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These last couple of weeks have been a mixture of the rushed and relaxed. To start at the beginning, which you have doubtless realised rarely happens in my blogs, arriving in Cebu, I gave myself a similar challenge to Manila of getting to my hostel in Cebu City without the use of a [boring] taxi. Naturally, arriving during a monsoonal downpour gave me second thoughts, but they both passed quickly, and so first I went in search of a tricycle to Lapu-Lapu City, though I am at a loss to the use of the word 'city' here. It was more of a random collection of backstreets, which I travelled through on the back of a bike, rucksack still firmly attached to my back, and more than one confused stare from a local. Unlike many travellers that, ironically, actually don't like travelling, I'm not one of them - not yet anyway (ask me again when I reach India). On local transport particularly, I enjoy the partial unexpectedness of it; it's a great way to see a lot and get a feel of an area and its people, even if it can often take twice as long. Thus, 3 hours later, with two jeepney transfers and a lot of help from locals (as I arrived without a map or any prior knowledge of names of local districts - I come prepared, as always), I got to the busy centre of Cebu City.
The journey continues...(ok, so these titles are lacking in inspiration - any ideas?)
Simon Wadsworth2006-09-04 17:02:21
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These last couple of weeks have been a mixture of the rushed and relaxed. To start at the beginning, which you have doubtless realised rarely happens in my blogs, arriving in Cebu, I gave myself a similar challenge to Manila of getting to my hostel in Cebu City without the use of a [boring] taxi. Naturally, arriving during a monsoonal downpour gave me second thoughts, but they both passed quickly, and so first I went in search of a tricycle to Lapu-Lapu City, though I am at a loss to the use of the word 'city' here. It was more of a random collection of backstreets, which I travelled through on the back of a bike, rucksack still firmly attached to my back, and more than one confused stare from a local. Unlike many travellers that, ironically, actually don't like travelling, I'm not one of them - not yet anyway (ask me again when I reach India). On local transport particularly, I enjoy the partial unexpectedness of it; it's a great way to see a lot and get a feel of an area and its people, even if it can often take twice as long. Thus, 3 hours later, with two jeepney transfers and a lot of help from locals (as I arrived without a map or any prior knowledge of names of local districts - I come prepared, as always), I got to the busy centre of Cebu City.
I was only there one evening to begin with, but it gave me some time to visit the Basilica Minore del Santo Nino and the Carbon Market. The Basililca Minore blah blah is home to Philippine's oldest religious relic, and being a Friday, in addition to lots of candle burning, I got to witness how religion is adapting to the modern age here, with hundreds gathering to sing hymns from a huge LED display above the altar. The Carbon Market was just as great as all the other markets in Asia, and I greedily enjoyed the evening tasting and trying whatever took my fancy from the many food stalls and sellers.
Staying in a hostel that also charged rates by the hour, I left early to catch,
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See photographs from:
Philippines Gallery
