top things to see in cebu

While still working full-time for real living magazine,  I was lucky enough to be sent by my editor on a weekend junket to the Hilton Cebu Resort and Spa. (It's the group of pink towers next to Shangri-la Hotel Mactan.)



the umistakable pink towers of the Hilton cebu resort and spa. image from resideo.com



my bed at the Hilton

The Hilton PR office left Sunday morning free and so a bunch of us decided to explore the city. But what can you see in two to three hours? Well, not much. But I think, we managed to cover the essential sights when one visits the queen city of the south.


1. Magellan's Cross

 the tiny chapel of magellan's cross made indelible in my mind's eye by countless philippine history textbooks

the cross that ferdinand magellan erected on the shores of limasawa

on the ceilings were depictions of the christianization of the natives

 2. Basilica del Santo Nino

the basilica del santo nino is also considered to be the church of cebu



the basilica's gilded and ornate retablo

3. The Provincial Capitol


hamming it up in front of the provincial capitol


 4. Taboan Market

at the taboan market, mounds and mounds of dried seafood are on sale.

...and the occasional processed meat. here are several strings of "chorizo de cebu".

A weekend trip to Davao

Still undecided where to go this summer?

Here's another idea: head south of Manila to Davao City!

Decided to celebrate my birthday, last year, by exploring a city and a region I've never been to. So, I took advantage of another Cebu Pacific seat sale and booked myself cheap tickets to Davao City.


DAY 1

Finally arrived in Mindanao, specifically Davao City, at around 6:00 in the morning. Took a cab to my hotel in downtown and left my luggage at the counter. Caught a jeep to ecoland to hop on a bus bound for Digos City, Davao del sur. Tryc from the terminal to the market to get on a van to kapatagan where Camp Sabros and the longest zipline in Southeast East Asia, according to Lonely Planet, are.  Waited three and half hours for the other 10 passengers before finally moving on.

Surprise! Surprise! Three of the last passengers were from my corner of the world in Pasig! And they own the school service I rode with during my Kindergarten days in St. Paul, Pasig.

first order of business: get on that zipline!



simply exhilarating!



the boys of Camp Sabros

Zipline was awesome! And with the risk of sounding cheesy, zipping above and in between trees felt like that scene of Edward and Bella in 'Twilight'.

It was supper time when I got back to Davao City, where I met up with local girl Marga - a college blockmate of mine. She treated me to... wait for it... Inasal! It was yum.:-)  Thanks, Marga! And before we even finished our meal, her man arrived and volunteered to drive us around. We then went to MTS where Marga treated me, again, to a glass of one of the yummiest halo-halo ever. And where her man regaled me with his war stories in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is after all a US Marine and now, a war veteran.

Marga and John, her very own hero

DAY 2

Woke up a bit late and went straight to Davao Crocodile Farm in the northern part of the city, near the airport. Ate Croc meat for Lunch. Was a bit of a let down as it tasted like pork chop. :-(

this is how you bathe a croc.

ostrich: you, lookin' at me?

croc steak tasted like pork chop.

The heat and humidity was enervating and so cooled off at the new swanky Ayala Mall Abreeza. The mall was very much like Tri-Noma and a food court that reminded me of SM Baguio's verandas.

Ayala's Abreeza Mall

Abreeza Mall's food court

even the interior is akin to Tri-Noma

 Exhausted, went back to the hotel where I noticed a market right next to it! Coolness.

taking a break from work

DAY 3

Woke up late, again. (Hey, I was on holiday!) and checked out.

my tiny $12 room. :)

Had lunch at the local SM Mall. Went back downtown to hear mass and explore the city hall and plaza.



inside Davao City's San Pedro Cathedral


It was party day in downtown Davao City. There were the  mani-pedi service at the park, endless ukay-ukay stalls erected on the sidewalks, and the informal concert at the Plaza.

mani and pedi services at the park

these kids wanted to have their photo taken. so i obliged. :-)

an LG caravan in the middle of the plaza

need a pair, chuck?

a seller just about to unload her wares

sorting through piles for a good buy. (mas mura pa sa cornetto!)

parting shot at Davao International Airport

whatever happened to robbie?

“I’ll hold your hand if you’ll hold mine,”  Robbie offered while worst-case scenarios were racing through my head.  We were hugging the glass wall of the Pudong Tower while trying to muster up enough courage to walk across the glass floor. Before I could think about it, I blurted out “I’ll hold your hand, then you’ll hold mine.”

“Okay,” he agreed.

after helping me cross that blasted glass floor, robbie took this photo .

That happened a year ago during a solo trip to Shanghai. Robbie, an irishman, was on holiday too and to our surprise, was staying at the same hostel.

Learn more about that afternoon by clicking on this link.

But the thing was, he was scheduled to fly to Tokyo the following day.  And the day after that... the tsunami hit japan.

I never knew what happened to him.
And on the anniversary of that tragedy, I am still wondering.