Cebu: Not So Blue In Maribago

Day 9: Cebu 

Breakfast at the hotel was a buffet with a selection of mainly Filipino dishes, rice, fried fish, tocino and some fatty meat. Too bad for my European friend who is very picky about food, he was lucky enough to have a toast and jam.

Since the smog and urban chaos already got into our nerves, we decided to have a day at the beach. Off we went to Maribago Blue Waters on Mactan Island which lies about 45 minutes from Cebu city. We first went to Mactan airport to see how much time we would need for our next day flight and also stock up some local currency in our portemonnaie.

Maribago Blue Waters looked very good at first. They have several pools, and if it weren't so expensive, we would have probably stayed there. As a day guest, we still had to pay 1,500 pesos (inclusive of 700 pesos food voucher) and a towel. We wanted to have lunch there anyway. After paying for our day pass, the staff gave us a map of the resort and then we proceeded to the changing and shower rooms. There was very little water coming out of the showerhead, so I decided to just go to the outside showers.

We headed on to the beach as I wanted to check it out first. It was a man-made beach just like most of the beaches in Mactan area. I've read from our travel guide that the white sand of the beaches was extracted from other islands and brought to this beach. It was not necessarily a dream beach, but it was okay. On the other side was a man-made island which you can go to on foot during low tide. In the "lagoon" is quite full of seagrasses and algae. The type of green algae which only mean that the water is not necessarily clean.

From the island, we wanted to go down to the real sea but were not allowed by the staff since he told me that there was a Korean guest who was injured going down to the rocks. So we just lied there in the sun where the best seats were reserved for in-house guests.

Then we decided to just swim in the big pool. There were also loungers around. The food was alright, but unfortunately, we could only use our vouchers in one restaurant. It would have been better to restaurant-hop within the resort as one can have excellent choices of food. The service really needed some improvements. The waiter went off immediately even though we hadn't finished ordering. Then we had to wait for over 40 minutes for our food. I've ordered a mango shake and got only a smoothie. In my experience, every "mango shake" I've ever had has either yoghourt, cream or milk in it. When I asked the waiter why their shake has no milk, he condescendingly told me that mango shake never had milk. Tsk tsk. I probably should have asked for mango juice with crushed ice. Buhuuhu!

When we're done for the day, we returned the towels at the reception they were asked by the guards inside if we need a taxi. But what was the use of asking if you were just told to go outside the resort and take a cab from the street? Interested to see what other guests had to say? Check out the TripAdvisor review.

Next time, I would instead go to Panglao or some other cheaper but more beautiful beaches in Bohol if I would like to get away from the smog and chaos. Cebu City, by the way, is only ca. 1.5 hours from Cebu pier with Supercat and another 20 minutes with the van to Alona Beach!

On our way back, I asked the cab driver to stop by at a guitar making shop where I bought a pasalubong for my niece. Maribago is famous for its guitars, and there are countless shops around. Then we head on back to our hotel to change clothes and then, out again for dinner at the SM Mall. I accompanied my friend to a pizzeria, but I ate at the mall's food court.

Cebu: Queen City Of The South

Day 8: Cebu

We waited for our room-upgrade the next day before going on to our city tour. The hotel guard hailed a taxi for us and immediately took note of the taxi's plate number etc. then gave us the paper with its details. It was not much use for me since the drivers do whatever they want. We were already inside when the driver insisted that we pay 750 pesos instead of the 600 that was agreed. It did not make much sense for me to make such a fuss for the 150 pesos (ca. 2€) extra. Reporting it to the Land Transportation Office would just take much of my precious time and energy. Going down and hailing another cab was not an option at the time.

The first destination was to the Taoist temple which is located in an exclusive subdivision on the hills overlooking the city. Our cab driver brought us next to the gates and waited there for us. The Taoist Temple was quite an impressive facility with an equally remarkable architecture where we have taken a lot of photographs. There is the view of the city and the sea. The intermittent downpour added to the ambience.

Built in 1972, the Cebu Taoist Temple is located in Beverly Hills Subdivision in Cebu City, Philippines. The temple was built by Cebu's substantial^[1] Chinese community. With an elevation of 300 meters above sea level, the temple is a towering, multi-tiered, multi-hued attraction accessible by three separate winding routes.

Unlike the neighboring Phu Sian Temple^[2], the Taoist temple is open to the worshipers and non-worshipers alike. A ritual among devotees is where one prays to the gods to grant one's wish. The ritual includes washing of hands, going inside the chapel barefoot and dropping two blocks of wood. If the blocks of wood are both face up then one could make a wish. If not then it is not yet the time for one's wish to be granted and one has to come to the temple some other time.

The temple is the center of worship for Taoism, the religion which follows the teachings of the ancient Chinese philosopher, Lao Tze. Another ritual among Taoist devotees, which is done during Wednesdays and Sundays,^[3] is the climbing of its 81 steps (representing the 81 chapters of Taoism scriptures) to light joss sticks and have their fortune read by the monks.

We then let our cab driver bring us to the next stop at Casa Gorordo Museum, where you get a glimpse of the aristocratic life in Cebu during the 19th century. From there, we continued on foot passing by a bakery where we made a shortstop, then passing by around the corner is the somewhat run-down Yap-San Diego ancestral house. Then we went to "the heritage of Cebu monument" which was only a few minutes walk away.

From the monument, however, we came to a busy street, chaotic and full which is typical of an urban area. The road looks safe enough though but it's not necessarily relaxing to walk around there. The next stop was to the Basilica del Santo Niño, at least that's what we thought, but it was the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral. We had a moment's pause in its garden just to absorb what we have all been seeing.

We finally came to the right basilica. It was really crowded with countless women who are selling candles and other religious and devotional paraphernalia. I just took some photographs, but we didn't stay long in a mad crowd. 

The image of Santo Niño de Cebú (Holy Child of Cebu), the oldest Christian image in the Philippines, is enshrined and venerated at the Basilica of Santo Niño. According to Philippine historical documents, the statue of the Santo Niño (Holy Child) was given to the wife of the Rajah of Cebu by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan. The friendship is depicted in Cebu's cultural event, the Sinulog where street parades and loud drum beats preceded by a Christian mass is celebrated. Cebu has a Roman Catholic Archdiocese and has several major churches, including the Basilica Minor del Santo Niño de Cebu, Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral, Santo Rosario Parish Church, San José-Recoletos Church, Sacred Heart Church, Archdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, National Shrine of Our Lady of the Rule, National Shrine of Saint Joseph, Archdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe of Cebu and other Christian churches, as well as several other non-Catholic churches, mosques and temples.

We went to Magellan's Cross next. The cross was said to be the original cross planted by Magellan during his Christianization of the islands.

Then we had enough and decided to go to our last stop, the Fort San Pedro which lies a bit away from the madness of the city. It is located in the area now called Plaza Independenzia. The fort was probably the next impressive attraction after the Taoist temple in Cebu city. One can go up and around the fort. After that, we took a cab back to the hotel.

Since we wanted to eat dinner, we ventured to SM Mall, a vast and modern shopping centre with many excellent restaurants to suit every taste and budget. It was, however, the first and only time that we walked as I have insisted on going on foot. The mall was just about 10 minutes from the hotel, but then we suddenly found ourselves walking in the middle of a slum area. These were already heavily dilapidated dwellings (huts would be an exaggeration), with many people on the street. We were just too happy to finally reach the end of this long muddy road and the mall.

The mall was modern and apt to western standards. It is air-conditioned, and we took advantage of the chance to pick up some new shirts after the heat had already ensured that our selection of fresh clothes was low. We argued however in which restaurant we would eat. My companion prevailed on eating fried chicken which he eventually never liked.

 Then we took a cab back to the hotel.