Cebu – Philippines

I am completing an excellent long week-end get-away in Cebu, Philippines. I arrived here Thursday and will leave in a few hours back to Singapore.

 

Philippines and here was a chance to add one more country not to be missed.

I did three dives on Friday and two more on Saturday with Dindo, a local divemaster. On Saturday I was joined by another Singaporean – small world. His three friends would snorkel while we dove. All dives were wall/drift dives, the most relaxing kind, I think. We set off on top of the wall, with about 5 meters of depth and than, clearin gthe edge, descended to our agreed starting depth. Once you adjust your buoyancy, you can just let the current take you along the wall, occasionally swimming against it to look at details longer. There was a lot to see, from huge schools of jacks that almost surrounded us to the largest and smallest clown fish I had ever seen – the small one was probably only 2-3 mm long. Saw quite nice nudiebranches and some star fish that look more like a plush stuffed toy than something you would find on a reef.  One of the dives had the most inclredible anemonies I had ever seen.

One surprise on the first dive. There were two loud bangs, accompanied each by a noticeable concussion while we were at about 20 meters depth. Dindo immediately gestured to me that all was OK! to which I replied OK even though my heart rate had increased a bit and we kept going. After the dive he explained that some people still fish with explosives, but these were far away, probably more than 50 km on another island. I would not have wanted to be any closer than we were.

Saturday afternoon, after the two dives, I took a 4 hour tour of Cebu city, one of the oldest in the Philippines, and the first place where Magellan landed, also the place where he was killed (I am going to visit the actual battlefield just before I leave the Island – there is a shrine to Rajah Lapu-Lapu and a monument to Magellan on the spot where it all happened. Lapu-Lapu was the leader of the local people who opposed the Spanish invasion. It is amazing that a lot of people know about Magellan’s travels, and the fact that he died in the Philippines, but until I started reading the local history in the hotel, I did not realize that is all happened right here.

The cross that Magellan planted in Cebu is still there, now protected inside a rotunda and inside a hollow wooden cross to protect it from the local population that considers pieces of the original cross to be lucky-charms – there would be no cross left by now if it were not protected.

 

Belgium.

 

Singapore!

I had excellent food while here too. On Friday, I decided I wanted to go to a local restaurant I had read about. Dindo indicated that it was quite good, but when I asked at the hotel, they were more reserved, even surprised that I was willing to go there, indicating that it was “not very clean” and only for locals. The hotel also recommended to take a taxi, even though the restaurant should only be a 15 minute walk away. I have never been one to shy away from adventure and a challenge and I decided to go on my own. Outside the hotel, I met a motorcycle rickshaw driver who proposed to take me there for only 50 pesos. I know he grossly overcharged me, but am I really going to complain about having to pay about 1 euro 50? I can fortunately afford it – and I am glad I took the ride. The restaurant was somewhat off the street in a small alley and I may not have found it easily on my own. I had excellent local steamed fish and grilled prawns. The restaurant was clean enough and quite comfortable, and I enjoy going where locals go – I did not see any other tourists there. I am sure locals cannot afford to go there very often though as the prices were relatively high. That might have been just for me … maybe, again, locals pay a lot less! Again, I can afford it and I am sure that it is money well spent.

When I travel to countries that are less well-off, I do not like to give money to people who just beg on the streets or at traffic lights, nor to those who are obviously trying to trap tourists. However, I try to be generous with people who help me, and with local shops, when I know that the money will stay in the local community.  I am always surprised by the genuine delight that these small, and not so small gestures always bring from the people I have been with.

Another great experience.  I think I will have to go back!

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