The second day in Cebu

We woke up early for breakfast as the breakfast time in the hotel is very short. We got our tummies full as we got sufficient food to satisfy ourselves with.

For starters, we went to a bank in the center of Cebu City to withdraw cash as we were starting to be short of it. It was quite tedious as we couldn’t withdraw from the bank’s ATMs. However, we were soon on our heels at around 9am.

Nearby was a small farmer’s carnival to celebrate Farmers’ Day in Cebu. We walked through it and saw a variety of decorated stalls of fruits and veggies. The scene was really colourful. There were reporters rushing everywhere, having their chances to interview the stall owners. Behind all the stalls were beautifully decorated cars with fruits and veggies covering the original layer of the vehicle, just like the food stalls.

We then started a short 5 minute journey to the Heritage of Cebu Monument, a monument with all the events of the Spanish and the natives clumped in one statue. Our guide there told us that the artist took three years to develop this piece of hard work. We were really amazed by his efforts as it’s a masterpiece. It was made by Eduardo Castrillo from 1997 to 2000.

Next, we went to the Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House, the oldest house in Cebu. It was built at around the 1700s. We had a different guide there. The house was first owned by a Spanish family, as generations gone by, other rich people owned the lot. However, the house soon became old. So, it became a landmark of Cebu. We explored the house from different angles and came across a wishing well, 2 dining rooms, 2 bedrooms and a living room. The house is two levels and is quite huge, our guide took some great shots and I definitely enjoyed exploring the place.

When that was done, we rode a taxi to a popular restaurant called CNT House of Lechon. There, as you reckoned, we ate Lechon. I also drank a native drink called Calamansi Juice. Thankfully, the Lechon here was very crispy, and I enjoyed my meal a lot.

We a fantastic meal adjourned, we had a nap at the hotel before taking another cab to Tops Lookout, which is located at one of the vast and steep hills of Cebu. Though, there was a jam along the way, we arrived there just in time to take some good shots.

The views there were spectacular, even when the sun goes down. When the lights go up, the city looks very dynamic.

For dinner, we ate at Lantaw, a restaurant on a hill by the vast city, and the view there was awesome to. Halfway through our meal, we were entertained by fireworks, which lightened the view.

When dinner ended, we bid farewell to the views of Cebu as we got back to our hotel and ended the day.

The first day in Cebu City

We woke up, fresh and renewed. We were ready for an exciting day ahead. After a quick bath, we made our way to the hotel’s breakfast hotel which was actually a café called Café Breeze. As the breakfast availability time is really cramped, there was little food spared for us to enjoy with, unfortunately. So, we had tons of space for more of it in our tummies.

After our light breakfast, we made our way to the city center, where the famous and historic Magellan’s Cross was located. When we arrived at the historic landmark, which was through a wide alley way with two major and gargantuan cathedrals along it, we took many shots. I was surprised he was Christian, as all I knew about him was he was a Portuguese Explorer that proved that the Earth was round but was killed in Philippines by Lapu-lapu. Lapu-lapu was a tribe leader in Mactan when Magellan came.

 

With those moments over, we went to a fast food restaurant called Chowking where we tried a traditional Filipino ice-cream called halo-halo, which was a combination of ice-cream-jelly and other sweets.

With that, we took to the cathedral for mass. It is called Basilica del Santo Nino. There were statues of him and other saints. I took some photos with them.

There was also a painting which talked about a blood compact between the Spanish and the natives of Cebu at that time. A blood compact is a treaty where the people involved sign with their blood, which was shocking and weird in my opinion.

With the mass adjourned, we had lunch, eating sumptuous barbeque at a restaurant called AA BBQ. Along the way to the restaurant, we met homeless folks which made me feel very pitiful and appreciative that we have all the necessities that most humans need.

With that, we advanced on for a ticket center to buy tickets for our ferry to Bohol Island, an island with breathtaking beaches.

Before going there, we went through San Pedro Fort, a fort built by the Spanish in the 1800s, then used as a barracks by the US Army in WWII, and now a famous landmark in the city of Cebu. There, we had a glimpse of old photos of the fort from different angles and learnt the history of this small space. There were many cannons and other fortifications to despite its small size.

After getting those tickets, we headed back to the hotel to take a nap.

For dinner, with ate at an eatery which serves Lechon. Lechon is a crispy Filipino pork. To our dismay, the Lechon was not crispy, meaning we did not enjoy dinner.

With dinner over, we bought some basic stuff from the shopping mall nearby before ending the day.