, in the Municipality of Sibonga, approximately 2 hours away from Cebu City via bus. We went to the South Terminal and rode on a mini-bus (PhP50.00 fare each), passing by the towns of Pardo, Talisay, Minglanilla, Naga City, San Fernando and Carcar.
Simala is the farthest town of Sibonga, bordering on the Municipality of Argao.
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After coming from the church site (also via tricycle), we waited for around 20-30 minutes, hoping to catch a either a jeep going to Carcar, or a bus back to Cebu City. What would we do in Carcar? Well, for starters, we were planning on buying some of their famous chicharon.
After a while, we were fortunate to be able to board an air-conditioned Ceres bus coming from Argao heading for Cebu City. Unfortunately, it was so full that we were standing next to the driver already. But hey, standing in a bus for a 50-kilometer trip is not a problem when you really have to get home quickly.
We arrived back in Cebu City around 4:00 PM and had a late lunch of sinugba and crab relleno at the Elizabeth Mall (E-Mall) near the bus terminal. From there, we proceeded back to Fuente Osmeña to catch up with the Shamrock store and buy some Otap for pasalubong. Unfortunately, they were sold out for the weekend already.
We went to the supermarket at Robinson’s Place, also along Fuente Osmeña, to buy bottled water and a few more last-minute take home gifts. I had almost given up hope of finding Shamrock otap there as well because their shelves were full of otap of other brands. Surprise, surprise. Just in front of our checkout counter, we saw a pasalubong store with lots and lots of Shamrock otap. I just had to get some. I was even able to buy myself a keychain for my travel collection.
We went back to the pension house around 6:00 PM to rest and try to find a good place to eat. We couldn’t decide immediately on what we wanted so I went out again to scout for a decent eatery we hadn’t tried out yet. No luck.
I bought dinner from Pizza Hut in Fuente Osmeña and brought it back to our room. We called it a night at around 9:00 PM so we could wake up early the next day for our flight back to Manila.
The next day, Sunday, 04 November 2007 , we went down at around 6:30 AM for breakfast before checking out.
We left Cebu at 8:15 AM via Cebu Pacific Air, Flight No. 5J 0562 and arrived back in Manila at 9:30 AM.
