Cebu, Our Intro To The Philippines

 

 

Thanks to Air Asia for approximately USD 90 per passenger, about 4 hours after leaving Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia we are touching down in Cebu.

 

 

 

 

Our on the spur of the moment (adventure style) travel presents a bit more of a challenge than usual as we soon discover that our “Plan-A” for this stop is not as workable as it looked on paper. Although our planned destination for the next two days is less than 100 miles away we are told it will take us at least 5 hours to get there. So much for swimming with the whale sharks in Oslob.

Nonetheless we are fortunate that our rental car agent helps us develop a “Plan-B”. As we crisscross the city with her and her drive in search of affordable accommodations for the night we get a chance to learn first hand about life in the Philippines. Stories of corruption including “The Airport Bullet Scam” are amazing and frighting.

After several attempts we finally find our home for the next two nights. A stroll around town and before long we are dining on delicious and tender local pork and chicken. A haircut for about 35 US cents and we are ready for a night out on the town. A visit to what some might consider a “local discotheque” is kind of a bust except for cold beers and a glimpse of Cebu nightlife on a Thursday.

 

We are up early the next day for a delicious breakfast before we set out to explore Cebu by car. We opt for a closer destination but the 46 mile journey still takes us almost 3 hours to cover. Our exploration rewards us with some bridge diving like a local for my son and a chance to relax at Hermits Cove.

 

 

 

 

Hermits Cove

 

 

Dinner at Carcar City Public Market and our “Plan-B” turns out not to be so bad after all.