It was my first visit to this historical city of Cebu. I was attending a convention and is part of the organizing committee that there was so little time to do some exploring so prior to arriving to this place I did some research on what sites are within striking distance of the convention venue so I can still slip in some quick tour. Fortunately the Sky Ride at the Crown Regency Hotel was just walking distance from our hotel. The Sky Ride Experience has a variety of attractions on the hotel's rooftop ranging from a zipline from building to building, skywalk on a glass floor and the ultimate edge coaster that tilts you towards the ground creating a feeling of falling off.
At first light in the morning, we made haste and started our morning exploration along Osmena Boulevard together with 2 female colleagues, Kat and Jo. I already plotted the itinerary after a thorough research in Google Earth of the many sites that can be visited within a 2 kilometer distance. There were several of them in a single block that are actually walking distance from the hotel so we intend to visit them and afterwards proceed immediately to the convention thereafter.
Our first destination was the famous church where we paid homage to the original Santo Niño, the oldest religious image in the Philippines at the Basílica Minore del Santo Niño de Cebu and offered our prayers for a safe skyride adventure. The place was filled with lots of candles around. In the recent 2013 earthquake that shook Eastern Visayas, this church belfry suffered some damage. But luckily, no one was hurt from the falling debris.
Next we entered the church to view and marvel at the historic image of the Sto. Nino inside the basilica. A brief recall of the history of the venerated image can be traced in the written accounts of Pigafetta, the chronicler of the Magellan expedition. Records show that the image was presented by Pigafetta himself to Queen Juana when she and King Humabon of Cebu were baptized into Christianity. The statue was later recovered during Legazpi's expedition where a sailor discovered it inside a wooden box that remain unscathe among the ruins after a battle with the natives where they suspected the returning Spaniards of seeking retribution for Magellan's death. The image was put under the care of the Agustinian friars and has prevailed through the years even the bombings of WWII. It has then been attributed to several miracles and fortunes of many Cebuanos and other countrymen that the image remains to be highly venerated up to the present.
After viewing the image, we went to the church courtyard to take some souvenir shot of their beautiful garden fountain and some interesting statues. I hope that the next time I visit this church in the future I will be able to know the identities of the statues and the stories behind them.
Outside the church, there were many places where you can light a candle, so we took our turn after the many devotees and offered prayers for a safe skyride adventure. There were also vendors who would offer to dance and chant prayers for you candles in exchange for a small donation. We would later try it in the Magellan's Cross.
We proceede next to the Plaza Independencia which is just across the church and I've learned that here are many interesting attractions that can be visited here. But the most interesting of all for me is the newly built tunnel that actually runs under the plaza complex. I was able to learn about this first hans when my Cebuano friend and colleague Nuel drove me to the airport and actually passed thru the tunnel underneath the plaza. Anyways, Ramon Magsaysay is the 7th President of the Philippine Republic. I do not know much about the man but there were many interesting facts about this great person. First of all, Cebu is not the birthplace of Magsaysay but this place became more associated with him because this is where he met his tragic death on a plane crash right after take-off. Ramon Magsaysay was a native of Zambales, and this is where he started his colorful career as a soldier-guerilla and politician. It was during his term that the Hukbalahap leader Luis Taruc laid down his arms and returned to the fold if the law thru the intercession of Niniy Aquino Jr. Magsaysay is also the first president to wear the barong tagalog during his inauguration and also the first to use political jingles during political campaign that earned him the peg "Mambo Magsaysay".
If there is The Mansion in Baguio which serves as the official residence of the Philippine president in the Cordilleras, then there is the Malacanan sa Sugbo which is the official residence of the president here in Cebu. It's big but it doesn't look much and a far cry from The Mansion. My first honest impression is that it looks more like The Bilibid in Muntinlupa. It doesn't have a sprawling garden but at least it's decent enough for a president. I wonder if the President really stays here or does he prefer the high-end hotels with first class service. Hmmmm.
This is the Cebu Veterans Memorial in front of the Malacanan sa Sugbo. There's not much to tell about this marker but I was wondering how they came up with such a sculpture to pay tribute to our fallen heroes. It makes me more reminiscent of Monday's Mekanda, Tuesday's Daimos, Wednesday's Mazinger Z, Thursday's Grendaizer and most especially Friday's Voltes V! Our heroes against interplanetary invasion. Ha ha ha ha!
Not far from the Veteran's Memorial is the Fort San Pedro, an old triangular stone fort built by the Spaniards to defend their territory against enemies of Spain during the 1700s.
Two sides of the triangle face the sea and one side faces inland. Do you know why?
Because having 2 sides of your fort facing the enemies coming from the sea enables you to point more cannons in the direction of the attacker than if you only have one side.
Attacks from the sea are more common than inland. The triangular shape also helps eliminate the blind sides of the fort, when enemy soldiers attempt to scale the walls.
At the other end of the plaza is a small monument to honor Miguel Lopez de Legaspi, the first Spanish governor general of the Philippine colony of Spain. King Philip II of Spain bestowed the title of "Great Spanish Conquistador" to Legaspi as tribute to his conquest of the entire Philippine islands. While Magellan's expedition was primarily for exploration and trade, Legazpi's expedition is purely for conquest and military purposes that brought to him the easy conquest of the islands. His primary mission is to officially establish Spanish rule and convert the natives to Christianity. That is why when he learned of the great Muslim kingdom in what is now Luzon, he immediately brought his troops there not for negotiation but to topple the the king Rajah Sulayman and take over the territory, officially removing any large scale threat to the Spanish occupation.
We next visited the Magellan's Cross. This is the exact spot where Magellan had a cross erected on the shores of Cebu officially establishing Christianity in the islands and the beginning of the conversion of the natives to the new religion.
We were caught by surprise when a lady approached us and offered to sell candles for offering. In exchange, she will dance and chant prayers for the candle in order for our wishes to come true upon lighting it in the offertory rack. We readily obliged and it was an interesting scene to see this peculiar kind of religious practice being done here in the heart of Cebu
Finally, we had the last pose in front of the Cebu City Hall and thereafter proceeded to the convention venue in the University of Cebu to join our colleagues in the solid waste management convention being held there. Even though the morning tour was restricted by time, the different sites we visited enabled us to have a brief glimpse of the glorious past of the queen city in the south.
When night time fell, the lights at the top of the Crown Regency lit up as viewed from my hotel room like a homing beacon luring excited tourists to its lair. I too was very excited in going up to the top and trying out their best attraction there. At least, one of the perks I enjoyed in this Cebu urban adventure is my hotel room which has a panoramic view of downtown Cebu.
The Crown Regency in Cebu boasts of having the tallest "hotel" building in the country and this tall building standing alone in the urban landscape of Cebu dominates the scene that it definitely captures the eyes of every living human in a 5 kilometer radius. When we arrived at the top we immediately inquired about the skyride.
After buying the tickets for the Skyride, we ventures around the place and enjoyed first the breathtaking view of the urban night lights that illuminates the city of Cebu. It was such an exhilirating experience of seeing another urban light jungle other than the lights of Metro Manila.
There's also a telescope for viewing the city but we didn't use it because there's nothing much to see in the dark anyway. We only opted for the Edge Coaster because it is the only ride that has more adrenaline rush and a little bit safe compared to the zipline where I am a little bit reluctant to try because of the possibility of me stopping in the middle because of my weight. That goes the same with the transparent floor. it might also break while I am walking over it. So what was left for me to try out is the sky ride althought if I am not satisfied with the edge coaster, I will consider trying out the two rides ad well. It's now time for the edge coaster! Here goes nothing!
The edge coaster is a mechanical contraption where you are not fastened by a belt but your are just merely pinned on your thighs via a metal bracket. The entire platform which you are sitting on runs along a railway constructed on the perimeter edge of this tall building. The platform can be tilted at a very sharp angle creating the feeling of falling over. The good part though is that the passenger has complete control of the tilting mechanism. Jo and Kat were the first to go while I take pictures of them.
When it was my turn to ride, I just tilted the platform all the way around the building to get the maximum adrenaline rush. Kat shouted "Doc, you're really on a bucket list quest!" Looking great!
The feeling was intensely fantastic! However, I realized it would have been more daredevilish if I had tilted the platform back and forth. That would have nailed the ultimate adrenaline rush for me! Anyway, there's always a next time.
The edge coaster is now finally one for the books. I got my certificate of survival to prove it. This Cebu urban adventure is definitely an unforgettable experience because it helped me in conditioning myself in preparing for the ultimate conclusion in life. But I hope that story doesn't come too soon. Ha ha ha!
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As the solid waste management convention comes to an end, it is also time to bid Cebu goodbye. But there are still other things that you should not miss in Cebu - their famous Lechon. There are many restaurants- small and big alike that are selling these luscious and tasty delight but one of the most popular is CNT Lechon. Luckily, I was able to reach the store in the afternoon where there were only a few remaining lechons left for sale. I bought a kilo to bring home with me and sure enough my wife truly attested that it has indeed a unique and delicious flavor. |
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If you're a music enthusiasts like me, buying a Cebu guitar will surely be part of your shopping list. Guitars here are aplenty and cheap so if you think you won't be coming back this way in the near future, better buy the high quality types as they will be worth your investment in the long run. |
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There were severals malls within walking distance from my hotel, but since my schedule was very tight during the convention, I didn't have time to do some mall hopping. I just made plans to take on the skyride adventure at night when there are no work-related activities. Anyway, the here is just the same as any mall back at home.
I would like to thank my good friend, classmate and co-officer of SWAPP Nuel Crucio for extending some time to drive me across town to buy pasalubong lechon and guitar and driving me to the airport. I hope that in my next visit to Cebu he will still have some time to tour me around new places I've never been to.
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I would also like to thank Jo Luyon and Leah Kathryn Intia for accompanying me on my adventure. It really helps increase the excitement and makes the moment memorable when you're in the company of friends.
Well folks, this concludes another run for the Doctor of Fun and Adventure and what can I say about this trip? It's definitely a successful one! This is the first time I mixed business with pleasure despite being one of the active organizers of the event. The business part was accomplished without a hitch and the pleasure part was even better than what I anticipated. Soon when I get the hang of it I might give out advices on how to conduct business with pleasure in the most economical but unforgettable and worthiest way possible!
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