October 18, 2005
Cebu! Cebu!
I just got home from my first vacation for the year: a weekend get-away in Cebu! We only had three free tickets from Mabuhay Miles, so I was the lucky one chosen by my parents to tag along. I was their baby for the trip!
One night was spent in Plantation Bay, where all the villas/cottages are surrounded by water! Because of the water everywhere, they offer the most irresistible water activities: para-sailing, jet-skiing, surfing, scuba diving, and...kayaking! That one I finally got to try with my parents!Weird though, but they even cater to Underwater Weddings! Would-be husband and wife are dressed in wedding attire and prepped up with complete scuba gear too! Guests are seated under-water; vows are "said" underwater; exchange of rings and contract signing are done underwater; and when it's time to kiss the bride, the couple will just remove their oxygen tube from their mouth and voila! You've got a couple from under the sea.
Food there was HEAVEN. Everything was teasingly delectable that I had to taste a little of everything. I never got to know the names of what I ate, but I know that I needed to exercise in exchange of the calories that I've gained.
It was indeed a short stay, not enough to go around the city to see what there was to see. But my micro-experience fairly speaks of the Queen City of the South. We were able to pass by stores of wooden guitars that come in all sizes, a hint that Cebu makes the best guitars in the country - be it classical or acoustic. Also, from Cebu comes the cheapest of accessories - ranging from 5 to 10 pesos a piece, whereas in malls they are sold at a stunning 250-300 pesos! As a result, my mom and I made two trips to those stalls and bought bulks of trinkets in all lengths and colors!
Another thing I've noticed is that Christianity is very much alive in Cebu. (It makes sense, because Cebu's the site where Christianity was first introduced in the Philippines). The Basilica de Santo Niño was overflowing with praying people, although no mass was being celebrated. In the adjacent town square, people were reciting the Holy Rosary in unison. With that I was terribly mistaken that less people are worshipping God these days.
I was disappointed, however, that the famous Magellan's Cross is not how it looks in the postcards from National Bookstore. The place was a disaster - plastic cups and leftover snacks everywhere;the ceiling above the Cross was dark with cobwebs that one could no longer decipher what was painted on it; stench coming from nowhere enveloped the air; beggars and stray children are on the loose which frightened the herd of tourists posing for pictures. Should you see that place, you'd fathom if that was a tourist spot at all. Hope they'd do something about it.
But despite that negative side, Cebu still manages to attract tourists, especially the Koreans. There seemed to be a mass exodus of Koreans in Cebu! No matter where I turned, there they were. Wow Philippines talaga!
