Week one - Cebu City

Week one - Cebu city. Me and my 3 good ol fella decided to have a break from the noisy, pressurized Manila and have a 2 weeks vacation in two of the most beautiful cities in the Philippines. First stop Cebu City. When I was a kid, I heard lot of good things about this city. The people, the culture, the food (ooh, so far Lechon is awesome) and most of all the The Beaches (one of the reasons why i'm excited about this trip...i love beach...the sound of the waves, it made me feel secured, peace and comfortable.)

For you guys who don't have any idea about this amazing city, here's a brief introduction about Cebu City.

The City of Cebu (Cebuano: Dakbayan sa Sugbo; Filipino: Lungsod ng Cebu; Spanish: Ciudad de Cebú), is the capital city of Cebu and the second city in the Philippines, the second most significant metropolitan center in the Philippine Islands, and known as the oldest city in the country.

The city is located on the eastern shore of Cebu, and is the first Spanish settlement in the Philippines. Cebu is the Philippines' main domestic shipping port, and is home to more than 80% of the country's domestic shipping companies. Cebu also holds the second largest international flights in the Philippine Islands, and is a significant center of commerce, trade, and industry in the Visayas, and Mindanao region. According to the 2007 Philippine census, the city has a population of 798,809 people.

Cebu City is the center of a metropolitan area called Metro Cebu, which includes the cities of Mandaue, Lapu-Lapu, and Talisay. Metro Cebu has a total population of about 2 million people. The Mactan-Cebu International Airport, located in Lapu-Lapu City is only a twenty-minute drive away from Cebu City. To the northeast of the city are Mandaue City, and the town of Consolacion, to the west are Toledo City, the towns of Balamban, and Asturias, to the south are Talisay City, and the town of Minglanilla. Across Mactan Strait to the east is Mactan Island where Lapu-Lapu City and an aquarium attraction are located.

Cebu city is an important cultural center in the Philippine Islands. The city's most famous landmark is Magellan's Cross.

This cross, now housed in a chapel, was supposedly planted by Ferdinand Magellan when he arrived in the Philippine Islands in 1521. It was encased in hollow tindalo wood in 1835 upon the order of the Augustinian Bishop Santos Gómez Marañon to prevent devotees from taking it home chip by chip.

Magellan's Cross


Inside of the Magellan's cross

A few steps away from the Magellan's Cross is the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño (Church of the Holy Child), an Augustinian church which was elevated to the rank of minor basilica in 1965 during the 400th year celebrations of Christianity in the Philippines, held in Cebu. The church, which was the first to be established in the islands. It is built of hewn stone, and features the country's oldest relic, the image of the Santo Niño de Cebu (Holy Child of Cebu).

This religious event is celebrated on the islands cultural festivities known as the Sinulog festival, held every third Sunday of January which celebrates the festival of the Santo Niño, the patron saint of Cebu. The Sinulog is a dance ritual of pre-Hispanic indigenous origin. The dancer moves two steps forward and one step backward to the rhythmic sound of drums. This movement resembles somewhat the current (sulog) of the river. Thus, the Cebuanos called it Sinulog.

And finally, the main reason why I'm here: the resort and beaches:

Typical day in shores of Cebu:




Wait, my favorite part of the day, Sunset:






And lastly, the Skyline of Cebu: Day ang Night.




So, I hope you enjoy the lil tour of the city. And if you want to know more about Cebu, just type: www.cebu.gov.ph Ok, so that's it for now. WE been here like 2 days so we need to explore the city and meet some locals. lol. After this.... Bohol is our next destination.