Fresh from our Panglao Island trip, we rushed to the ferry terminal to catch our 11:35 am Oceanjet ride back to Cebu. It was gloomy and drizzling at times and the trip was delayed for 15 minutes. I contacted the cab driver (kuya Arthur) who helped us find a cheap hotel in Cebu during our first night. I haggled for 1800 pesos for the Cebu city tour.
We arrived at Cebu's pier 1 at around 1:30 pm. I dunno if Oceanjet has its own cell site or may signal lang talaga sa dagat? hehe. So hindi naputol ang pagtetext namin ni kuya (check here for discounted tours, transportation and activities in Cebu).
1. Fort San Pedro - This is just outside the Pier 1. Entrance fee is 30 pesos. Pag student may discount. Para itong Paco park meets Fort Santiago.Pang mga hardcore history enthusiast 'to. Full of history and artifacts about old Cebu.
2. Malacanang of the South (Malacanan sa Sugbo) - It's just a few meters from the Fort San Pedro. 'Di pwedeng pumasok sa loob. Just ask the guard on the gate na magpi-picture ka lang sa labas. Papayag naman sila. Siyempre free dito. hehe
3. Taoist temple - Free of charge din pero malayo sa downtown kaya taxi talaga 'pag wala kayong rented car. Temple ito so bongga sa architecture and landscape. Walang katapusang stairs and nice view of the city. Nice ang mga tao dun (kaya nga free eh) kaya sundin na lang ang mga rules. Bawal ang maiingay.
4. TOPS (ooops...Columbarium pala!) - Some kinda hindi kami umabot ng TOPS dahil may ginagawang daan . Napadpad kami sa isang Columbarium. Free dito kasi libingan ng mga cinerary urns so parang sementeryo. Pinakiusapan na lang ni kuya Arthur ang mga bantay na tatambay lang kami sandali. Nice view of the city here and matatanaw mo din dito ang Mactan airport. Malamig at mahangin dito. And guess what?! We saw Sergio Osmena and his wife's vault. Yes, I know that he's a Cebuano and we were contemplating if that vault with their names engraved on it is indeed, the ex-President. So I told them that it's our homework when we get back to Manila.
So nung pag-uwi, nag research talaga ako sa internet, nasa North Cemetery ang niche ni ex. President Sergio Osmena Sr. Pero yung name ng wife niya and yung year of deaths nila eh sakto dun sa Columbarium sa Cebu. So we concluded na baka they transferred certain parts or ashes sa Cebu. hehe
5. University of the Philippines - Cebu - I said to kuya Arthur na kailangang kasama 'to sa mga pupuntahan namin. He nicely approved of it kaya nagpa-picture lang ako kay oble :)
6. Shamrock - Pasalubong-hunt. Maraming otap dito (siyempre) and other Cebu delicacies. Pero mahal ang dried mangoes dito. Masarap yung pandesal sa katabing bakery.
7. Cebu City Hall - Just in front of Magellan's Cross. Eto na yung downtown talaga. Congested ang lugar at madami tao dito.
8. Magellan's Cross - Free dito. It's between the Cebu City Hall and the Basilica del Santo Nino. It's like you put a gazebo-type structure in the middle of a park. May mga locals na nag-aalok na sasayaw sila ng Sinulog dance while chanting their prayer. Siyempre may bayad 'yun. If you don't like, then just take photos of the historic cross and be reminded of its significance (especially for Catholics).
9. Basilica del Santo Nino (Church and Convent) - Again, it's free here. After ninyo ng Magellan's Cross, you will pass thru a gate to enter here. Maraming tao sa lugar na 'to especially kung Sunday. You can enter the church and take a photo inside. Maraming local and foreign tourists so hindi naman nakakahiyang kumuha ng photo. Roam around the premises kasi may fountain sa gilid ng church. 'Yun ata yung convent part.
10. The Pilgrim Stadium - (thanks sa isang reader! namely- "anonymous"- haha) dito daw nagaganap ang First Friday Mass and Official Mass Day ng Sto. Nino de Cebu. Woohoo!
11. The Taboan market - The market where all the danggits are. It's a clean type of market. Hindi ito yung palengke na madumi or what. Maraming turista na namimili dito. Isang stretch ng mga stalls na may iba't - ibang klaseng danggit, daing, pusit, etc. May mga dried mangoes din dito pero walang tatak.
12. Cebu Provincial Capitol - Parang White House. Nadaanan lang namin on our way to CnT lechon sa Guadalupe.
13. CnT lechon - We went to the main branch, Guadalupe. It was 6 pm and luck was not on our side 'coz there was no lechon anymore. We asked if meron pa sa SM branch nila (malayo ang Guadalupe branch sa SM branch), wala na rin daw. Valentine's day kaya marami sigurong lumechon nung araw na 'yon. I was soooo sad dahil isa 'yun sa nilook forward ko sa Cebu trip namin.
14. Ayala mall - Maganda yung "terrace". Taob ang Glorietta at Trinoma. All restaurants were full dahil ngapala V-day. May part na puro grass at maraming mga nakatambay. Mall meets park. hehe. Nakakain kami mga 9 pm na, eh ang flight namin 11:20 pm. Mala- amazing race talaga ginawa namin.
Ang Cebu city ay parang Metro Manila minus the buses. Medyo heavy traffic, marami na ring call center, at maraming high-rise buildings. If ever, pagbalik ko, I want to explore Cebu beaches, the Lechon (arrrgh!) and yung tamang tambay lang na hindi nagmamadali at naka- jeep lang. Next time :)
We arrived at Cebu's pier 1 at around 1:30 pm. I dunno if Oceanjet has its own cell site or may signal lang talaga sa dagat? hehe. So hindi naputol ang pagtetext namin ni kuya (check here for discounted tours, transportation and activities in Cebu).
Let's get it on!
1. Fort San Pedro - This is just outside the Pier 1. Entrance fee is 30 pesos. Pag student may discount. Para itong Paco park meets Fort Santiago.Pang mga hardcore history enthusiast 'to. Full of history and artifacts about old Cebu.
3. Taoist temple - Free of charge din pero malayo sa downtown kaya taxi talaga 'pag wala kayong rented car. Temple ito so bongga sa architecture and landscape. Walang katapusang stairs and nice view of the city. Nice ang mga tao dun (kaya nga free eh) kaya sundin na lang ang mga rules. Bawal ang maiingay.
4. TOPS (ooops...Columbarium pala!) - Some kinda hindi kami umabot ng TOPS dahil may ginagawang daan . Napadpad kami sa isang Columbarium. Free dito kasi libingan ng mga cinerary urns so parang sementeryo. Pinakiusapan na lang ni kuya Arthur ang mga bantay na tatambay lang kami sandali. Nice view of the city here and matatanaw mo din dito ang Mactan airport. Malamig at mahangin dito. And guess what?! We saw Sergio Osmena and his wife's vault. Yes, I know that he's a Cebuano and we were contemplating if that vault with their names engraved on it is indeed, the ex-President. So I told them that it's our homework when we get back to Manila.
So nung pag-uwi, nag research talaga ako sa internet, nasa North Cemetery ang niche ni ex. President Sergio Osmena Sr. Pero yung name ng wife niya and yung year of deaths nila eh sakto dun sa Columbarium sa Cebu. So we concluded na baka they transferred certain parts or ashes sa Cebu. hehe
5. University of the Philippines - Cebu - I said to kuya Arthur na kailangang kasama 'to sa mga pupuntahan namin. He nicely approved of it kaya nagpa-picture lang ako kay oble :)
6. Shamrock - Pasalubong-hunt. Maraming otap dito (siyempre) and other Cebu delicacies. Pero mahal ang dried mangoes dito. Masarap yung pandesal sa katabing bakery.
7. Cebu City Hall - Just in front of Magellan's Cross. Eto na yung downtown talaga. Congested ang lugar at madami tao dito.
8. Magellan's Cross - Free dito. It's between the Cebu City Hall and the Basilica del Santo Nino. It's like you put a gazebo-type structure in the middle of a park. May mga locals na nag-aalok na sasayaw sila ng Sinulog dance while chanting their prayer. Siyempre may bayad 'yun. If you don't like, then just take photos of the historic cross and be reminded of its significance (especially for Catholics).
9. Basilica del Santo Nino (Church and Convent) - Again, it's free here. After ninyo ng Magellan's Cross, you will pass thru a gate to enter here. Maraming tao sa lugar na 'to especially kung Sunday. You can enter the church and take a photo inside. Maraming local and foreign tourists so hindi naman nakakahiyang kumuha ng photo. Roam around the premises kasi may fountain sa gilid ng church. 'Yun ata yung convent part.
10. The Pilgrim Stadium - (thanks sa isang reader! namely- "anonymous"- haha) dito daw nagaganap ang First Friday Mass and Official Mass Day ng Sto. Nino de Cebu. Woohoo!
11. The Taboan market - The market where all the danggits are. It's a clean type of market. Hindi ito yung palengke na madumi or what. Maraming turista na namimili dito. Isang stretch ng mga stalls na may iba't - ibang klaseng danggit, daing, pusit, etc. May mga dried mangoes din dito pero walang tatak.
12. Cebu Provincial Capitol - Parang White House. Nadaanan lang namin on our way to CnT lechon sa Guadalupe.
13. CnT lechon - We went to the main branch, Guadalupe. It was 6 pm and luck was not on our side 'coz there was no lechon anymore. We asked if meron pa sa SM branch nila (malayo ang Guadalupe branch sa SM branch), wala na rin daw. Valentine's day kaya marami sigurong lumechon nung araw na 'yon. I was soooo sad dahil isa 'yun sa nilook forward ko sa Cebu trip namin.
14. Ayala mall - Maganda yung "terrace". Taob ang Glorietta at Trinoma. All restaurants were full dahil ngapala V-day. May part na puro grass at maraming mga nakatambay. Mall meets park. hehe. Nakakain kami mga 9 pm na, eh ang flight namin 11:20 pm. Mala- amazing race talaga ginawa namin.
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So ayan na 'yung almost 10 hours namin sa Cebu bale 1:30 pm kami nag-start ng tour tapos 8:30 pm nasa Ayala Mall na kami for dinner and by 10:30 nasa airport na kami (11:20 pm ang flight namin pabalik ng Manila). Hindi maaraw and hindi rin maulan nung andun kami. Sakto lang. Kaya nakatipid sa sunblock dahil menos pawis lalo na sa area ng TOPS. Astig 'dun, parang Baguio ang weather. 
Ang Cebu city ay parang Metro Manila minus the buses. Medyo heavy traffic, marami na ring call center, at maraming high-rise buildings. If ever, pagbalik ko, I want to explore Cebu beaches, the Lechon (arrrgh!) and yung tamang tambay lang na hindi nagmamadali at naka- jeep lang. Next time :)
**Side stories**
- Ang "hindi" ay "huwag" at ang "huwag" ay "hindi". Ayon sa pagbabasa ko ng mga signage na "bawal umihi" ('wag ang gamit nila) at chika ni kuya Arthur.
- Sa isang intersection may tumawid na nagtitinda ng maliliit na supot ng chicharon. Walang pumupulot sa mga dumadaan. Kami ang first line na tatawid sa mga sasakyan. So sabi ko kay kuya Arthur, "Kuya pagtawid natin bubuksan ko pinto ng taxi tapos itapat mo sa chicharon pupulutin ko ha?". Nagulat si kuya pero tinanong niya ko kung seryoso ako (partida nahirapan pa kami mag-usap niyan kasi nga 'di siya sanay mag-Tagalog), sinabi ko seryoso talaga ako. So nung nag-Go na, nag-ready na 'ko at binuksan ko ang pinto at medyo nahirapan ako dahil maiksi ang reach ko pero success! Nakakatakot kasi nga maraming sasakyan, pero dahil mabilis ako at si kuya eh nagwagi kami! Ang sarap ng chicharon grabe! At siyempre libre.
- Si kuya cab driver Arthur na nasakyan namin from the airport (ayaw niyang magpatawag ng manong dahil bata pa daw siya. haha) eh medyo marunong mag-Tagalog dahil sabi niya eh galing daw siya ng Muntinlupa. Siyempre common joke na ito kaya tinanong ko, "Kuya, sa loob o sa labas?", he answered, "Sa loob!". Laughter... and then silence, dahil sa loob daw talaga siya galing, as in sa Munti - sa City Jail. I was like, "Uhm...ok...". Ang tagal kong na-digest 'yun. 5 years na daw siyang nakalaya. Murder daw kaso niya, napatay niya ex-girlfriend niya kasi nakita niyang may ibang jowa. Nakakatakot pero kailangan magtiwala tayo dba? Na lahat ng tao eh may pag-asang magbago. Kaya nga kinuha ulit namin siya nung Cebu tour namin eh. Nice si kuya. :) Hindi siya grumpy katulad nung isang nasakyan namin na taxi. At nag-promise siya sa'min na 'di na siya babalik ng Munti.
- 200 pesos ang terminal fee sa Cebu. Nagulat lang kami. hehe
- I really love Cebu's chorizo. May nakita ako sa Larsian at sa Taboan, dapat bumili ako para naiuwi ko dito. Masarap talaga ang chorizo na 'yun. haaay.
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Experiences are really meant to be shared. Kaya thankful ako dahil walang kiyeme at happy ang group ko. Walang kaartehan at walang mga uncomfortable silences and other shitness. Kaya ngayon kapag magkakasama kami at tuwing nababanggit ko ang "chicharon" or "Munti" eh tatatawa na lang kami ng matindi. Alam na.
Todo yun ah, napagkasya sa 10 hours?
ReplyDeletekorek! we arrived 1:30 p.m. from tagbilaran and we were in the airport mga 10:30 p.m. na ata for our 11:20 p.m. flight, kaya bale 9 hours lang yung total, sinaman ko langyung sa airport. hehe.
ReplyDeletekumasya naman pero haggard talaga, lalo na V-day pamandin nun kaya tumodo din angtraffic..hehe
Nice narrative. I'll use some info for our Itinerary. Thanks!
ReplyDelete@pang...no worries...thanks for dropping by:)
ReplyDeletehi pwede mahingi contact number nung driver nyu for city tour? :) pls pm me, raine_lab@yahoo.com, thanks!
ReplyDeletehi,i also want to know the contact # of your taxi driver//safe naman kamo sknya.. :) we have a flight this coming feb 6,so balak qng sundan ung itinerary mu..so helpful..thanks a lot..
ReplyDeleteI read all your blog posts about Cebu. Grabe, i lived there for almost 12 years and haven't explored my own place yet. haha nkakahiya! :( And oh! sorry to hear about the manong driver, loko yun ha. errm, will add some of ur info on my itinerary para sa pag visit ko dun on September this year. Thanks for this, Carla! :)
ReplyDeleteno prob rizza. at least nakahanap ako ng ok na cabbie sa katauhan ni kuya jeremy. hehe
Delete