I'm a true blooded Cebuana-we'll my dad's from Bohol and transferred here when he was 8 years old..perhaps this explains my addiction to beaches...anyway, since I'm free most of my time when I am not at work (i decided not to enrol for summer classes) - i sleep a lot in my room...well at least i try to...I'm so used of just sleeping an average of 3 hrs a day last sem...so i always make it a point NOT to spend my weekends hibernating - summer could be over for all i know...last Sunday, i (w/ my officemates) toured one of our big boss from the states some spots here in Cebu...funny thing was that there were some places that i had never been to...weird ey? sometimes we tend to take things for granted even these places are just w/in ur boundaries...Itinerary:Parian Heritage Monument, Sto Nino, Fort San Pero, Casa Gorordo, STK (sutukil), Magellan's Shrine, Shangrila, Plantation Bay, and Taoist Temple...we were supposed to go to Balamban but our boss was already too tired since it was really hot on that day...boohoo! Moving forward, here are some pictures i took on our trip...
1. Parian Heritage Monument: The monument celebrates key historic events in the island (this is found in colon - the oldest street in the Philippines)
2. Casa Gorordo-originally belonged to Gorordo family whose most illustrious member , Juan Gorordo, became the 1st Filipino archbishop of Cebu. By the way, visitors are not allowed to take pictures inside the house but i just couldn't resist to take one...hehe:)
3. Basilica de Sto. Nino-"holy Child of Jesus", one of the oldest churches in the Philippines. A lot of devotees come here forming long queues to pay respect to their beloved Sto. Nino especially during Fridays. One of the biggest events happen during the 3rd Sunday of January - the ever popular Sinulog (feast of Cebu)!
Cebu is well known for its fine guitars - best are found in Opon (lapu-lapu). The appointments and wood are all nice looking and for the most part, they use solid wood instead of plywood. Since Cebu is a sea port, they also have access to abalone and maother of pearl, thus explaining those great decorations.
4. Fort San Pedro-artifacts taken from the old Spanish Galleon known as San Diego are on display on this centuries-old Fort. A monument to Cebu's turbulent past. It served as the nucleus of the first Spanish settlement in the Philippines. PS: dont you love our umbrella's? summer na summer ang dating...hehe
5. SuTuKil-we headed to Mactan for our lunch and ate at Sutukil. Sutukil is a portmanteau of the 3 ways fish are cooked in eateries near the Mactan Shrine: SU is for Sugba (grilled), TU is for Tula (prepared in a soup), KI is for Kilaw (or turned into a raw fish salad). Restaurants let you choose whatever you want cooked from stalls of fresh fish, prawns, crabs, seaweeds, shells, clams, and even lobsters for very affordable prices. YUM-O!
6. Mactan Shrine-This is where the Lapu-lapu and his men triumphed over the Spanish invaders on April 27, 1521. The shrine is host to the annual Kadaugan sa Mactan- and guess what? This Sunday would be it! Manny Pacquiao will play Cebu's hero, lapu-lapu, and Dennis Trillio will play the role of Portuguese conqueror, Magellan. By the way, i so0o love this huge painting placed near the area...depicts a lot of cebu's culture!
7. Cebu is located in the center of the Philippines surrounded by neighboring smaller lands that includes Mactan Is., Bantayan, Olanggo, Malapascua, and Camotes Is. It is the country's "Queen City of the South" where the world's business and leisure go hand in hand. It is famous for its narrow coastline and limestone plateaus, all characteristics of a tropical island. We stopped by at Shangri-la and Plantation bay (photo above).
8. Taoist Temple-located in the wealthy residential suburb of Beverly Hills. It was built by Cebu's Substantial Chinese Community. You can see Taoist devotees on Wednesdays and Sundays, as they climb up the 99 steps of the temple to light joss sticks and have their fortunes read by monks. The temple has an e;evation of 300 meters above sea level and you' ll be rewarded with a good view of cebu City and in the distance Mactan and Bohol Islands.
***from the city life to the beaches to the mountains - we conquered it in our 1 day trip!**
