Cebu is upcoming tourist island of the Philippines. Their main language is Cebuano, but they do understand and speak English to travelers.
Cebu city is the first Christian city being that the majority of the Philippine population is Catholic. I noticed a Spanish influence mingled in the Cebu culture and language because of the Spanish exploration and colonization in the 1500s. Within Cebu city, there are many restaurants, shops, and cultural landmarks. You have to travel by car for over two hours if you want to visit any of the beautiful beaches.
Papa Kit’s Marina and Fishing Lagoon
The highlight of my trip was when I went on a solo excursion to Papa Kit’s Marina and Fishing Lagoon. The location was almost an hour drive north to Liloan. Once I left the city it was interesting to see the change in the income level and the lower level of infrastructure. Some of the roads were in poor condition, some under construction, so the ride in the SUV was pretty bumpy at times. I saw a lot of single room structures, presumably homes, that could easily be blown down. In spite of that, everyone I passes looked happy and unbothered by their condition of living. There were numerous food franchises like Jollibee, a chicken restaurant, and many bread and cake bakeries. But there were a lot more mom and pop venders on the street selling homemade foods and random everyday goods you would find at a corner-store in Philadelphia.
At the lagoon I wanted to make the most of my trip. I bought tickets to do ziplining, horseback riding, jungle obstacle, and the hanging bridge.. The horse wasn’t a big horse I was used to riding in America; it was miniature size. My guide held onto the horse’s rope most of the time as we walked on the path while he talked and joked the whole ride! I wish I remembered his name because he was very funny and made my ride very enjoyable. Afterwards, when I went to the pool to swim, the beauty of solo traveling made its appearance. I began talking to a family from Cebu city who noticed I was swimming in the pool alone. They came to the lagoon for a weekend getaway and invited me back to their resort house for lunch. Apparently they have family who works at the lagoon and had ordered a big meal for lunch, so I gladly accepted their offer and enjoyed delicious Filipino food.
After we ate, I stayed with the family and we all went zip-lining, walked through the hanging bridge and did the jungle obstacle course together. Their hospitality was amazing and made my trip even more adventurous.
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