Quick Facts About Cebu

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Cebu is a very beautiful part of the Philippines.  It has a very diverse landscape.  These first few pictures are from the domestic airport and also a few pictures of the surrounding area in Cebu.  Actually Cebu city is surrounded by an ocean with islands on one side......Mountains to hike on another side.....and just on the outskirts of the city at the foothills of these mountains were many places to go river hiking as well.  As an outdoor enthusiast I am not the type to spend my entire vacation in a city cooped up in a hotel.  From Downtown Cebu most of the locations I visited were no more than an hours travel in any direction. One of the main concerns most persons have about the Philippines is the presence of the local militia group called the NPA.  I tried my best to ask around the area and talk to some of the locals as to if there were any NPA in the area.  Currently as of January 2003 there are only a few NPA in Cebu.  I found most of the locals to be very hospitable and always eager to help me with information regarding where I wanted to go and as to the safety of the area.  I spent 4 months hiking around Cebu and only found two areas that I was concerned about that I did stay away from...these were Carmen to the north....and the mountains between Osmena Peak and Badian to the South.  Besides those two areas I never had any trouble and I made a lot of friends during my travels.

These next few pictures above are from Cebu city itself.  This is a picture of Ayala Shopping Center.  One of the largest shopping centers in Cebu.  There are also Sm shopping center and Gaisano, and Robinsons.  To be honest......for a country as poor as the Philippines.....they have more shopping centers than you would think.  I took these pictures from my window in the Marriott hotel....it was a nice place and cost about $40-$100 per night.  The 3rd picture is of the Waterfont hotel ($50-$100 per night) which also hosts Casino Filipino for gambling and H2O Dance Club which is very similar to local dance clubs in the u.s. that play dance music featuring a live D.J.  In Ayala the was also Retzkys Club which normally features local live bands.  Pictures 7-8 are of my favorites eateries.....Chow king was always good to eat and #8 is from the Ice Castle restaurant....this is a local Filipino dessert called Halo-Halo.  Very Delicious to eat especially on those hot days. 

Transportation in the Philippines is an adventure in itself.  If you just want to stick to the basics and use a taxi everywhere you can....it will be expensive in the long run but do able.  If you are going to be in the Philippines for any length of time then it is best if you learn how to get around with the locals.  As you can see in the pictures above you can get around by Bus.... jeepneye.... Tricycle.... Motorcycle or even boat if you have to travel between islands. If you are going to travel long distances to another city they have buses and depending on your destination it would cost anywhere from .50 cents - $1 (50-100 pesos).  If you don't catch a bus at or near it's beginning terminal then expect it to be very crowded which means you may have to stand up in the aisle or even as I have done.....stand up in the doorway.....half in half out of the bus....Hang On!!!  Locally.....to get around the city or from small town to small town...there are Tricycles which they pedal...Also Motorized tricycles and Jeepneyes and smaller Multicab Jeepneyes.  These will stop along the road and pick you up for about .20 cents per person (5-10 pesos) .  These are the most common and easiest form of local transportation.  and last but not least......if you have to travel to any province or town in the mountains you have mostly two modes of transportation....you can hitchhike on the back of a coconut or mango truck ( I actually did that  a few times ) these trucks drive through the mountains picking up fruit from the locals and selling it in the market.  Or choice number two is the most common Motorcycle.....which is locally called a Habal-Habal.  Habal-Habals were costing anywhere form 25 pesos - 50 pesos per person.  The roads going into the mountains are not very well maintained so motorcycle is mostly the only way to get there.  As you can see by the pictures.....they carry everything with them.....a goat on a motorcycle or even chickens in the jeepneyes....I have seen it all.

Cebu is known for having some beautiful beach resorts as well.  Most of your better resorts are going to be on Mactan (Lapu-Lapu) island.  This is the island next to Cebu which has the Cebu domestic airport. There are two bridges connecting the island to Cebu so getting there is no problem.  The best way for me was to take from the mall a L-300 V-Hire mini van.  It will cost about 15 pesos and is air conditioned and will drop you off on Lapu-Lapu near the bridge.  From there you can catch a multicab or tricycle to wherever you need to go.  You can also take a taxi from the city but it will run you around 200-300 pesos to get to the beach resorts which are on the far side of the island. There are also some beautiful mountain resorts as you can see by the pictures above which where awesome and far from the busy city life.  Fresh seafood restaurants are common and delicious and so is singing karaoke during your dinner.  Just about everywhere you travel...whether it be in the mountains or islands you will find Karaoke machines everywhere in the Philippines. For 5 pesos per song ( .10 cents) you can try it yourself.  
These last photos are some I took of some locals going around with there daily business.  The people of the Philippines have all been hospitable and very kind to me.  In the first row are the fresh markets selling fish, chicken,  beef etc... The 3rd picture is stacks of Dried Fish....A Filipino staple.  Number 4 is a very common site at the local markets....U.S. second hand clothes shipped to the Philippines for sale to the locals for cheap.  Number 5 is a common local small grocery store....these small stores carry a variety of goods and are set up all over the islands and mountains.  While hiking in the mountains...I carried a small backpack with just the bare minimum essentials since these store where all over I could buy can foods or fresh bread and water anywhere I traveled.  Number 6 is a life saver.....this is a common internet cafe.  Here for about .50 cents or $1 per hour ( 25 pesos-50 pesos) I can keep in touch with the world and was able to check my email and email photos back to all my friends.  Small towns normally have dial up while in the city you can find internet cafes with high speed DSL connections.  Many drug stores like this one in number 7 are around the city areas and carry much of your medicine you may need.  During x-mas and new years you would see stands like in number 8 selling fireworks.  Unlike in the U.S. where we normally use them for the fourth of July...in the Philippines fireworks are shot off both for Christmas and New Years parties.  In the last row are some of the people I met along my travels....in all the Philippines is a great experience and I hope will stay that way in the future.

 

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