Category Archives: Philippines

Cebu

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Here is uptown Cebu

That building is very lit up at night, so wondering what it is, I had a walk passed it last night.  It turns out it’s a hotel.

Cebu city is interesting, I haven’t seen any of the historical sites yet, that’s on the agenda for today, but I did take a walk around uptown, which is supposed to be nicer than downtown.

There is some nice architecture, and newer buildings, but there also seems to be a lot of poverty.  There are large shanty towns built under bridges and along side rivers.  Some people here seem to be very poor and in some places there are kids begging for money.

That being said, there is also a mixture of upscale shopping malls, it’s kind of strange.  I get the feeling Bangkok may have been like this 10 or 15 years ago.

I will post more historical pictures of Cebu later. This morning I will go and get a ferry ticket for Bohol to depart tomorrow. Bohol is supposed to have a lot of natural attractions like the chocolate hills and should be much more laid back than the city.

Boracay to Cebu

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I left Boracay early this morning.  Here is a picture just before sunset last night.

It’s a lovely island with very nice beaches and I met some other travellers from Australia and Brazil.
I flew to Cebu out of Kalibo which took a while.  From Boracay it involved a ferry crossing, a bus ride, and then the flight.
Kalibo airport is kind of crazy. It used to be domestic only but then they expanded the runway and turned it into an “international” airport, but without expanding any of the facilities.  There were hundreds of people and only a tiny waiting area with very limited air conditioning!  There was free wifi though!
To board the plane you walk out onto the runway. I have done this before, normally there is a line to follow, but in Kalibo it was like a free for all.  There were 2 aircraft and nobody knew which one to go to. I almost ended up in Manila 🙂
I will post some pictures of Cebu in a day or so…

Boracay

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I made it to the Philippines and it’s very hot!  The daytime temperatures are in the mid 30s, but overnight there is a nice breeze coming off the ocean.

The Air Asia flight was pretty non eventful.  I got “upgraded” to an emergency exit row.  They really pack people onto those planes and I don’t think comfort was the first thing on their minds! Anyway, the flight was cheap and it got me here on time.
The hotel has an amazing view of the ocean, which is only partially blocked by the room below.
The hotel itself is quite interesting, I think unique is the word I am looking for.  It’s built right into the side of a cliff so the hallways are cut through stone! Also, there is a tree growing through the middle of the room!

Otherwise, it’s clean and well maintained. They have 2 for 1 drinks during happy hour, as do many places on this island. So far things are pretty cheap in the Philippines.