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Saturday, May 12, 2012

Cebu: Hail, to the Queen City of the South Part 1

I wondered why CEBU was hailed as the "Queen City of the South". I read articles that would satisfy my inquisition and found out that Cebu as one of the progressive cities of the Philippines; where economy growth during the late '80s became epidemic; was hailed as the QUEEN among the other cities of the Southern part of the Philippines.


Yes, that was right; but as I traveled and explored this marvelous city; I got another ideas that were too personal. As a Queen; I looked for the crown; and I had seen not one but the many crowns of the Queen City of the South.


I had a hazy decision in going there. Something came up and at the end; I found myself traveling Cebu, ALONE. I decided to go on. For once in my life; I need to experience an adventure alone.


April 27, 2012; the day I flew to see the Queen. It started with a prayer that nothing bad will happen to me in this trip. And with Sto. NiƱo's guidance; I felt safe and indeed I was safe 'til my return home :) It took an hour to reach Mactan airport from Manila. You can actually get a cheap flights when airlines give promos. You can check out the latest cheap fare and tours at cheapmanilaflights.


I flew via Cebu Pacific and had a smooth flight. I reached Mactan, Cebu way past 7PM and was picked-up by the driver of Cebu Executive Rent A Car. I tell you, they don't charge much and your safety is guaranteed.


I booked my stay in La Place Guesthouse. The place is new and the faded smell of paint still lingered in a spacious room. The hotel has a modern design with a Bali-like bathroom structure. The hotel has potentials of being one of good hotels that could provide safety and comfort when you visit Cebu.


From La Place

From La Place

From La Place


From La Place

From La Place


La Place Guesthouse has its own restobar where food is great and ambiance is cozy.


From La Place
From La Place
From La Place
From La Place
From La Place
From La Place
From La Place
From La Place
From La Place


The first crown of the Queen was revealed to me at the first night I set foot in Cebu; the CROWN OF GREAT FESTIVITIES. I didn't realize that my very first day in Cebu was the celebration of "Kadaugan", the victory festival. Kadaugan Festival celebrates the victory of Lapu-lapu over Magellan as he battled the invasion of the Spaniards. The Kadaugan Festival is celebrated with re-enactment of the battle in Mactan and at night for 3 days; Lapu-lapu City has street dance and food festival. These; I enjoyed most. The well-known hotels showcased their great food along the street with a minimal cost of PHP100 below. No more than that as agreed! The drinks cost PHP20.00 per glass! And, the party is all-over the place. Stages were set-up and people were dancing altogether in the street. I did some moves but not to your likings; I guess. :)


From kadaugan festival
From kadaugan festival
From kadaugan festival
From kadaugan festival
From kadaugan festival
From kadaugan festival
From kadaugan festival


A splendid night ended on a wee-hour of the morning. I decided to call it a day and went back to my hotel. I needed a rest for the upcoming tours.


The next Crown of the Queen was revealed to me as I tour around Cebu; The Crown of Great Heritage. I marveled on how the history of the past was unfolded on my own eyes as I visited the Mactan Shrine in Punta EngaƱo. The Cebuanos developed the actual place where Lapu-lapu and Magellan battled for supremacy and freedom. I got the chance to glimpse at a great Cebuano's Heritage when i read the short history of the battle and when I saw the Magellan Shrine and of course the Lapu-lapu Shrine. I managed to walk at the shore where the battle was held. I felt proud as a Filipino. :)



























As my tour guide/driver guided me along the places where Cebu's Heritage is rich; he showed me the oldest street in the Philippines; "the daang colon"


From Cebu 2012
From Cebu 2012
From Cebu 2012
From Cebu 2012


We also traversed the oldest school in Asia, The University of San Carlos. I didn't get a closer shot of the school :(


Just a few blocks away the Shrine of Heritage of Cebu is the Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House. It was built in the 1600s and is well-preserved by the family. For a minimum fee of PHP50.00; I was able to tour the entire house. "The ceiling; the floor and the foundations of the house are almost unchanged since the time it was built", a proud remarks of the owner who was there when I visited the place. Antiques are everywhere. And to my surprise the Yap-Sandiego Family stays there whenever they are around Cebu; just like that day :)


From Cebu 2012
From Cebu 2012
From Cebu 2012
From Cebu 2012
From Cebu 2012
From Cebu 2012
From Cebu 2012
From Cebu 2012
From Cebu 2012
From Cebu 2012
From Cebu 2012
From Cebu 2012
From Cebu 2012


There are three more crowns revealed as I traveled Cebu. I will tell you about them in Cebu: Hail, to the Queen City of the South Part 2


Related Articles:


http://mycebuphotoblog.wordpress.com/cebu/the-queen-city-of-the-south/


http://www.bestcebublogs.com/


http://www.lonelyplanet.com/philippines/the-visayas/cebu

4 comments:

Cebu: Hail, to the Queen City of the South Part 2 « gfootsteps said...

[...] You can read the first part of my travel in Cebu here. [...]

Resorts – yourtraveladvisor.info » Blog Archive » Cebu Malapascua Tour Travel Guide | Cebu City Tour said...

[...] #split {}#single {}#splitalign {margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;}#singlealign {margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;}#splittitlebox {text-align: center;}#singletitlebox {text-align: center;}.linkboxtext {line-height: 1.4em;}.linkboxcontainer {padding: 7px 7px 7px 7px;background-color:#eeeeee;border-color:#000000;border-width:0px; border-style:solid;}.linkboxdisplay {padding: 7px 7px 7px 7px;}.linkboxdisplay td {text-align: center;}.linkboxdisplay a:link {text-decoration: none;}.linkboxdisplay a:hover {text-decoration: underline;} function opensplitdropdown() { document.getElementById('splittablelinks').style.display = ''; document.getElementById('splitmouse').style.display = 'none'; var titleincell = document.getElementById('titleincell').value; if (titleincell == 'yes') {document.getElementById('splittitletext').style.display = 'none';} } function closesplitdropdown() { document.getElementById('splittablelinks').style.display = 'none'; document.getElementById('splitmouse').style.display = ''; var titleincell = document.getElementById('titleincell').value; if (titleincell == 'yes') {document.getElementById('splittitletext').style.display = '';} } Bogo Bound — Live in the PhilippinesJourney To Cebu!The Great Summer Escape Pt. 1: Malapascua IslandThe Camotes Islands: Quiet Waters, Deep RootsUniformed ChauffeursTimobo Cave in Camotes Island, CebuPrevious PostThe Jump I DID NOT MakeCebu: Hail, to the Queen City of the South Part 1 [...]

Leah said...

wow! Nakapagtravel ka na pala alone, galing! Wish I could have the guts to travel alone too:)

G at gfootsteps.com said...

OO sis! una kabado pero ok na nung andun na ako.. actually i had fun traveling alone :) try it guts lang yan :)