Tacloban City

Finally! If it wasnt for our Waray friend, Mytha, I wouldn't be able to reach Tacloban. I just love the peaceful ambience. I wish I could go back there and revisit San Juanico Bridge and McArthur Park for I wasnt able to see the charm of those man-made beauties during daytime. I'll show you some famous landmarks and for sure you will fall in love with Tacloban City.

This is the Santo Nino Shrine by the late President Ferdinand Marcos. Inside you can see priceless collector's items like paintings, furnitures, etc. You will be asked to remove your footwear and wear one of their slippers once inside. The downside? You won't have enough time to appreciate the beauty of the items because the tour guide will tell you to hurry up for they are saving electricity.

If you want to get inside, here are the details.

This place is in the city's vicinity. From here, you can see the vast ocean of Tacloban.

I love this place. I think this is their court, not sure though. My friend Mytha mentioned what it was called but I forgot. I'm terrible! Ugh!

San Juanico Bridge. The longest bridge in the Philippines stretching from Samar to Leyte crossing the San Juanico Strait. When a friend and I went there, it was already night time. We were told that vehicles are not allowed to stop there so we had to sneak and hurry to have this picture taken.

Mc Arthur Park. This monument is dedicated to General Mc Arthur and his troops. Located in Palo, Leyte which is a few minutes drive from Tacloban City.

Transportations in Tacloban City proper are tricycle, jeeps and fare is Php7. From Cebu, you can ride a fastcraft going to Ormoc City and then ride a bus for Tacloban. The fare for the fastcraft is Php 1000+ and the ride for the bus is free, part of the promotional package of the fascraft line.  You can also opt out to fly on a plane. 

More photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/xymyr23/sets/72157624975330765/

watch out for my Ormoc City Trip!

Cebu City

Queen City of the South or better known as Cebu City opened the door for me towards a greater opportunity and a different kind of adventure. I had my first step in Cebu way back 2008. I also had my first airplane ride that time.

There are many places to visit when you're in Cebu knowing that it's one of the biggest city in the Philippines like their beaches, the metro, its islands and a whole lot more. Although I'd live there for almost two years, I admit that I wasn't able to visit all the wonderful places in Cebu, not even half of it.

Magellan's Cross. Easy to find because all the Cebuanos know where this is. You can ride a cab or a jeepney (jeeps are marked with numbers) depending on your location. The streets for this is either Osmena Blvd. or Magallanes St. Based on my observation, if you can't speak bisaya, better speak English. Cebuanos prefer English than Filipino (country's language).

A few steps from Magellan's cross, you can find the Basilica Minore del Sto. Nino.

One of the white sand beaches of Cebu. This is somewhere in Lapu-lapu in one of our team buildings.

Sinulog. Cebuano's annual celebration to honor their patron Sto. Nino. This happens every first month of the year. One of the most celebrated festivals/fiestas in the Philippines.

We had a picture in one of the participants of Sinulog Festival. Cute! Fun, fun, fun but the downside? Prepare those spa-pampered feet for a long walk.

You could try to check its islands like Bantayan, Malapascua (for diving), Camotes, and etc. There are also good places to visit around the metro for example, the Zipline (Tops), Crown Regency's sky adventures, Taoist Temple, clubs, malls and more. As I've mentioned, there's still a lot of places I have failed to visit when I was in Cebu. I hope I could go back there.

More pictures?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/xymyr23/sets/72157624444630489/