Cebu : Skywalks, Whale Sharks and Lechon

4:35:00 AM

Before the end of 2015, my friends and I were able to witness the beauty that is Cebu. Here are some places and activities that we got to do!

Anika Island Resort

Anika is a beach resort located in Sta Fe, Bantayan Island. You'll have to ride a ferry from Hagnaya Port to get here. From the port, it's a 15 minute ride to the resort itself.

Sta Fe sounds like a really good place to settle in

The powdery white sand is just how I like it, white and powdery. The water, pristine. I didn't get to swim though because lounging about in their beach chairs, enjoying the cool and crisp morning air, just felt so right.

The view from our porch

Lunch at their restaurant

The resto/lobby

Their rooms give you the hotel vibe. Clean beds, clean toilet, cable, and an unbeatable beach view. Although, a word of advice, if you and your friends decide to have a drinking session at night, you might want to lower down your voices or else your neighbor might storm out of his room and ask you guys what time you plan on ending your party and then sit for a while and pretend to look at something on his phone then leave after a couple of minutes. Just saying.

Bantayan Island Tour

We rented habal-habals for this tour. Being illiterate in the art of driving any-number-of-wheeled vehicle, I opted to ride with my dear friend, Jhoy, who despite driving in a manner that made my father nervous (I uploaded a video and then he texted me afterwards), brought the both of us safely back from the tour. If you don't trust any of your friends, you can always a hire a driver.

Mangrove Garden

It was too bad we arrived during low tide. The roots of the mangroves were staring at us from all over the place. We roamed the garden on a bamboo bridge. And there were cottages to stop by for a quick rest.

Some things you can do if the water is at least above your ankles. Which wasn't the case when we got there

The personnel showed us photos of how the garden used to be when it was teeming with mangroves. But because of the typhoons, the mangroves lessened in number. I see a lot of sprouts though. I hope it gets back to its original splendor.

Bakhaw Babae

Public Market

Dried fish, dried squid, dried everything! We went ahead and bought our dried fish here. We also bought supplies for our planned overnight camp at Virgin Island.

Saint Paul and Parish Church

Before heading back to the resort, we stopped by at St. Paul and Parish Church to fill ourselves with awe. Oh, the stories those stone pillars could tell.

Virgin Island Resort

A beach that could be reached by a boat ride. Half of the resort contains my favourite kind of white sand. The other half is covered in grass and different sorts of cottages, also, not-so-white sand. We were planning on renting a tent for the night, but when we stumbled upon their cabanas, we know we just had to rent it.

One side of the beach

And the other side of the beach. It's like two completely different places

The cabanas at night

We rented some snorkeling gear for some snorkeling action but it turns out there was really nothing to see underwater. So we spent most of our time taking photos.

It's difficult to take a good photo with the sun in your eyes

We ended the day with a scrumptious meal prepared by our boat guide, which we coordinated with the day before.

City Tour

We got to roam around a bit in the city before trying out the anticipated Skywalk and Edge Coaster.

Fort San Pedro

Fort San Pedro, a place where military things used to happen. For a very cheap fee, you get to walk around these grounds and learn more about your Cebu history. You can ask for a guide and they'd tour you around for free.

Skywalk & Edge Coaster

The Skywalk and Edge Coaster is one of the unique activities that Cebu city offers. If you are able to gather the guts for this, you'd be rewarded with a beautiful overview of the city.

How I managed a smile for this photo, I will never know

When the Edge Coaster moved, I screamed my heart out. I did not expect it to be that nerve-wracking. Which was sort of stupid of me because how on earth would riding a coaster tilted at 60 degrees at an edge of a building, 360 feet above the ground, not be nerve-wracking? I was so embarrassed after getting off and I just thanked my stars that I wasn't with the closest of my friends or else they would have made fun of me the second I walked back in the building. Oh, the screams I let go that day.

We had to pose in the inner ledge because we were such a big group. A smaller group gets to sit on the outer ledge.

The Skywalk was less terrifying. The view of the city was amazing. It was night time, so we were surrounded with city lights.

Larsian

Get your quick barbeque fix here! Just so many edibles to grill! How can one not be delighted!

One of everything please

I would stay away from the fish though. The fish we ordered made my tongue itch like hell. And that, certainly, cannot mean any good. Another friend of mine told us that they also had a bad experience with the fish there, so yes, stay away from the fish.

Tops

It was a long drive from Larsian to Tops and not to mention, a zig-zaggy one. I was exhausted from the activities of the day and I wasn't sure if I'd be able to enjoy Tops but man, was I wrong. The view is amazing! It was cold up there in the middle of the night so don't forget your jackets. There are food stalls and cafes for refreshment. It was a good thing we were able to rent a car. Riding a cab would've cost a fortune.

Whale Shark Watching

MY FAVOURITE PART OF THE TRIP. Don't ever go to Oslob, Cebu if you don't have any plans to see the majestic whale sharks. Just don't. Why would you even.

Why won't you take a selfie with me?

The activity starts with an orientation. When I found out that you can't touch the whale sharks, I cried a little bit inside. We then headed to the beach area and were handed life jackets. We got into a boat and they brought us to the interaction area.

Got it. Now show me some slow-moving filter feeding sharks, human!

All ready to go get us some whale shark friends

When I saw them, I couldn't handle my excitement. I just can't believe I'm actually seeing a thing that I just see on TV and on a certain game I play where you can sell them for bells. When I got into the water, it felt so surreal to be surrounded by such creatures.

I wonder if anyone got sucked in before?

Don't be too excited like me though because I kept following the whale sharks and got my head hit on a boat. The men who feeds them purposely throws the food in a certain direction so that the animals would follow and everyone would get their fair share of whale shark experience.

Tumalog Falls

We hired habal-habals to get to Tumalog Falls. These falls are one of the prettiest falls I have seen. And if you're thinking that I've seen quite a number of falls then you are sadly mistaken because I've only seen, like, three or four in my entire life. I'm more of a beach person but yes, Tumalog falls is very beautiful.

Sumilon Island

Sumilon Island is a 15-minute boat ride away from the main land. There's an entrance fee if you want to hang out in the resort but we decided to just chill by the shore and enjoy the waves while enduring the rain and cold wind.

Canyoneering

When I saw canyoneering on the itinerary, I had no idea what it is. When we arrived at Cebu, I still had no idea what it is. When I finally gathered the sense to ask, I found out that it consists of jumping from different level of falls. We got our helmets and life jackets on and I was pumped.

I loved it! We climbed, jumped, swam, slid, and at the end of it all we got to enjoy some grilled hotdogs.

Kawasan Falls

After the canyoneering adventure, we ended up in Kawasan falls. You can opt to have a meal here or have a shower massage. As for us, we breathed it out a little and delighted in watching the small falls from the edge of the water.

Zubuchon

When at Cebu, you do as the cebuanos do, So, of course, we had to try some lechon! Zubuchon's lechon does not disappoint. I have never had anything even close to it before. The roasted pig's caramelized skin just makes your appetite go all out. That crispy goodness makes me want to weep.

They say Rico's has the best lechon in town. We weren't able to visit the place because of our tight schedule but perhaps next time.

And that ends our five days of awesomeness in Cebu! I hope this post has encouraged you to visit Cebu. Say hi to the whales sharks for me if you do.

Shei

Shei is a young lady from the Philippines. She likes to travel on her personal time. She also likes cats and drawing.

Cebu : Skywalks, Whale Sharks and Lechon

Anika Island Resort