Tag Archives: cebu

Destination

Its A Pleasure Staying At Hotel Elizabeth

Leave a comment

In no way would I classify myself as being a wealthy man, I have enough to live comfortably off of but I still have to be conscious of living within my means. This means that while I am travelling through The Philippines my accommodation is mostly restricted to the mid-tier hotels as I don’t fancy having to empty my bank account to pay for what might be an extended stay in a high-end hotel.

This allows me to stay somewhere reasonably nice. The rooms are clean, all the services you expect are available, and the common consumable products like tea, coffee and soap are supplied to you daily. Recently I stepped outside my usual string of “go to” hotels in Cebu and decided to try something a little more upmarket.

I was staying at my usual hotel in Cebu, a small hotel within walking distance of Fuente Circle. One evening I was browsing travel websites when I realised something was up with my booking. I had booked the next hotel I would move onto on the wrong date. Meaning that there was a period of a few days where I had nowhere to stay.

I instantly sprung into action and began browsing travel sites, looking for a place to stay for those few days.

Due to the late notice a lot of the popular places had no rooms available, then I noticed one of the high-end hotels in Cebu, Hotel Elizabeth was offering its rooms at a large discount. Without hesitation, I booked it, as you rarely get to experience a hotel of that calibre at such a low price.

Staying at Cebu Cities Hotel Elizabeth

The next day we arrived at the hotel, I immediately went into a mindset of comparing it to other hotels I frequently stay in.

The external presentation of the hotel trumped almost anything else I had seen in Cebu. On approach you know you will be staying somewhere nice, the hotel looks almost immaculate. I was impressed by the quality and attention shown by the presentation of the exterior of the building.

Once I was in the lobby, I unfortunately had the displeasure of having to line up at the check-in counter behind what seemed like an older entitled European man. This changed my mood quickly after having to listen to him shouting over to the porter to take his bags to the room. This made no sense to me as the porter was already in the middle of putting the man’s bags on a trolley to take to the room.

Seeing people treating service industry staff as if they are beneath them always puts me in a bad mood, but this quickly changed as the staff at Hotel Elizabeth were pleasant to deal with. Within minutes they had me checked in and had arranged someone to escort me with my bags to the room.

On arrival, I realised why this hotel is generally priced at about double the rate I would normally pay for a room. It felt more like a house than a hotel room, the bathroom alone was almost as big as the entire hotel room I usually stay in.

The room had everything you would need plus more. Several couches, a large desk to work from then another desk with a mirror and light for makeup, a large king sized bed, a mini bar with fridge and serving area etc.

It had everything you would need to feel at home while being away from home.

It felt amazing being in a hotel room of that size. Once you fill an average hotel room with the bed and desk there’s not much room left for anything else. After being in so many small hotel rooms I appreciated the feeling of not being confined to a little box. I loved the feeling of being in a large open space, it made the room feel a lot more fresh.

Overall my stay in the hotel was extremely positive. I will be watching travel websites like a hawk now, waiting for the prices at Hotel Elizabeth to drop into a range which I can afford. I have had a taste of the next level of hotel living, I’m am now keen to experience it again.

If you can afford the extra cash, I would not hesitate to book at Hotel Elizabeth. I think the comfort and convenience are worth the small financial sacrifice.

Culture

Taxi Drivers In The Philippines Surprised Me

Leave a comment

Cebu taxi drivers have just left one of the most positive impressions I have had with Philippine taxi drivers in a very long time.

As someone who spends a lot of time in Manila, I try to avoid using taxis by any means necessary.

I have even gone as far as trying to book accommodation within walking distance to the LRT and MRT, just to minimize the number of times I may have to rely on taxis to travel the city.

I remember long evenings spent on EDSA trying to find a driver who would offer a price below 1000 pesos for a 10-minute ride.

I remember an instance when a driver – with no explanation – pulled over on the side of the highway, got out and opened the trunk. He then went on to tinker in there for a minute or two. He then got back into the car, barely able to hold back the smile on his face and took off driving again with no explanation.

Within seconds I noticed the meter was moving extremely quickly, easily 3 – 4 times the regular rate.

By the end of the trip, a normally 100 peso ride was going to cost me almost 600 pesos. So I let him know I had taken down all his details and was ready to make a report, this was then followed by him almost crying and telling me to pay what I think the ride was worth.

Basically, if I decide to use a taxi I have to accept that I will be dealing with a scenario similar to these. There have been some days where I have travelled trouble free, not having to deal with drivers trying to funnel money out of me. But days like that are outnumbered by days dealing with hustlers.

At least up until I visited Cebu recently.

The Miracle Cebu Experience

The first thing I do on arrival to either Cebu or Manila is avoid the arrivals area. I will leave the plane to get my luggage and then immediately walk to the departure area to look for a taxi that has just dropped off passengers.

-I am so used to being overwhelmed with people offering 700 – 800 peso fares the moment I step out of the arrival area, now I just resorted to avoiding it completely.

The biggest hurdle I now face on arrival to Cebu is having to deal with an upset security guard, they usually aren’t too happy with people trying to find a taxi in the departure areas. I have been doing this every time I arrive in Manila and Cebu so I now have it down to an art.

Instead of being offered a ride to my hotel at a premium price, I now get a ride from the departure area in a regular metered taxi.

This is why Cebu City is now possibly my favourite city.

Next came my day to day travels throughout the city. This really caught me off guard, I was taking taxi after taxi, not once did they ask for a fixed price.

I would simply get into the taxi, they would then turn on the meter and begin the journey.

I don’t know if this was just luck or if there have been tighter laws have been put in place for taxi drivers in Cebu. Either way, it turned the usually daunting task of having to find a taxi driver who would treat you like a normal person into a simple operation which I had to no longer think twice about.

When getting taxis from malls I have noticed signs which stated that the fixed price rides were not allowed, this I think was the source of my pleasant stay in Cebu.

Every taxi ride I got was either from the front of my hotel or from a taxi queue at a mall. This means I was given the details of the driver and it seemed the driver had to follow certain rules if they were going to take passengers from those locations otherwise they would be reported and face disciplinary action.

Whatever has happened to keep the drivers in line with the first world standard of taxi service – it should be held in place.

Although they might not be making as much money through their scams, I feel it would draw a lot more people back towards using their services. I previously found myself resorting to just using Jeepneys or the more convenient Uber, so my recent experience has helped to build my faith again in the Philippines taxi industry.

 

 

Culture

My doctor fish pedicure: Doctor fish spas across Cebu

Leave a comment

My first encounter with the doctor fish came about by complete accident. It started with me and my significant other, laying in our room one morning – way later than we should have been. 

I was browsing the internet looking for somewhere interesting to go while my girlfriend took care of her social media accounts. Our days were becoming too routine. I had become tired of doing the same things every day. It was about time we spiced up our day – even if it was only for a few hours.

While scrolling through Google I spotted the name of a place sounded interesting. It was called Rainforest Park Cebu; the website made me feel as if we were going to some nature reserve yet it sat in the heart of suburban Cebu. We went, only because of the lack of any better options.

The Park was exactly where the map had shown. In the heart of Cebu, sitting right next to 7/11 sat Rainforest Park Cebu.

The park has a collection of several interesting activities which I will admit are a lot more fun than I thought; especially the rope course they’ve set up. The main attraction I want to talk about is the doctor fish (Garra rufa). The small fish you probably have seen which seem to enjoy biting dead skin off of peoples’ feet.

We paid for the doctor fish upon entry so after finishing up our activities we made our way to the fish spa. At this point, most of the assistants seemed oblivious to our presence.

Basically, we walked into the area housing the fish, a small boy wandered into the room behind us. He turned on a small tap, then directed us to wash our feet.

From that point on we saw nobody until we left the area. Based on the looks on their faces when we left, it seemed the employees were not even aware we were in the spa.

The experience though was actually a lot more pleasant than what I expected. At first, there’s a period in which I had to get over having these fish feasting on my feet.

Once I began to relax and got used to the feeling, it began to turn from the sensation of small fish biting your feet to a sensation similar to bubbles rising around your feet.

Overall it was a nice way to finish our day at the Rainforest Park. It wasn’t anything miraculous like posters displayed in the room were implying; it just felt like a nice way to relax.

Experience Cebus leaders in doctor fish therapy

Eventually, word got out about our doctor fish experience. We received a suggestion to visit JMall in Mandaue as there’s a good quality shop also housing doctor fish, called Goodwill Dr Fish Spa. We took a while to find the shop; it was at JMall but it was housed in the basement next to the car park.

We immediately noticed the difference in the two services:

  • The fish at JMall are easily triple the size of the fish kept at the Rainforest Park.
  • There were also a lot more fish housed at Goodwill Dr. Fish Spa, this was probably the most noticeable difference; our feet were completely covered with fish, were at the previous fish spa there had been nowhere near that many.
  • The price was lower at Goodwill Dr. Fish Spa, although it’s a small price saving, I’m always happy not having to unnecessarily spend money

After the second fish spa, I again felt little effect besides feeling slightly more relaxed than what I was beforehand. There were a lot of claims made on some posters at the stores about health benefit stemming from using doctor fish, but it really seemed like they were stretching the truth. After using them I really think they are useful purely for people looking for a more interesting method of receiving a pedicure, or people who just want to relax for a while in a serene environment.

Am I going to be okay? Hygiene concerns surrounding Dr Fish treatment

It is important to note that investigations have lead to fish spas being banned in the USA. Unlike traditional instruments which are cleaned after performing a pedicure, the fish maybe used to treat several clients each day.

Concerns of fish coming into contact with multiple clients coupled with concerns regarding the fish secretion in the water have lead to suspicions of fungal and bacterial infections being transmitted to clients using the service. Especially clients who may have cuts or abrasions on their feet.

These issues were addressed by some salons, who attempted to keep the process as sanitary as possible. Many allocate personal foot baths to each client, they then limit how often they use each fish in a pedicure.

Many salons have begun using UV filtered tanks to store fish, also putting more effective filtration systems in the water tanks. This is to make sure any harmful bacteria which may enter the water is removed as soon as possible.

Despite the health concerns being minor, some salons go as far as inspecting the feet of clients. They want to ensure the feet are free from any open wounds before the clients fish spa.

No matter how far salons go, there will always remain a sanitation related risk, albeit minor. Therefore, it is up to the customer to decide whether they are happy to take part in the doctor fish experience or not after weighing up the risk.

So, what is a doctor fish?

The doctor fish or Garra Rufa originate in the Middle East. They are found in the rivers and hot springs of Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Turkey, and Syria.

That’s right, hot springs:

The fish are often found in waters averaging 28°C but they are also found in thermal springs which sits at temperatures around 37°C.

The fish are a kind of toothless carp which would eat algae, plankton, and other microscopic organisms found in the rivers. It also seems the fish enjoy the taste of our dead skin cells which they remove by scrapping their mouth along the skin of the foot.

 

Food

The Cebu Yacht Club Experience

Leave a comment

I’m sure it’s no secret that The Philippines can be a crowded place. It’s known for its busy malls, traffic-filled roads and the general hustle and bustle occurring throughout the streets of the Philippines.

From this vibrant social culture comes a few trade-offs, some which become very obvious after experiencing day to day life of living in the Philippines.

The fact is there are people everywhere.

Whether you are in Manila, Cebu or any other major city you will always be surrounded by people.

This may seem like a normal state for native Filipinos but for someone from a relatively small city this really stands out. When dining out, trying to find somewhere which is relatively quiet during the lunch or dinner time peaks is often an impossible endeavour.

The Cebu Yacht Club experience

These are not bad problems:

Though sometimes it’s nice to have a change. Sometimes it’s nice to enjoy a quality lunch or dinner away from the usually crowded restaurant districts.

Recently we visited a quiet tucked away, open air restaurant in Lapu-Lapu, Cebu. The restaurant was called the Cebu Yacht Club. We became aware of it after a friends recommended that we visit.

After a short taxi ride from our place in Cebu city, we arrived at the restaurant. It is located right by the waters of the Mactan channel with views of Osmeña bridge. This restaurant was exactly what I had been looking for.

There wasn’t much to not like about this place. It is situated away from the main street running through Mactan island. This meant there was almost nobody walking through the area. The few people I could see were either dining at the restaurant or were dealing with their yachts.



Dining alongside the Mactan Channel

It was refreshing to dine in an uncrowded restaurant looking out over the waters of the Mactan channel; the only noise coming from the wind blowing through the trees.

I am also currently on a strict diet so I was interested to see what kind of food options they had to offer. Their menu had a diverse range of options which was able to cater to anybody. I am quite strict with what I am able to eat yet I was still able to order plenty of tasty meals from the menu with no hassle.

The food tasted great, it was all really healthy and it was a good price. I ordered their bratwurst sausage with sauerkraut as well as their tuna flake salad. The quality of the food was beyond what I was expecting considering the prices were relatively low.

The restaurant really exceeded my expectations. It had a great atmosphere and is in the perfect location while offering good quality food. The Cebu Yacht Club easily measures up to any other quality mid-range restaurant in Cebu.

Cebu Yacht Club can definitely expect to see me there again. As I noted previously it is extremely hard to find restaurants selling food which caters to my diet. Finding a place like Cebu Yacht Club is a valuable resource for me and others. You can have somewhere to enjoy tasty food and not have to worry about any negative impacts on your health.

So if your in Cebu City and you are looking for a new, relaxing dining experience Cebu Yacht Club is worth a visit.

The Cebu Yacht Club is open on weekdays 8am-5pm; Sat 8am-12pm.

Read more about the unique kinds of food you may find in the Philippines

Food, Uncategorized

The Hunt For Healthy Food

Leave a comment

Within the past year, I have been pushed to be extremely conscious about the kinds of foods I have been putting into my body. In my early adult years, I would always prioritize snack food over healthy food due to my on the go lifestyle.

I would regularly buy drinks containing ridiculous amounts of sugar, then spend my evenings and weekends consuming foods soaked in fat, sugar, and salt followed by an evening of indulging in copious amounts of alcohol.

Unfortunately, this lifestyle eventually caught up with me. Combine the damage to my gut from my avoidance of any healthy food along with a few hits of heavy stress and dysentery after traveling to tropical destinations and you end up with your gut being in an extremely poor state.

I am now committed to not touching any food which may provide more work for my gut than what’s necessary.
I want to create an environment where my gut can sit dormant for a period of time to repair itself. A change from my previous habits of constantly consuming inflammatory products. This means no bread, pasta, sugars, rice, fruit, fried food… Basically, my meals largely consist of some sort of protein accompanied with a large plate of vegetables.
The challenge for me hasn’t been motivating myself to limit the types of foods I eat. The fact I ate myself into this condition is enough motivation for me to change my ways. Now the real challenge has come from actually being able to access the sorts of healthy food I need to eat to heal my gut.
I am currently living in Cebu and have little access to anything which could be used to cook my own meals, this means I am heavily reliant on the hospitality industry within the city to get the food I need.
This so far has been extremely challenging but I am slowly starting to figure out where I can go and what I can buy.
The first thing I noticed is how challenging it is to even get good quality fresh fruits and vegetables. In most of my meals, I would try and include good sources of fat such as avocado. This was extremely important for me as I wasn’t taking in any carbohydrates; meaning my body was now relying on avocado as a source of energy. If I wasn’t eating avocados my body would burn my body fat, I would then begin to drop weight, fast. So obviously to counteract this I was eating a couple of avocados a day. It seems that I arrived at a bad time because I can not seem to find avocados anywhere.
In regards to other vegetables, I found that a lot of them just have no flavor. I eat carrot regularly as a snack food, but I have yet to find carrots which haven’t got a dry, bitter taste to them. I’m sure there is good quality produce somewhere in the city, I just have to hunt them down.
On a side note, I did actually find a small juice bar/food stand in Ayala. I quickly became a regular customer there as their food fits my dietary restrictions so well. It is almost like the menu is made to fit me personally. It’s called Mooshi, you can find it on the third level in front of Rustans. The menu is full nutrient dense foods which will not cause any discomfort to your body. You will not find any sugar packed foods on the menu. This is all food which will
keep you functioning at your best.
So, for the time being, I will be using this as the main source of my daily nutrient needs. Plus their food tastes a lot better than the vegetables I have been eating from various supermarkets in Cebu.
Hopefully, over time I will continue to gain knowledge of places in Cebu where I can source good quality healthy food in order to make my stay here a lot more comfortable for me and also my body.
Culture

My feelings For Sinulog Festival

Leave a comment

After a crazy day out in Cebu City, I feel it is necessary to reflect on my Sinulog experience. My first exposure to the celebration was extremely positive and as usual, it was completely different to what I had been expecting.

We set off from our hotel early in the morning to pick up my girlfriend’s mother. She had also never experienced Sinulog so we wanted to take her to see it while she was in Cebu.

Now Cebu isn’t exactly a big city but for some reason, I was thinking we had a long ride ahead to get to her mother’s accommodation. Surprisingly, within the space of roughly 30 minutes, we managed to –

  • take a ride out to where she was staying
  • we waited for her to get ready for the celebration
  • We then took another ride back to Mango Avenue

I’m usually not a fan of wasting time, so this efficient start to the morning put me in a good mood.

Experiencing the Sinulog Festival

We had arrived to the festival early that morning. The streets had yet to reach their peak in regards to crowd size. What stood out to me at that point was the number of street vendors operating around Mango Avenue. Every spare inch of space along the side of the street had been filled with vendors.

We began to make our way down mango avenue to find food. The lack of crowds gave us the prime opportunity to eat before the streets began to fill up. Plus, the parade still had roughly 7 hours left until it ended so we were in no rush to begin watching it.

After eating we managed to walk a short distance along the side of the street until we eventually found a break in the crowd where we could see the parade. There we watched the amazing of music, dance, and costumes along with the celebrity performances which really left an impression on me. After seeing the rich display of culture it was hard for me not to fall in love with Sinulog.

After a long day of taking photos and watching the performances, we decided to end the day and take care of a few responsibilities. This took us away from the epicenter of Sinulog for the rest of the evening…

Return to the Sinulog Festival

Where we were staying is actually one street away from the epicentre of the Sinulog parade. We had begun our journey home for the evening to call it a night. At that point, it was beginning to hit the early hours of the morning.

We had taken a motorbike so we could get as close to the hotel as possible. Considering the streets were full of people getting home via a taxi was near to impossible.

By that time the streets had reopened, the crowds were still becoming increasingly dense, so using the motorbike eventually became pointless. At this point, the dynamic had completely changed. We were walking into a completely different atmosphere. The family dynamic atmosphere had left and was replaced by an air of anarchy.

What had put me in this mildly negative frame of mind stemmed from a couple of immediate experiences which ruined the mindset I was in after a really fun day at the parade.

As we walked into the crowd people began to turn to us and throw paint at us which at that point I was completely used to and totally fine with. But then we had individuals taking advantage of the circumstances and pushing the boundaries.

On a couple of occasions as I was greeting people, I was hit in the head from behind on both occasions by young men who would immediately run to hide in the crowd.

It didn’t really get to me at that point, From what I saw they both just looked like some young drunk street kids. So I’m sure they had been neglected by their parents, in teaching them any sort of behavioural boundaries.

Shortly after those two incidents we became stuck in a crowd of people trying to squeeze through the traffic around Fuente circle. I slid past the back of an ambulance which had its lights and sirens going, in the back, the curtains had been left open.

The ambulances sirens were so loud it was almost deafening, the driver was also holding on the horn. Despite this it wasn’t going anywhere. The crowd was just too thick. No one seemed to want to pay attention or even acknowledge that it was there.

Time to go home?

So there I was sandwiched between a group of people and the back window of the ambulance. I turned my head and was immediately hit with a strange feeling of frustration and sadness.

An older gentleman was laying on a stretcher in the back with a nurse by his side. He was trying to breathe in so deeply I could see his chest lifting up from the stretcher. This disturbed me, as this man was being prevented from receiving the help he needed due to completely avoidable circumstances.

It disturbed me seeing people drunkenly celebrating this day in honour of the baby Jesus, sliding around this ambulance without a care in the world while literally not even a meter away from them, a man who could have easily been any of their fathers looked like he was fighting for his life.

At that point I was done, I was yelled over to my girlfriend who was a couple of meters away, telling her to stick close to me as we would start trying to get home. Moments later I hear her yell, saying someone had been rubbing their fingers down her back.

I had been patient up until then, but for me, that was time to get out of there. I pulled my girlfriend right up behind me and began to use my size to get through the crowds. We were finally making some progress.

As we began to approach our accommodation the crowds began to thicken up again. We had to stop in at a 7/11 to get some refreshments and water for the hotel. At that point, I was beginning to feel a lot more positive as we were almost home. But it turned out the events for the evening had not yet come to a conclusion.

As I walked out of the store a young man immediately decided to step in front of me. He then wittily remarked that he found a souvenir, he then reached over and pulled the hat from my head. It was beyond me why somebody this size would want to fight somebody having a significant size advantage over them.

I immediately pushed the guy straight back, he stumbled into the people standing behind him. I went to grab my hat back, but he had decided to keep going so he reached up and grabbed both my wrists. This got me more frustrated so I through my elbow around aiming for his face; but at this point, it was broken up.

My hat was returned to me, then we moved on. By the time I got home, I had completely flipped from being in love with the celebration to resenting it.

Summary of my Sinulog experience

The incidents involving the bad behaviour did not disturb me as much as I thought it would. It was easy to see most of those people were extremely drunk, plus I achieve nothing by dwelling on it.

Now I am at a point where I have kind of compartmentalised my Sinulog experience into two different sessions. I like to think that what I experienced during the day was the true nature of Sinulog.

I spent the day surrounded by thousands of people and only had a handful of negative experiences after the conclusion of the festival. It’s just a shame that it is those negative experiences which usually stand out the most.

The fact is that if you have that many people together in one place it is almost inevitable that there are going to be some arseholes present. For me, that point needs to be recognised in order to move on and see the celebration for what it really was.

For me, it’s a beautiful day out in Cebu surrounded by family, experiencing a rich display of the culture and history of the area. I now realise that I really am thankful that I got to be part of the magical experience for the first time this year. I look forward to again joining the celebrations many more times in the future.

 

Culture

The Jeepney Love Affair

Leave a comment

Upon arrival to The Philippines, you will quickly notice that the primary form of public transport looks a little different to what you are used to. This small bus like vehicle which you will no doubt come across are known as the Jeepney.

Their unique paint scheme and flamboyant accessories would make someone start wondering how these became part of the Philippine culture? What caused Filipinos to begin to modify these vehicles and use them as public transport?

Origins of the Jeepney in the Philippines

The Jeepneys were made from the US military jeeps, left over from the Second World War. The Americans had been using the jeeps during the several years The Philippines had been occupied by the Japanese. After the war, there were tens of thousands of jeeps littered across The Philippines. Once the time came for the Americans to leave, they would either sell or give the jeeps to the Filipinos.

After the Filipinos had attained the jeeps, they stripped them down and then added more seats to increase the number of individuals it was able to accommodate. Due to their widespread use, a need for a roof over the jeepneys became necessary to operate in the harsh weather conditions. The need to provide comfort for the passengers pushed the jeepney owners to make roofs a standard feature on jeepneys.

In addition to these changes, some decorations were added to make it more attractive and appealing to the potential passengers. Ornaments and bright colours were used to decorate the Jeepney in order to attract more customers.

The above changes made to the jeeps to convert them to the Jeepney were preparatory steps to have them in public transport service. There was a need to re-establish a public transport system that would no longer be expensive as the previous public transport system which was in place before it had been destroyed during the Second World War.

Jeepneys become a public transport staple

The rate at which the use of Jeepneys in the public transport sector kept on increasing as time went by. When the government of Philippine realised this, they enacted some regulations to guide the operation of the Jeepney. Those people who were driving Jeepney were now required to have licenses to operate on public roads. Apart from licenses, the drivers were also designated regular routes and established fixed prices for transporting people along these routes.

There is no doubt that a time came when there were no more jeeps to be converted to the Jeepney. To continue supplying the Jeepney, factories were set up to produce Jeepneys from scratch. It is now still possible for a person to get a new Jeepney from these factories. This also ensured a continued use and expansion of the use of Jeepneys.

Lastly, you may be interested in where the term Jeepney actually came from. Well, Jeepney is a combination of two words namely jeep and knee. The word jeep was used because a Jeepney came into existence because of the refurbishment of the jeeps. The knee part results from the crowded seating in which an individual will be forced to sit knee to knee.

Culture

Sinulog: Festival of the Santo Ninyo

Leave a comment

As I’m sure most of you are aware, The Philippines is host to a wide variety of festivals. These festivals are usually in place as an expression of thanksgiving and honour to a patron saint.

You have the MassKara festival in Bacolod City, Panagbenga Festival in Baguio City, and Kadayawn Festival in Davao City to name a few.

Then there is Cebu, which is home to the internationally renowned festival – Sinulog.

Now, for a quick recap:

In the era before Spanish colonisation, the island of Cebu was once known as Zubu. It was primarily inhabited by pagans and Islamic tribes. These tribes established a history of trade with other Asian countries long before the Spanish colonial era.

Sinulog Festival history: Origins of the Santo Niño

Historical records suggest the wooden statue of the baby Jesus was a gift from Ferdinand Magellan to the wife of Rajah Humabon. This was Cebu’s chieftain at the time of Magellan’s arrival to Cebu. The wooden statue, known as the Santo Niño, is still found on the island of Cebu to this day.

It’s kept in a secure location inside the Santo Niño and San Nicholas De Tolentino church. The Santo Niño became the symbol of friendship and the natives’ conversion to Christianity.  The Sinulog festival of the Cebuano’s symbolises their unending devotion to the baby Jesus.

In Cebu, it is during Sinulog that the Cebuano’s honour the feast of Child Jesus, Santo Niño. It is believed the Child Jesus protects the whole province from natural calamities and other disasters. The Cebuano’s show their gratitude to Santo Niño through their faith and devotion, especially during its feast day.

The Sinulog experience: Cebu comes to life

While there are about a hundred major festivals in the country, Cebu’s Sinulog is one of the biggest. Filipinos from across the country look forward to this event. Locals work hard to prepare for the much awaited Sinulog Festival and the multitude of tourists that come with it. These tourists travel to Cebu to witness the grand annual celebration set for the 3rd Sunday in January.

The festivity on this premier island in the Central Visayas is divided into two parts – the religious practice and the celebrations.

A nine-day novena kicks off the Sinulog celebration. Millions of Santo Niño devotees from across the country attend the religious activities of the event. In fact, the authorities make it a point that all pilgrims who are struggling financially are accommodated in the Devotee City. It should be noted that most city hotels at this time are fully occupied. Thus, tourists planning to join the Sinulog fun must make their bookings early.

On the first Saturday of the celebrations, devotees wake up early for the Fluvial Procession. Then later in the afternoon the Solemn Procession is held. It is good to know both activities are always well attended despite their early start.

Children celebrating Sinulog festival on the island of Cebu in The Philippines

Cebu immersed in celebration

The streets are crowded with parties all over the city. Celebrities and politicians visit Cebu to be a part of the parade and further celebrations. The event runs for a month with the Grand Parade featuring the street dancing as the highlight.

You may be asking – What makes the Sinulog Festival so Successful?

A significant factor is the faith of the Cebuanos. While, yes, Cebuanos are in the mood to party during Sinulog. But still, the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño is full during the celebration. This means Cebuanos do not forget the real essence of celebrating the feast in the birth of Christ.

Credit should be given to the Sinulog organisers for their efforts in lining up all activities. They take care of security and crowd control – a crucial part of the entire event. The contingents too deserve appreciation for continually improving on their dances, especially considering this is the main feature of the grand aprade.

But really any time of the year, the vibrant culture and scenery of the Philippines is always available for tourists and other visitors. For tourists, to be in the Philippines means to experience a vacation in a land which many call paradise. The country will surely entertain everyone. Especially those who have a love for excitement and adventure.

The country is culturally diverse, with many residents having Spanish, American, Chines4e, and Malay blood. The Philippine seas and beaches are indeed havens of white sands and charming beach houses or villas. The underwater landscapes are enough to captivate every fan of diving and snorkelling. The Philippines is a must-visit tourist destin ation for any keen traveller.

I recently had the pleasure of attending the Sinulog festival for the first time, read the summary of my experience here.