July 13th
Day 1 in Cebu: This morning I woke up in this mildly creepy hotel but I only care that I got plenty of sleep and complimentary breakfast… We ended up going to SM (over this mall thing) and then to Happy Beach which was animated and full of activities. However, I would not recommend any beach in Lapu lapu because I have been told the beaches in the south are so much better. The girls and I learned to roll with the punches since Happy Beach was not on our original agenda. We were able to relax and I was able to find a blue star fish and much more marine life while I was wandering in the water close to the shore. Besides the starfish, my favorite part was watching the fire show at the end of the night. Looking forward to tomorrow!
July 14th
Snorkeling + Canyoneering = Best day ever: Started the day at 4AM where our driver picked us to embark on quite an adventure! Marvin (our driver) took us to our first activity in Moalboal to go snorkeling! Our guides took us out to Pescador Island by this really loud boat called a (Bangka) which seemed to be the main mode of water transportation in the area. It was the best snorkeling experience that I ever had! (Even though I didn’t really use the snorkel at all… lol) It was essential to have flippers because I was able to swim so much deeper and was able to see so much more marine life! Absolutely flabbergasted by all of the colors but was soon shocked when my guide had swam deep down and ripped off one of the blue star fish from the reef! After Pescador Island the guides with cigarettes in their mouth drove us to our next snorkel, the sardine run. The animators from Finding Nemo had portrayed it in the movie right… I was in awe when I was admiring the schools of sardines swimming deep down as far as the eye could see. It was fun to swim down and break apart the school of fish and no matter how fast I swam; I couldn’t touch them! We hopped back on the boat where our guides took us to our final snorkel to the sea turtles! I really enjoyed experiencing the life of a sea turtle. Watching the sea turtles eat sea was like watching a chicken peck at feed! I was thoroughly amused and I was able to get within a couple feet of those beautiful creatures! It was an experience for a lifetime which I am forever grateful. At the end of our snorkel adventure, our guides shipped us back to the mainland on our very loud Bangka where I was able to admire the view for one last time and mentally prepare myself for our next adventure—canyoneering…
Jumping off a 50-foot cliff had my adrenaline pumping, more so than skydiving! After our driver dropped us off at our beachside location, we were unexpectedly thrown onto a motorcycle where I was living on the edge (literally bouncing off the back seat) and had the best mountain motorcycle ride! Now the fun had just began… We then proceeded on a brief 30 min hike down where I could hear people yelling, making me think that this was gonna be fun…! I was immediately struck by how blue the water was and the diverse group of people that were participating in this fun activity. Essentially, the guides made sure we would safely jump off the seven cliffs (20ft, 30ft, 45, 45, 50ft) as well as be our trusty photographers! I felt like a kid in a candy store, jumping off the cliffs, going down the rockslides backwards, swinging on a rope swing, and swimming through the incredible blue water. The wildest part of the adventure was jumping off of the 50 foot cliff where I had my “oh sh*t” moment! Looking back at it now it doesn’t even seem that far of a drop… We then went to Kawasan Falls was so neat to swim under and was another incredible view. I wish I could stay there forever and repeat the day over and over again!
July 15th
Best day not best for last in Cebu…: So the last day in Cebu didn’t go as expected… I unfortunately got sick for reasons that I am still trying to figure out myself… I started out the day by walking up a long flight of stairs to a Taoist temple which I didn’t quite understand but it drew my interest to learn about the religion. I was able to respect the Taoist sanctuary with silence and solemnity while others prayed and meditated while walking up to the main altar. After the temple, we had to bargain for a good deal to get us up to the top of the mountain to see the Temple of Leah, a must see. When we finally arrived to the top, I got sick… Well, at least I can say I literally made my ‘mark’ on the Temple of Leah and a flower bush in the Siaro garden! HA! I slept most of the morning in the taxi cab that drove us up the mountain. Finally, after we came down from the mountain I felt a little better and was able to tour my favorite place of the day, Magellan’s cross (remember Ferdinand Magellan, the dude that circumnavigated the world in 1512? Yeah neither do I). It is kind of crazy to think this explorer established Catholicism in Cebu over 500 years ago! I enjoyed spending time in the Basilica del Santo Nino with fellow believers. The day ended travelling back to Manila where we would take a quick rest to be able to head back tomorrow to Ilocos Norte.
The Art of Adventure 