cebu city tour - day3

Third day was pretty boring. It was my last day in the city and check out time was 12noon so I pretty have just a few hours to spend. I decided to drop by Paseo Center for my next Starbucks branch. It was way out of the city, maybe 10 to 15 minutes cab ride from the hotel. But it was all worth it given that there, I was away from the bustling city traffic. I was able to meditate. LOL. I just realized that in a few hours, I'll be missing Cebu. But I promise to be back soon.

Told kuya, the cab driver, to fetch me at the hotel by 12 noon. I hired him to drive me to Mandaue City for my next Starbucks branch at Benedicto I.T. But before that, we need to get Cebu's famous lechon. So we went to CnT Lechon at Guadalupe. I ordered 4 kilos of Lechon for just P340 per kilo. With an additional P20, they'll box it for you. So we headed straight to Mandaue for my last Starbucks stop in Cebu. And in just under 30 minutes, I'm already at the Mactan Airport. And in a few hours, I bid Cebu goodbye. Til we meet again come February 2011!

Click here to view Day3 pictures.

cebu city tour - day2

My second day in Cebu started very very late. It was raining til before lunch so I chose to stay in the hotel. By 1pm, I started my day 2 itinerary. Destination: downtown.

My first stop is UP Cebu. According to my map, it was far. And I realized how FAR it was when I got there...by foot. I chose to walk coz I didn't want to experience language barrier two days in a row. Might reach Mandaue without me knowing! This campus was way smaller than Diliman. Even smaller than UP Manila, I think. One thing that hit me was the gate. Never experienced having a gate in Diliman. The guards didn't even ask for my ID. Weird.

From UP, I hailed a cab going to downtown Cebu. First stop was Casa Gorordo. It was home of a former bishop (?) which was turned into a museum. Many pieces there depicts the way of life during the Spanish time. Weird coz I can see the features of our old house in there. Too bad picture-taking wasn't allowed inside. But I got to take good photos in the terrace and garden. A block from Casa Gorordo stands another ancestral house, Yap-Sandiego. And just across the street is the Heritage Monument. It's like a steel sculpture showing many scenes of Cebu's history including that of the Magellan's Cross. I must say it is Cebu's greatest pride. Astig ding backdrop for pics. Good thing that I brought my tripod this time.

cebu city tour - day1

For the longest time, I wanted to visit Cebu. Been hearing lots of good things about the city. The historical landmarks, the beaches, and most especially the 8 starbucks outlets! Too bad the planned birthday trip last year didn't push through because of bad weather. Instead I diverted my trip to the far-flung province of Pampanga! But this year I cast it in stone that whatever happens, I'll visit Cebu. Period!

As early as Feb., I booked my flight even if there wasn't any seat sale offering from Cebu Pacific. Thought that the cost of the ticket will pressure me to push through with this trip. And it did! So come 8am of July 15 (my birthday), I was already in NAIA Terminal 3. But I made sure that I get to visit St. Jude before my flight given that it was a Thursday and I'm 2 visits shy of finishing my first complete novena of the year.

The plane landed at Mactan airport by lunchtime, almost an hour delayed as expected from Cebu Pac. And since the hotel I was eyeing was fully booked that day, I opted to skip Lapu-Lapu Shrine and Mactan Aquarium and instead proceeded to the city to look for available and affordable hotel. I got the last room at Cebu R Hotel, very near Escario St. and the Capitol. For P1050, I got a deluxe room with 1 queen-sized bed and 2 single beds all for myself. Not to mention the free wifi signal inside the room.