Fast ferry your way to the Visayas (and beyond)
Airplanes will get us there faster but ships are still the best way to travel in an island-archipelago like the Philippines. This was one good lesson I learned during my last Cebu trip. In a province like mine which has no airport, fast ferries were a boon and took me to my destination in no time at all.
Fast ferries are “twin-hulled catamarans measuring an average of 35 to 45 meters in length and cruising at speeds of up to 34 knots (63 kilometers per hour).” They’re deemed to be better than your ordinary ship because they cut travel time by more than 50 per cent. Not to mention the fact that they’re affordable and offer great services and amenities such as full airconditioning, TV viewing and comfortable seats.
Cebu, just like any other city…
Okay, am probably bluffing. I really didn’t get to see Cebu for all it’s worth. Blame it on the fact that I went there on a business conference sponsored by my beloved Company. There’s only so much you can do in three days when a good part of it is measured by marathon meetings, powerpoint presentations and the like. In fact, my favorite photo from this trip is not some tourist-y landmark, a towering skyline or a candid shot of one secluded beach at sunset. It is me in my hotel room dressed in a fluffy bathrobe. I’d like to think that the best part of a short journey when you’re all pressed for time is to be in the comfort of your room with its inviting bath, immaculate white sheets and the fantastic view from your window of the neon-lit city at night. These things you don’t ordinarily get at home.
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20 facts about Ceboom Cebu: places to see, things to do
Just a few of the reasons to make Cebu a part of your summer destination:
Magellan’s Cross - located along Magallanes St., this marks the spot where Philippine discoverer Ferdinand Magellan planted a cross after baptizing 800 natives led by Rajah Humabon and Queen Juana. The cross is believed to have healing powers.
Lapu-Lapu Monument - located in Mactan Shrine, this structure was built to pay homage to Lapu-Lapu, the brave Filipino chieftain who first resisted the Spanish rule.
Basilica Minore del Santo Nino - One of the oldest churches in the country, was first built in 1565 by Miguel Lopez de Legazpi and Fr. Andres De Urdaneta, was rebuilt again in 1620 after a fire destroyed it and rehabilitated in 1740. The church houses the celebrated image of the Santo Nino de Cebu, first given by Magellan in 1521 after her baptism.
Fort San Pedro - Located in the Pier Area, this fort was formerly a Spanish settlement and sheltered Filipino revolutionaries during the war. It has a museum that displays artifacts recovered from a sunken Spanish galleon.
Colon Street - It is Cebu’s oldest street and is home to a number of stores, malls, cinemas, restos and other shops, making it truly downtown
TOPS – Cebu’s highest point. It is a privately-maintained place which offers a breathtaking view of the city’s skyline as well as that of adjoining island. Best to go here before sunset. Entrance fee of P100.
Sail… swim… dive…. Southern Leyte!
I realized that in this blog’s almost three years of existence, never have I once written about my hometown. That’s because I haven’t been there for so long. Primary reason was the distance. I literally got stranded for a night in Ormoc on the way there after I missed both the last bus and last ferry. However, all these glitches I never mind for as long as what greets me is this beauty….
View of the white sand beach just a few steps away from our family house. I had spent the best of my growing up years here ~ riding boats, catching little fishes during low tide and just frolicking in the water. When I slept at night, I could hear the waves lapping in the shore. Of course, the weather could get really fierce during typhoon season but as soon as everything goes back to normal, there goes the vista again of the clearest green water turning into blue and the perfect summer sky.
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In Memoriam: Julia Campbell & the victims of Virginia Tech
This site supports the One Day of Blog Silence on April 30 in honor of those who died in Virginia Tech and other crime victims around the world. Let us all say a prayer for them.
Close to home, this blog particularly grieves for Julia Campbell, the Bicol-based US Peace Corps volunteer who was found in a shallow grave last April 18 in the tourist spot of Banaue, Ifugao. Reports state she could have been murdered after going on a solo hike to see the famed rice terraces of Batad.
Shame that a great woman can encounter such fate, and in a country she sought to help with her heart and soul. Good enough that Julia left behind not only her legacy but her blog where she composed her experiences as an educator, environmentalist, volunteer and traveller of these islands.
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Post-SM holdup robbery: security measures that don’t mean a thing
Was riding the taxi from the domestic airport yesterday when I heard this piece of news on the radio: armed men stormed two banks located inside the sprawling SM mall in Fairview carting away an undetermined amount of cash…
The radio report certainly reminded me that I was back to the organized chaos of Manila after breathing fresh country air. After all, in the provincial places where I came from, I rode a bus at four in the morning without having to fear a holdup or anything.
What happened at SM yesterday must have left some people incredulous. How did that happen in SM which is the favorite mall slash hang-out place of Filipinos? How did those robbers armed with .45s and long guns enter the mall in the first place? On the other hand, considering the senseless security measures enforced in public establishments, including a few supposedly dignified hotels, this incident was long in coming and SM Malls’ management was just waiting for this slap in the face.
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Hello it’s summer ! My 15 things …
Writing this in Ayala Center Cebu’s Netopia while waiting for a ferry ride to Leyte. Geez, I can’t believe I missed the Supercat to Ormoc by a few precious minutes. I was about to say my alleluia to this shipping company for having a very informative website, now it turns out their published online and print media schedules are not what it is in real life. Point in fact: what they really mean when they say 11:35 a.m. is that the boat departs at 10:45 a.m. Being no freakin’ psychic, how was I supposed to guess that? I guess my mistake was failure to double-check and be there beforehand (as usual). Moral lesson: you don’t believe everything (err, the Supercat) website says.
Anyway, as my posting has been delinquent these past days due to DIA (desktop in absentia) syndrome and a very hectic sked. Would just like to share here some of the things I’d like to do this summer, with the hope that you dear reader will get to share them here too. Was just browsing through my archives for April/May 2006 and it was one busy travelling season indeed. The sad news is that I will not, in all probability, duplicate that this year but will still keep trying!
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The Blog Awards on MB’s Technews
Just in case some people didn’t see Manila Bulletin’s Technews street edition last Monday, featuring my little write-up on the just-concluded Philippine Blog Awards.. here are scanned images.
Nice to see happy, smiling faces.
Special thanks to my editor and the lay-out artist 
And of course, Karla who provided the photos.
Just a little erratum: “Marketmanila bags the Bloggers Choice Award from Globe ”
Why bloggers are the new block… new (spoiled) kids on the block
Close to three years of being a blogger and more than two years of covering the blog beat has led me to observe the emergence of a “blogging culture” and how, little by little, these bloggers – the so-called new kids on the block – are running over the mainstream. A few examples:
Blogger: Six-figure monthly salary, if you’re an A-lister, no age required
Journalist: Six-figure monthly salary, if you’re a seasoned editor-in-chief, pushing 40 to 50
Blogger: Work from home
Journalist: Surely you can bring work. At home.
Blogger: Flexible hours.
Journalist: Flexible hours. For as long as it’s eight hours.
Blogger : Pajamas undies and boxer shorts as working attire.
Journalist: Jeans and shirt as working attire.
Blogger: The laptop, car and Canon Digital SLR that blogging bought.
Journalist: The laptop that the media company loaned
Journalist: Byline in the newspaper
Blogger: “Go ahead, Google me!”
Coco loco at Cocorama Pancake Island & All-Day Groovy Cafe
Merriest Easter greetings to all. If everything works out well (that means waking up early), me and the kiddies will be having brunch today at this little mall resto I discovered recently.. a coconut-inspired cafe in the middle of the concrete jungle that is the mall in EDSA Shang-ri La.
Upon first setting my eyes here, I have to admit that the place attracted me because of its cheery interiors, the bright, hippie-inspired murals plastered on its walls, blaring 60s funky music and its offerings ~ pancakes, shakes, omelets and more which are just perfect for kids of all sizes and preferences.
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Blogging since 2004 and recently married to Mr Z. I can't live without coffee....and brown sugar.
