Day 2 Scenes

the mactan & marcelo fernan bridges (left)

karancho beach (right)

mactan bridge, on the way back to cebu city (below)

maribago grill (right)

engaño beach (along Shangri-La Mactan)

sanctuary sign

on the way to Olango (looks a bit like the road the hobbits took when they first left Hobbiton, di ba?

Isn't this illegal? hundreds of beautiful,colorful starfishes being dried under the sun for export

Here, birdy-birdy!

In touch with nature -- Bird Watching & Snorkeling

On our second day, we headed off to Mactan Island, particularly to go bird watching and to do some snorkeling.

Our first stop is the Olango Wildlife Sanctuary in Olango Island. To get there, we had to take three jeepney rides and one boat ride (1 jeepney ride per person costs about P6.00 to 10.00, while a boat ride is at P12.00).

Once you reach the island, hire the whole tricycle for P90, or if you have the patience to wait for the vehicle to be filled up, you only pay P15 per person. You can ask the driver to wait for you outside the sanctuary, so the total cost for the vehicle is P160.

Rates, especially for locals, are quite cheap. The sanctuary staff are friendly and they lend out binoculars (you just have to leave your ID card) so you can take a good view of the birds who are all busy flying to and fro looking for food.

Kuya Boy, the caretaker of the sanctuary, conducts a short lecture about the birds in Olango so guests will understand the nature of the birds. According to him, the various species of birds come from different places in the north (Sibera, China & Japan). Before winter season arrives, they fly to New Zealand and Australia in September to November, temporarily staying in the Philippines (which is halfway) for food and rest. In other words, the three places in the Philippines (Olango Island in Cebu, Candabia in Pampanga, and Tubattaha Reefs in Palawan) are the stopover for these birds, but of the 77 species of migratory birds, Olango Island supports 62%, including egrets, sandpipers, terns and black-bellied plover. Come February to April, when the winter season is almost over in the places where they came from, the birds start coming back to their homes.

When you go there, be prepared -- it is scorching hot! Put sunblock, a wide brimmed hat, long sleeved shirt, anything to protect you from the harsh rays of the sun. Check out this advise on gearing up. Otherwise, it was a unique experience seeing these creatures fly around and search, dig, poke around for food. Really amazing when you think about how they know where to go or where to stop over for food or when to come back etc.

I asked Kuya Boy how would they know if there is bird flu among the thousands of birds stopping in Olango. He said at this point, there is no cause for alarm since the birds are coming from New Zealand and Australia, countries that are still bird flu free. What they closely monitor is the September to November periods, since some of the the birds come from China. They check for any sign (i.e., sick or dead birds) so that they could alert proper authorities. So far, so good. No bird flu yet in the Philippines (and I hope it stays that way).

After bird watching, we headed back to the main island in Mactan. We first checked out the nearby beaches in Engaño town -- this is where the Shangri-la Mactan and Resort Spa and the Hilton can be found. Unfortunately for our tired and hungry bodies, we didn't like the beaches in this side of the town. Most of them are designed for diving, not for lounging around and snorkeling. So we headed out to the white sand beaches part -- where Maribago, Tambuli and Cebu Beach Club can be found. Since it is the beach we are after, we went to the Karuncho resort and hired a small boat for just P150 per hour. The bangkero took us to a good spot for snorkeling. My mom and I ended up happy - she got to swim in the sea, I got to see some fishes.

some pics:

the wildlife center

dry lands

wetlands

Colon Street & Marker

Magellan's Cross
facade of Basilica de Sto Niño
the original Sto Nino image, dating back to 1521

Cebu-Bohol in 7 Days

Basilica de Sto. Niño de Cebu altar
Thanks to Cebu Pacific Air's promo, we were able to visit Cebu and Bohol from 06 to15 March. We landed in Cebu's Mactan International Airport by 6:30 am, since our flight left at 5 in the morning, hence I saw the sunrise from my plane window.

Tip for those coming to Cebu -- airport taxis will try to force you and con you to use their services -- DON'T -- they charge an astronomical fee of P375. These taxi operators will really, really insist that there's no other way to go out of the airport, that you have no choice, that it's a long way out etc. I repeat, do not believe them. It's a good thing my mom's first language is Cebuano, so what she did was ask a police officer where we can hail a taxi that will charge by the meter. Walk across to the other side of the exit (towards the Waterfront Mactan edifice) and climb the stairs, and you will see taxis. From the airport to Maryville Village in Talamban, Cebu proper where we stayed, we paid only P150. That's a P225 difference just by walking a few measly steps.

After lunch, we went for a walk around Cebu City. I must admit, I was pretty disappointed to see this part of Cebu. Most of the buildings were old and rundown and it possesses a combination of quiapo-binondo-divisoria atmosphere. Worse, I discovered later on that some hoodlum tried to slash my bag. He succeed in slashing it alright, but thanks to my guardian angel, he did not get anything.

Our first stop in our walking tour is the Basilica de Santo Niño de Cebu. This church is the sanctuary of the miraculous Santo Niño. The official church website, found here, explains how the beloved Sto. Niño came to them. What I do know, based on the history that was taught to us in elementary, is that this Sto Niño image is the original image presented as a gift by Ferdinand Magellan in 1521 to Queen Juana of Cebu. Both the queen and her husband, Rajah Humabon, were baptized into Catholicism. Magellan was later killed with a poisoned arrow by the local chieftain of nearby Mactan island (and Humabon rival), Lapu-Lapu. Filipinos honored the brave chieftain by naming a local fish after him.Go figure, hehe.

Across the Santo Niño church fronting the city hall, you will find Magellan's Cross, the symbol of Roman Catholicism in the Philippines as it is the cross that Spanish and Portugese explorers planted in the country when they first landed in 1521. The cross has been covered with tindalo wood to protect the original one from damages, brought about by the climate and the people who want to keep a part of the cross as a souvenir or good luck charm.

The next and last stop for the day is the Colon Street which is about 3 to 4 blocks away from the church. It is the oldest street in the country and was named after Christopher Columbus. But I tell you, when they say old, they really do mean old. I think this is also where my bag got slashed.