Cebu – Bohol Escapades Part 1

Escapade Dates: April 16 to April 20

Note: Click the photo thumbnails for a better look.

Day 1:
Destination: Cebu City
I was with my sister, Juvy, and our friend Harold. Juvy and I are first time flyers. Yes, we’ve never flown before. I booked our flight at the Philippine Airlines (PAL). Our trip was nearly cancelled because my dad didn’t want us to go, but since the flights have been booked and paid for, he wasn’t able to stop us.

The anticipation for our first plane ride was building up inside me. I keep thinking that I will be air sick and vomit. We arrived at the airport 2 hours before our flight, so it was quite a long wait. When our flight was finally boarding, I can’t help but feel excited. I was seated between Harold (window seat) and Juvy. During the take-off, I couldn’t help but feel really nervous, but when we were finally in the air, I felt better. My feet felt like it was being dragged upwards and my stomach suddenly felt empty, but once the plane gained the normal altitude, it’s like riding a train.

We landed at Mactan International Airport at 10:25am. Golden Valley Hotel (GVH) sent a van to pick us up from the aiport for Php550. I was quite upset with this because when I spoke to the receptionist twice prior to our flight, the cost was only P500. When we arrived at the hotel, the receptionist informed me that I only booked 1 room, which was, of course, false. I spoke to them three times and confirmed 1 Standard Single room and 1 Standard Double room for 2 nights; they only booked the double room. Harold was then placed in a studio-type room, which is smaller. GVH offers wi-fi access for P50/hr, which I never availed. We ate in our room for lunch, and for dinner, we all went to SM City Cebu.

SM City Cebu is huge. In those three times that we’ve been there, I don’t think I was able to remember where is where. We had dinner at Gerry’s Grill. I went online for 30 minutes to find someone who can tour us around Cebu City because the price of the tour package that GVH was offering was too high. On the phone, twice, they mentioned that the tour is PHP900 for 3 hours and the succeeding hours is at PHP250. But when we got there, the tour’s rate is now PHP900 for 2 hours and the succeeding hours is P300. Is it because Harold is a foreigner?

Anyway, we found Danny Noy. He was also recommended by an Australian guy, Jim, on one of his blog entries. I called him right away and he was very accommodating. His rate is at P250/hr and he owns a taxi and a van. We opt for the van for more leg room.

Day 2: Cebu City Tour
The next day I sent an SMS to Danny to confirm our 9am appointment. He said that he couldn’t accommodate us but he will send his driver, Cris. Cris arrived on time. When I went out to meet him at the lobby he already has a ready smile. He always opened the doors for us and he acted as our tour guide. He would tell us about the important places that we see while driving to the different tourist spots. Our first stop was the Heritage of Cebu Monument. We took a lot of photos of the monument.

Our next stop was Magellan’s Cross.

At the back of Magellan’s Cross is Basilica de Sto. Niño. It’s one of the oldest churches in Cebu. I tried to get inside, but it was a Friday, and apparently, a lot of people go to church during Fridays.

Fort San Pedro looks like Intramuros. The entrance fee is PHP21/adult. You can walk inside the grounds and enter the museum. The museum consists of artifacts that were dug up under the ocean by the National Geographic. Fort San Pedro is beside the pier.

Casa Gorordo is one of the remaining Spanish colonial-era balay na tisa. It was owned by the Gorordo family, where Juan Gorordo once lived, who became the first Filipino archbishop of Cebu, in 1910-1932. The entrance fee is different for locals and foreign visitors. Locals pay PHP40, while foreigners pay PHP70. This kind of irked me. I don’t see why foreign visitors have to pay more when there is no difference in what we’ll experience inside the house? The signs are all in English and there are no tour guides to explain what we are actually seeing. I just find it discriminatory. There was also an art exhibit. The works of Martino Abellana Jr. and Marie Len Barcelo. We weren’t allowed to take photos inside, so I couldn’t show you anything from the museum and exhibit.

After Casa Gorordo, we headed to SM City Cebu for lunch. The Taoist Temple was our next destination. It is located inside Beverly Hills Cebu, where the rich and powerful lives.

The Taoist Temple was built in 1972 by the Chinese community in Cebu. It is a place of worship for Taoism, a religion founded by Lao Tze. Taoists usually come to worship on Wednesday and Saturdays. There are 99 steps to climb before you reach the main temple. Taking photos are not allowed inside the temples, the security guards make sure of that. There are also signs that states the same rules. It was raining when we arrived, so it was quite a hassle climbing the steps while getting wet. Good thing that the rain didn’t last long. We also bought lucky coins from their souvenir shop.

Our last stop was the Mactan Shrine, where the Lapu-Lapu Shrine can also be found. The last time we were here, it was in the year 2000, the mangrove had dried out, but when we got there, we can smell the ocean.

That concludes our Cebu City tour.

Day 3: Last day in Cebu
Our last day in Cebu was spent preparing for our ferry ride with Ocean Jet to Bohol. We had breakfast at Jollibee first and then we set off to Pier 1 to wait for the ferry. I was impressed that their ferry arrived on time, so that means we arrived at Bohol on time, too.

To be continued…

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