The Province of Cebu - A Quick Glance of my Three Day Tour

It's Ash Wednesday and my Lent has not started yet. For a quick glimpse on my first three days of backpacking, here are the places I went to. How much have I spent so far? Let me see.

First Day: Cebu City. The highlight? Search for a map. It was like an amazing race when I realized during the 1130AM Sunday mass at the Basilica, that I was making so much haste out of the airport and I forgot to get a map. I almost memorized Colon Street walking to and fro. It was Sunday so the city hall was closed as well as the other shops. I finally got one when I decided to go to a National Bookstore in Ayala Terraces, which is a great place by the way. I also visited The Taoist Temple, ate at Sunburst and went back to downtown to check in. One funny moment was when the jeepney stopped and all the guy passengers had to push it to start again. And what to say when they speak to you in Bisaya? "Tagalog please" And they'll say sorry. :-p

Amount spent for the day: P1441 (including food, cab and jeepney fares, a really nice tourist inn)

More details on this soon.

Second Day: Moalboal. Beer and chips by the beach. This was not originally on my itinerary but someone said it would be great to spend the night there. And it was one of the most wonderful night of my life. So after having my lunch at Larsian in midtown Cebu, I headed south of the province. As some of you know, I love to be alone. I should have come there earlier and rented a snorkeling set for the whole day. But I still had a great time being on the shoreline just before sunset. Through my goggles, I was able to watch really cool marine life since it was low tide and float on the water facing the sky with the seagrasses beneath my body. After the dinner and chatter with the lodge owner and other backpackers who checked in (who are all foreigners by the way), I bought a bottle of pale pilsen and a pack of chips, jumped on a ramp connected to someone else's room facing the beach and enjoyed the high tide a meter just below my feet. Ooh life. Then the room guest arrived after more than an hour or two so I went back to the dorm to take a cozy sleep inside the mosquito net.

Amount spent for the day: P525 (including the bus fare, food, and beer of course)

More details on this soon.

Day Three: Badian. Swimming at Kawasan Falls. While everyone else was still asleep, I left my locker keys at the reception area and headed to Badian, a 30 minute ride from Moalboal. I took the bus because motor guides was charging me P600 and I don't want to ride the motorcycle for 45 minutes in the highway. I went to Kawasan Falls on my own with the help prior googling and hints from other travelers at the lodge. And voila! the magnificent view of nature was in front me! I dared myself to swim at the falls with the help of life vest of course. I had a fantastic experience. That noon, I went back to Cebu City for some pasalubong and ukulele just before my flight to Davao. Another thing I enjoyed that day was my meal before heading to the airport.

Amount spent for the day: P1409.25 (including the food, bus fares, P300 groceries and P625 ukulele with bag)
More details on this soon.


Yes this is not really shoestring yet as some of you may see. But hey! The amount is still practical for a traveler. By the way, I did not include the P200 terminal fee in the airport. I will post all the details after this ten day trip. :)