Visiting Cebu from Cagayan de Oro City

Parents Homeland

Both my parents are originally from Visayas my mother was born in Cebu and my father is from Daan Bantayan Island, during the 70s they have migrated to Mindanao particularly in Davao Oriental. I and all of my siblings were born and grew up in the “Land of Promise.”

Cebu City is considered as the “Queen City of the South” and the capital city of the entire Visayas region, this city is among the richest cities in the Philippines. The city is very popular not only for the locals but as well as for international travellers, Cebu is the third best islands in the world according to a travel magazine.

Recently, during my short vacation in the Philippines from Saudi Arabia, I had the chance to visit Cebu City together with my mother. I was very excited to see this place since it was my first time travelling there. Going to Cebu City from Cagayan de Oro is very easy, you can either go by ship or by airplane. In our case, since I got only ten 10 days in the Philippines, we went there by airplane.

Exploring Taoist Temple Cebu City

There is a direct flight from Cagayan de Oro to Cebu City twice a week, the flight time is less than an hour. Upon landing in Cebu City, I have seen the difference between Cebu and Cagayan de Oro. Cebu City is big and wide, compared to Cagayan. We stayed in a hotel in the central part of the city in order to easily explore popular tourist areas.

During our first day in Cebu, we had visited a very famous tourist destination called “Taoist Temple” it is located in an upper-class subdivision. A temple is a place of worship by Taoist people mostly Filipinos with Chinese descent. The temple is very unique and colorful with exquisite carvings and design in detail.

The location is highland; therefore, you can have a great view of the downtown city of Cebu. Along with us, there were a number of visitors and tourists as well. We stayed there for a couple minutes, trying to explore the beauty of the temple. I have seen a huge replica of a dragon, this mystical creature is considered by Taoist as sacred and god.

There is also a place where visitors throw coins into a large vessel similar to that of a wishing well. Just avoid taking photos of the interior of the temple especially when there are people praying. Other than that, taking photos and videos are fine.

Shopping In The Biggest Mall of Cebu

After our visit to the temple, we went straight to the biggest mall in Cebu City – SM seaside, the mall's shape is round, and located along the sea.  

Inside the mall is so spacious and cosy, there is also a very beautiful garden where you can sit and take nice photos. If you walk around the mall, you will end up in the same location where you came from because the mall’s shape is a sphere. A good variety of shops from local to international brands are available, of course, we also tried dining there and had a delicious lunch in the mall overlooking the sea.

After our lunch, we went down to the department store and had a shopping spree, bought some souvenirs and clothes for myself and family. We left the mall already night time and headed back to our hotel. Upon reaching the hotel, we went out again to explore nearby malls on foot.

Fort San Pedro Popular Tourist Spot

On the second day of our visit in Cebu we went to a popular spot called “Fort San Pedro” the place is the remnants of the Spanish colony. The Fort is very old and there is a small museum inside the building, there were many foreign tourists while we were there. 

The Fort was built by the Spaniards against invaders and raiders. This place is also locally known as Plaza Independencia, we had a great number of photos taken in this great landmark of the city.

After our visit there, we drove to another popular mall in Cebu to take our dinner, the mall is located in the business and financial district of the city. There are high rise office and condominium buildings in the area that resembles Makati City in Manila.

Indeed, Cebu City is growing rapidly no wonder why is it deemed as the Queen City of the South because of its progressive development. The city also serves as the hub of international Business Process Outsourcing companies. Due to my limited days in the Philippines, I only stayed in the city for three days and went back to Cagayan de Oro City to spend some more days with my family.

Definitely, it was an enjoyable experience exploring Cebu City and I had a taste of the city’s finest restaurants and seeing spectacular tourist spots. I am considering to return to this city in the future, what about you? Have you ever been to Cebu? How was your experience? Let me know in the comment box below.

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