The Glorified Tourist

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Not that I did anything wild…it’s just that I felt the three days I spent in Cebu is the product of a crazy idea. Which, it exactly is. I’m not saying that I hated Cebu, it’s just that I didn’t really make the most of my time in Cebu.

Entirely my fault, I know. There are a lot of excuses I’ve thought of: it’s too hot to be walking around, I didn’t have enough sleep, blah blah blah. The bottom line is, it’s not as fun if I’m not with any of my friends or family. Ack, how sappy. But it’s true.

Cebu is one of the oldest (if not the oldest) city in the Philippines. Mactan Island is where we received our first foreign visitor: Ferdinand Magellan. He was shown the famous Filipino hospitality by Lapu-lapu; he and his fleet was attacked by the locals as soon as the boat docked.

Going around Cebu City is like being in an extension of Manila. Walking around in some of their streets can remind you of a cleaner and slightly more organized version of Quiapo or Cubao.

At one forum I frequent for travel tips and such, I scoffed at the people asking for great inns or apartelles near a mall. Why go to the mall? Don’t we have that in Manila? I realize now that it’s not such a bad idea after all.

The famous landmarks in Cebu are located in close proximity of each other, so it’s easy to finish them all in a day. Don’t ask why I only managed to go to the Sto. Niño Basilica and Magellan’s Cross.

Similar to Manila, Cebu offers a wide variety of cuisines. Don’t be surprised though, to see menus and signages with additional text written in Japanese or Korean. There’s quite a number of tourists from both countries, flying to Cebu for a holiday, business meetings or golf.

A definite must-try is Abuhan’s Pochero. Unlike the pochero we know in Manila where beef is cooked in tomato sauce with lots of veggies, the Cebuano pochero is actually bulalo or this big hunk of beef bone cooked for hours to achieve the desired soup stock flavor and tenderness. It comes in a huge bowl because of the equally huge bone, marked with a relatively high price tag of Php260. It’s pretty steep for one person, but I think it’s very reasonable if there’s two or three of you sharing. After a night without any sleep and a very hot day spent walking around in the heat, it’s the perfect match for dehydration.

Another best-seller was the lunch buffet at the Tides restaurant in Shangri-La Mactan. You can go there even if you’re not staying in the hotel. Just sashay in as if you belong to the place. You can also pay the Php2000 fee to use their swimming pool, swim and sunbathe in their beach, and partake in the buffet. I went there on my last day, and I took their shuttle to the airport. Definitely worth the price. I was the only passenger in the 15-seater shuttle, and the driver even brought me to the pasalubong (souvenir) shops.

I’m actually considering paying for the exhorbitant prices Shangri-La charges their customers to stay there if and when I go to Cebu next time. Unless you’re going to Malapascua or Bantayan, there really isn’t much you can do if you’re staying in the city or in Mactan. Well, that is if you’re like me anyway. If your goal is to hit the beach, go to those two islands. If you want to stay near the city, it’s better to stay at the resorts in Mactan. Better yet, try Shangri-La.

More pictures over at my flickr.

• Apart from my impulsiveness and general feeling of restlessness, this trip was intended for me to know whether I’m fit to travel alone. The answer: I can, but it doesn’t mean that I’d thoroughly enjoy myself.
• Though I claim I am anti-social, I still *need* people around me. Preferably people close to me that I can talk to. Else I’d clam up and act snotty.
• Apparently, I’m not Chinese anymore. I’m Korean.
• The only thing constant in life is change. That and the high quality level of Shangri-La’s hotels and services.
• Historical landmarks and such are really not my thing. I’m only here for the pictures.
• One’s experience depends highly on one’s state of mind. I was tired when I arrived in Cebu, and irritated that I couldn’t check in yet. I spent my first hour wandering around aimlessly.
• The best thing when travelling with somebody is that you share the bill. That is, if you’re not a sugar daddy or mommy.
• If Manila is hot, Cebu is hotter.
• The more you try to look cool, the more you look like a fool.

I’m back from Cebu and boy, was it an eye-opener.

My mom insisted on going with me to the airport, even if my brother couldn’t come with her. I thought I was getting a free ride, but when it was time to pay, she smiled at me again. She even told me my brother gave her money for the cab. Bah!

Since I was up the whole night and didn’t have a proper dinner owing to the copious amount of dimsum Trizha and I ate the previous day, I was so hungry when we got to the airport. Not surprisingly, the food was overpriced. Php210 for a fricking tapa with fried rice and two bottles of mineral water. Geez.

The terminal fee has also gone up a hundred percent, both in Manila AND Cebu. What’s with all these price hikes?

Also owing to my overage in my budget was the fact that I only took the jeep once, as oppose to my original plan of not taking cabs at all. And the fact that I couldn’t stop myself from ordering peppermint tea in Shangri-La. Ouch.

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Holy crapola! I finally finished my travel budget for this year’s Thailand and Singapore trip, and damn, was it ever frigthening. For me anyway.

I’m taking comfort in the fact that:

• I used a higher exchange rate
• I listed ALL possible attractions we might go to that requires admission fees
• I’ve been generous with my allowances
• The possibilty of free meals in Singapore
• We *might* not have to pay the travel tax (if we’re lucky)

However, there are also these things to consider:

• It’s possible that I under estimated my allowances
• Prices have changed
• Listed rates does not include additional fees i.e. taxes, surcharges, etc.
• I assumed that we have a place to stay in Singapore that doesn’t require payment
• It’s not definite whether we’ll have somebody drive or pick us up to and from the airport in Manila

Oh hell, I’ll just have to save more money.

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It’s saddening that this trip seems to be more expensive than I originally thought when I booked the flight. Then again, I really wasn’t thinking clearly when I made the booking. Read the rest of this entry »

There are rallies and coup attempts in the country and I couldn’t really care less. Well, I care a bit. It’s just that these things happen so often in the Philippines that it’s almost normal.

In other news, I have bought my ticket to Cebu and have reserved a room at Hotel Cesario in Mactan Island. My first solo trip, yay. This is a good distraction from overthinking about Thailand and I’m glad I’ve mellowed out already regarding my Singapore-Thailand trip in May.

I’ve gone through several Cebu-related threads in the forum, posted in the Cebu flickr group, and with the Cebu map I bought in National Bookstore yesterday, I think I’m ready. I just need to buy me a backpack.

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I tried calling Philippine Airlines again and I got through.

I started off inquiring about available flights for specific dates and decided on one. I have a confirmed booking. Though that’s just for the plane, not for the hotel yet. The downside is that if the hotel’s fully booked, they’re going to look for another hotel. Damnit, I want that particular hotel. I have to follow up with them within the next week to confirm my the hotel and my booking. I have to pay by the 23rd. Ouch.

Another thing that hurts is the fee. Ugh. It’s still the promo fare, but the taxes and surcharges aren’t included yet. That PDF is pretty misleading.  Damn those marketing people. The listed package fee is Php3,910 (US$80), with taxes, it comes up to Php6,009 (US$120). At first I thought of cancelling it, but decided to stick with it. Might as well suffer the consequences of my impulsiveness. At least I get a trip out of it.

Nah, I think it’s just a case of impulsiveness.

May is such a long way off, even if February’s already halfway over. I think I’ve already gotten over overplanning for my Thailand trip that I’ve now focused on other trips I want to take.

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Evil Plans, originally uploaded by nina_theevilone.

I can usually be found in front of the computer. When I’m not working, I’m surfing the web and reading up on places I want to go to.

When I’m away from the computer, guess what I do?