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The 7107 islands at it’s best. With so many islands to
visit, it will take years to see them all! I am just kidding… I would like to
but there are other countries to travel too! So, I will be sharing only a few
popular attractions to you.
Philippines is also famous for Lechon. In Filipino, Litson.
On special occasions like fiesta, lechon is always present, a sign of Filipino
Culture. Nowadays, litson is becoming a regular for small gatherings at home
and even buy by the kilos when you crave for it as there are many small stalls
selling now. It is very delicious!
Another worth mentioning that is special to Filipinos is
Halo Halo, close to Mahalo in Hawaiian greeting thank you. Barbecue stick, thin
slices of pork on a stick and hanging rice go together for an easy meal, cheap
and fast, the American way of fast food! Lastly, I need to add Balut! What do
you want? A day old chick still intact in its shell? Oh so good!
These are a few nuggets about Philippines. There are more to
talk about, words doesn’t end because Philippines is a country rich in history,
food, friendship, music and more! Philippines has a lot to offer to any travelers that enjoy
different activities such water sports, nature discovery, hands on adventures,
pristine beaches, diverse culture experience, laid back and relaxing at the
beach, enjoy the food.
Why Philippines?
A few things that stood out recommending Philippines for
your travel destination is easy to understand. Filipinos are known for their
hospitality. It is a legendary hospitality of friendship and family. Go visit
someone and you sure will know how hospitable a Filipino can be. You will be
offered the best of what they have!
Communication – the fact that English is the medium of
instruction in most schools, made Filipinos able to communicate with English
speakers around the world.
Crossroad of Asia Pacific – from Philippines, you can almost
travel to other countries easy.
Safe and Secure – talking of safety, the first and foremost
idea is to be aware. It is safe in the city. Just like any other place, it is a
good idea to stay with the crowd and not be alone in dark alleys.
Diversity – Philippines is diverse in culture and natural
attractions. With its 7,107 island and 100 million people for a small country,
it is diversely influenced by Spain, America, Japan and maybe more...
Value – lastly or maybe value should be first, especially for
the budget travelers. Right now the conversion is $1 = Php50. Meaning, your
dollars will stretch a long long way when visiting Philippines.
Imagine having a spa for $10 – $20 an hour? Depending how upscale
the place you go to. Sometimes, you can even get lower than that.
Love beer? It is only less than a dollar, approximately
$0.60 a bottle of beer. Of course, it is going to be San Miguel Beer, popular
beer of the Philippines.
How To Get There
Philippines is divided into three namely Luzon, Visayas,
Mindanao. Major gateways are Cebu and Manila. Manila can be crowded since it is
bigger compared to Cebu. However, with travel becoming convenient, Cebu is
catching up with Manila too! Just have to figure out what is best for your trip
– the price, the lay over, the convenience and what not to consider when flying
to different destinations. Recently, the new allowed to stay duration is now 30
days stay with no visa. It use to be 21 days and no visa. Once, I overstayed 1
day and have to pay $50 for extension! I pay attention from then on, not to go
over 21 days stay in the Philippines.
Travel time for international flight is 12 hours from Los
Angeles & San Francisco, 16 hours from New York and Chicago. Philippines is
only a little over 3 hours away from Japan, Thailand, Bali, Korea and less than
two hours from Taiwan and HongKong.
More and more airlines cater to Philippine travel, making it
more convenient to visit. The national airline of the Philippines is Philippine
Air Line (PAL) followed by other airline - Eva Air, Cathay Pacific, Korean Air,
Asiana Airline that fly you to Philippines from the following hub – New York,
Los Angeles, San Francisco, Honolulu, Vancouver, Toronto, Chicago, Houston, Seattle
to name a few.
Here Are My Destination Goals To Travel Philippines
Bohol
Bohol is known for Tarsier, the smallest monkey in the
world, the size is perfect on your palm. You can touch them gently and even buy
them now. The only problem would be, early death for these cute little monkeys
who love their habitat and get sad when taken away from it. Additional place that is popular in Bohol is
Chocolate Hills, like giant Hersheys spread all over the land, brown during
summer, looking like chocolate shade.
Boracay
By this time, you must have heard of Boracay, a small island
in the Central Philippines. The only way to get there is by a small boat unless
you consider going with your stand paddle. It is known for it’s resorts and
beaches, white sand streak by palm trees, bars and restaurants a few yards from
the clear water. Considered one of the top ten for world’s best island. With
white sand, night life and food, you will sure enjoy your stay at Boracay. Another new thing is Mermaid/ Mermen Academy
where you will learn how to become a mermaid or mermen, swim like them.
Something different!
On the east coast, strong winds make Bulabog Beach a hub for
water sports. Nearby, the observation deck on Mount Luho offers panoramic views
over the island. Offshore, coral reefs and shipwrecks are home to diverse
marine life.
Palawan
One place that is becoming popular is the El Nido, Palawan,
bare and raw for you to discover. It is voted as one of the World’s Best
Island. Why not? It has all the beauty to offer, the beaches are amazing! Clear
water and blue sky, reflecting on waves as it rolls and wobble on the big blue sea.
It’s known for white-sand beaches, coral reefs and as the gateway to the Bacuit
archipelago, a group of islands with steep karst cliffs. Miniloc Island is
famed for the clear waters of its Small and Big lagoons. Nearby Shimizu Island
has fish-filled waters. The area has many dive sites, including Dilumacad
Island’s long tunnel leading to an underwater cavern. I can’t wait to visit this year!
Looking for a private island destination? Amanpulo at Pamalican Island and Huma Island, both
offering privacy and style, offering stay in water houses. Isn’t that cool? Waking
up in the morning with water around you…I can just imagine, the fresh air, the
blue sky and the clear water just a few steps down.
And oh, Coron is an exciting place to discover as well, being away from the busy
life.
Siargao
I’ve heard about Siargao a lot of times, thou I have not
been there. It is known for Surfing. One of the world’s top surf spots and a
private resort to enjoy. Siargao is a tear-drop shaped island in the Philippine
Sea in the province of Surigao del Norte and has a land area of approximately
437 square kilometres. Great for surfing! Perfect white beaches, enchanting
lagoons, caves, sand bars, coral reefs, bizarre rock formations, exotic
wildlife, endless rice fields, waterfalls, a large mangrove forest reserve and
so much more.
Go island hopping, Eat fresh, daily seafood, enjoy the Magpupungko
pool are things you can do and there’s so much more to do as long as you have
the time. It is a precious place to be!
Philippines is a haven for scuba divers because of its many
beach destination around the 7,107 islands or maybe more, who knows? Specifically,
great for water sports enthusiasts and more! Yes, there’s more to it!
Banaue Rice Terraces
It’s long history made it one very popular place to see is
the Banaue Rice Terraces for those who love architecture. What? Architecture? Well,
kind of in a natural way.
The Banaue Rice Terraces are 2,000-year-old terraces like
giant steps into the mountains of Ifugao by ancestors of the indigenous people.
Aside from Banaue Rice Terraces, two others name Batad Rice Terraces and
Bangaan Rice Terraces can be found which are less spectacular but still worth
your view. The Rice Terraces are commonly referred to as the "Eighth
Wonder of the World". In addition to admiring the Banaue Rice Terraces,
there is also the Sagoda Hanging Coffin where you see coffins hang on the wall
of the mountains, the ancient way of burying the dead. Not 6 feet under the
ground, just hang them on a wall.
Finally, traveling again to one of the 7000 Islands in the Philippines and you can say that for short but the truth is that Philippines is composed of more than 7000 islands. The Philippines was named in honor of King Philip II of Spain and has changed several times in the course of its history. Ultimately, the official name of the country became the Republic of the Philippines. Situated in the Western Pacific Ocean of Southeast Asian countries, is famous for its abundant beaches, with reference to 7461 islands. Nevertheless, the country is famously called The Philippines!
The capital city of the Philippines is Manila, famous for its waterfront boulevard, centuries-old Chinatown, Intramuros, a 16th-century San Agustin Church as well as Fort Santiago, where José Rizal, the Philippine national hero, was imprisoned. There is so much history really…
Since I will be traveling to one of the islands, it will be the place featured in this article - Cebu City. Philippines is divided into three main geographical divisions from north to south: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Cebu is one of the islands in the Visayas, a very famous place to go for tourists who want a laid back yet not so quiet place to go. It is becoming busy but not overcrowded like Manila. The dialect in Cebu is called Cebuano or at times we say Bisaya. Locally, Cebu is Cebuano: Lalawigan sa Sugbo. It is located in the Central Visayas region, surrounded by 167 islands and islets. The capital is Cebu City, the oldest city.
You can do island hopping from Cebu City, since it is a busy hub for travel to other islands, the main center of commerce, trade, education and industry in the Visayas.
These are mostly places to go for free plus a bit of history. I would be delighted to start a group tour to Cebu and showcase all the places in here:
Cebu Taoist Temple
The Cebu Taoist Temple is located on higher firmament, up in Beverly Hills Subdivision in Cebu City, Philippines, making it a cooler place to walk around. The temple was built by Cebu's Chinese community in 1972. With an elevation of 300 meters (980 ft) above sea level, the temple is very visible from a distance, being ornamented by dragons and temple architecture, a multi-level attraction overlooking the city when you get to the top; taking steps, like a shape of a dragon's body. The temple is composed of a main worship place, to burn incense, perform rituals and as a center of worship for Taoism. Since it is open to all, people come and pray. Sometimes, you can see people throwing these blocks of wood on the ground and check to see if their wish will be granted or not. Some days, there will be a person on the side to help you with your problems or wishes to be answered by giving you assistance using the blocks of wood.
The stairs begin with a narrow one, steep enough to make you puff as you go higher, although you get to rest after each few steps as there is a landing, before continuing. Once you are out of breath, you can relax on a big open space before climbing up the next. I must be missing some physical activity to experience running out of breath!
The next set of stairs are wide, 3 sets of 9 maybe if you are ready? Here, you can see a wide open space, sectioned. On your right, there is burning furnace where believers burn paper money (Taoism term) or treasures you call it. On your right, there is a path that leads to the back road. It is a path you walk with walls like the Great Wall of China except short.
It is like the wide stairs signifies the stomach I dare believe? A lot of activities is happening at the second level. It is an open space to roam around when there is no activity going on as this is where they usually serve food on occasions such as celebrating Chinese New Year. From where the burning of paper money level, you will see a set of two stairs of maybe 9 steps, on each side and if you go up a few more steps, you will get to the main worship place where you can see life size statues, wide table for the burning incense, cushioned kneelers and benches to sit outside for those who wait.
At the back of the main temple, there is a stair going up to the next level which is narrow, leading to the top. Right after the last step, you will be welcomed by the wishing well. A fisherman catching fish and you can throw some pennies to make a wish! Around the corner, there is a worship place that is quieter than below and is smaller. Not far from this, a statue of Kwan Yin Ma stood tall.
Standing at the rail, it overlooks the city, a breathtaking view and panoramic, for you to enjoy. Overall, the Taoist Temple is awesome for sightseeing!
Oldest Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral
The Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral is the ecclesiastical seat of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Cebu in Cebu, Philippines and is the oldest Church in Cebu.
It serves as a final resting place for the remains of Cebu's bishops and clergy.
The present rector and parish priest of the cathedral is Reverend Monsignor Ruben Labajo.
You need to see the architecture of this Cathedral! It is beautiful, full of history and is situated not far from the famous Basilica Menore del Santo Niño, just a few steps is all it takes.
Basilica Menore del Santo Niño
The Minor Basilica of the Holy Child or in Cebuano: Basilica Menore del Santo Niño, commonly known as the Santo Niño Basilica, is a minor basilica in Cebu City in the Philippines that was founded in the 1565. As a Roman Catholic Church and Philippines being 95% Catholic, kept the original image of the Santo Niño de Cebú, a statue representing the Child Jesus, found in 1565 by Spanish explorers led by Miguel Lopez de Legazpi. The image was a gift to the wife of Rajah Humabon after Humabon's baptism to Christianity on April 14, 1521 by Ferdinand Magellan and was found by a soldier preserved in a burnt wooden box after Miguel Lopez de Legazpi razed the village of hostile natives.
Due to the increasing number of faithful devotees of the Santo Niño, the church expanded, building the pilgrimage center to accommodate the overcrowded faithful. It now say mass on an open space that has second levels on each side and is always filled during evening masses especially on Fridays and Sundays. Friday is the mass and novena for the Santo Niño which a lot of devotees faithfully enjoyed coming especially if their petitions are granted.
On the left side of the church, there is a store that sells religious items for your spiritual needs like rosary, medals, prayer books, statues and more. If you go inside, you will see the rows of candle lights and you can also light a candle for your petitions or as a way of thanks for any blessings. This is a big area for lighting candles and many people come almost every day, keeps the flame of faith burning. Around the lighting candle area, you can see the walls are adorned with paintings, the history of the miraculous Holy Child. This is where you can find the office for the church if you have some question or donations and next to it is a room for prayer with the Blessed Sacrament, a quiet place to stay when your heart and mind is troubled. On the other side, you can see a line of people going to one direction, and the best part is being able to touch the original image of Santo Niño. Some days, the line is shorter but mostly during Fridays, the line is long!
Outside of the church, you will see ladies with candles on their hand, smiling to you, asking you to get some. These ladies will do a dance prayer for you for a few pesos. If you have a petition, let them know and they ask the petition for you as they do the dance prayer. This is their livelihood.
You will also notice that around the gate of the church, there are stalls selling religious items. It may be a sore sight for some but the church allows such because of the understanding that these people are believers like any Catholic who goes to church to pray.
The Basilica is a family friendly atmosphere, where families come to worship.
Magellan's Cross
On one side of the Basilica, you can find the historical Magellan's Cross. This is where a Christian cross was planted by Portuguese and Spanish explorers as ordered by Ferdinand Magellan upon arriving in Cebu in the Philippines on March 15, 152. It is housed in a chapel next to the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño on Magallanes Street. The chapel painted ceiling will give you an idea on the history and in the middle, the simple cross stood tall! A sign below the cross describes the original cross is encased inside the wooden cross that is found in the center of the chapel. This is to protect the original cross from people who chipped away parts of the cross for souvenir purposes or in the belief that the cross possesses miraculous powers.
Fort San Pedro
A few blocks away from Basilica, you will find Fuerte de San Pedro or Fort San Pedro, a military defense structure in Cebu. It was built by the Spanish under the command of Miguel López de Legazpi, first governor of the Captaincy General of the Philippines.
The fort has two sides facing the sea and the third side fronting the land and serve as entrance. It goes up to a second level where several artilleries are found, place on indentions and they are huge! It has an open space in the middle with trees. A historical place you don't want to miss! And it only takes a few minutes to explore.
Plaza Independencia
Across Fort San Pedro, you will find this beautiful plaza for a nice relaxing stroll. After the place was renovated, it has become an attractive place to enjoy. Gone are the days of fear, being robbed because it was dark. Plaza Independencia has become a family friendly place for families to gather, safe dating place perhaps, jogging, weekend togetherness, fun filled picnic and activities. You can tell the plaza is very well maintained. There are restrooms too and is free for public!
A landmark made of stone and a plate about Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, who founded the first Spanish settlement on this site of Cebu City in April 1565 is on display in the center. The plaza also holds a standing bronze statue of the seventh president of the Philippines, Ramon Magsaysay and a Veteran’s Memorial monument that faces the Philippine Port Authority as a reminder of the heroism of each Filipino who fought in World War II.
At night, it shines like a breathtaking place to stay and relax. Plaza Independencia has become a place to create beautiful memories of family, smiles, laughter, weddings, parade, fun run, performances and so much more.
Colon
Ah, Colon Street, a historical street in downtown Cebu City that is often called the oldest and the shortest national road in the Philippines. It is named after Cristobal Colon (Christopher Columbus). A busy intersection to different destinations, crowded with beautifully painted jeepneys, the public transportation in cebu for less than $1. The colorful jeepneys seats at least 7-9 on each row and two in the front seat, next to the driver. During rush hour, sometimes people hangs at the tail to make it home and unfortunately, making it easy for snatchers to prey on victims.
Colon was once the heart of Cebu City's fashion shopping, movie houses, business shops and business activity; now looks dark, unclean, polluted and filled with pickpocketers, so beware! It is still a busy street, but the sidewalk is now filled with vendors and wherever you walk, sometimes it gets harder to be able to walk safely especially with kids. The sidewalk narrowed from vendors on each side, selling from almost everything. Despite modern, bigger and diverse commercial business buildings like SM and Ayala malls districts now spread in almost all of the urban areas of the city , Colon is still a busy street until now. There is a lot of history in Colon and is still a must see to feel the real history, just be aware of your money all the time!
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SM City
As mentioned above, the now popular mall, SM City Cebu, is a large shopping mall located in Cebu City, Philippines. Cebu use to be dominated by the Gaisano for clothing and for grocery shopping until SM came, becoming the 4th shopping mall owned and developed by SM Prime Holdings, the country's largest shopping mall owner and developer who started selling shoes in a cart base in Manila, the capital city of Philippines. It has different boutiques, movie theaters, a supermarket and is the company's first shopping mall outside of Metro Manila. In fact, the mall has a bowling alley as well. Cebu is catching with Manila due to Cebu City's position as a transshipment point for the Visayas and Mindanao. With SM City Cebu's location close to the city's port area, the mall attracts a significant number of transient shoppers as well.
Ayala
After SM built its first mall in Cebu, Ayala Center Cebu followed. It is a large shopping mall at the Cebu Business Park in Cebu City, Philippines including movie theaters, food court, and is a bit upper scale compared to SM. Ayala is also very active in real estate developing activities that is based in Manila. It has expanded over the years, adding "The Terraces" to it’s already big mall, a P600-million project which developed the lagoon area to a food and beverage strip.
Malacanang of the South Cebu
Malacañang sa Sugbo (English: Malacañang of Cebu, Tagalog: Malakanyang sa Cebu) is the official residence of the President of the Philippines in the Visayas, located near the Port Area and Fort San Pedro. It is within walking distance to the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño, Magellan's Cross, and City Hall. It is named after the Malacañang Palace, the official residence of the President in the capital city of Manila.
Previously known as the Aduana (Customs) building, it was originally built in 1910 to house the Bureau of Customs (BOC) office in the Port of Cebu City. The building continued as the Customs office until 2004, when President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo converted the structure into Malacañang sa Sugbo. The Aduana was restored by the national government at a cost of ₱700,000. The Bureau of Customs was forced out of the building, and moved to a rented building from the Cebu Ports Authority (CPA).
Larsian
Missing some delicious barbecue grilled meat? Let’s go to Larsian!
This famous Larsian is a great go-to for those who love barbecue. The only difference - everything is on a stick! This popular place started with locals; now tourist come here to enjoy freshly barbecued chicken, pork, fish, liver, intestine, skin and more food from stalls in line, calling you as you walk along the line, while wondering where to dine and every vendor try to pull you to their stall to eat. It is a big competition for the vendors! After all, they sell almost the same food. They give you a big smile to entice you and sometimes if you end up eating someplace else, they’ll give you a face you’ll never forget. But don’t worry, it is a daily occurrence and it’s a Cebu style, winning the would be eaters daily. Larsian is a long structure, divided by walls (some may only have posts) into square stalls located at Fuente Osmena, across the famous rotunda, in the heart of Osmena Boulevard. Everything smells sooo good, you’ll even bring home the smoky smell as smoke is everywhere from the many barbecue stalls.
Do make sure to check the bill before paying and always ask for itemized item so you pay only what is consumed.
Fuente Osmeña
When done eating, enjoy the rotunda across from Larsian and enjoy the beauty of Cebu at night.. Cebu's Fuente Osmeña is a fountain and a park located inside a rotunda along Jones Avenue and General Maxilom Avenue, Cebu City, Philippines.
It is a great place where people gather to relax, exercise or just chat with friends. It is also a great dating place that cost less. In addition, some special events are being held here, such as beauty pageants, social events, governmental functions, among others. There was a time, it was turned into a skating rink and locals can rent or bring their own skates and enjoy skating.
It was built in honor of the late President Sergio Osmeña, the fourth president of the Republic of the Philippines and inaugurated in 1912.
IT Park
Cebu IT Park (formerly known as Asiatown IT Park) is a 24-hectare mixed use business park in Cebu City, Philippines, envisioned to attract locators in the information technology services. It is developed by Cebu Property Ventures and Development Corporation, a subsidiary of Cebu Holdings. Many Call centers are here and it close to Waterfront Hotel, a 4 star hotel with a casino.
Cebu’s Famous Beer
This one is not free! I remember the words : When in Rome be a Roman and because being in the Philippines, maybe it is best to be a Pilipino and taste the goodness of the famous San Miguel beer. San Miguel Brewery Inc. (SMB) is a subsidiary of San Miguel Corporation (SMC) (PSE: SMC). The company is the Philippines’ largest brewery with a market share of over 95% as of 2008
The original San Miguel Brewery, Inc. was founded as La Fábrica de Cerveza de San Miguel in 1890 by Enrique María Barreto under a Spanish Royal Charter that officially permitted the brewing of beer in the Philippines and incorporated as the first San Miguel Brewery, Inc. in 1913 but renamed San Miguel Corporation (SMC) in 1963.
