South East Asian Airlines (SEAIR) recently announced that it will launch its first domestic jet services from Manila to Cebu on July 1, 2011 and Manila to Davao on July 2 as part of the SEAIR-Tiger Airways Partner Airline Programme.

Special starting fare offers will be for as low as 499 PHP one-way to/from Cebu for travel on July 1 to October 29, 2011, and 999 PHP one-way to/from Davao for travel on July 2 to October 29, 2011. Passengers can now buy tickets online at FlySeair.com and tigerairways.com, or call +63 2 849 0100, the SEAIR Hotline for domestic and international flights.

SEAIR will have up to 10 daily flights to and from Cebu and up to six daily flights to and from Davao from its jet operations base at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) domestic terminal.

Cebu and Davao are the major tourist gateways in the Philippines for Visayas and Mindanao, respectively. Cebu, the “Queen City of the South”, also known locally as Sugbo, is the capital city of the island of Cebu and the oldest city in the country. Its popular tourist attractions include the Magellan’s Cross Shrine, an important historical landmark that signalled the beginning of the Spanish occupation in the Philippines, and the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño (Minor Basilica of the Santo Niño), which houses the Santo Niño de Cebú (Holy Child of Cebu), the oldest Catholic relic in the Philippines.

Apart from exploring the Spanish side of Cebu, nature-loving travellers can discover rich marine life at scuba diving spots in Moalbal, Malapascua, and Pescador Island, or hop on a ferry to its island neighbors, Bohol and Negros, for dive safaris in Cabilao and Apo Island.

The largest city in the country and the premier hub of Mindanao, Davao is home to some of the country’s top beach and mountain resorts, most notably the Pearl Farm in the secluded island of Samal, just 45 minutes off the coast of the city. Adventure-seekers can sign up for a two-day climb at Mount Apo, the Philippines’ tallest mountain at 9,692 ft located just 40 km northeast of Davao, or sample durian, “the king of fruits”, which, due to its unusual flavor and odor, have aroused intense passion in some and dislike in others. The annual week-long Kadayawan Festival in August, the biggest of its kind in Mindanao, is celebrated during the peak season of durian and mangosteen (another fruit) as a thanksgiving celebration for the bountiful harvest of flowers and fruits that Davao is known for.

The Cebu and Davao flights are the first domestic flights under the SEAIR-Tiger Airways Partner Airline Programme, which allows SEAIR to distribute its seats through the established online booking system, www.tigerairways.com. SEAIR is the first Tiger Airways Partner Airline in the Asia Pacific region.

“SEAIR’s great value fares and this expanded network will offer travellers even more value-for-money destinations to choose from, together with worry-free bookings. The introduction of high frequency domestic jet routes will also drive the creation of new jobs as well boost tourism across the Philippines,” said SEAIR President and CEO Avelino Zapanta.

SEAIR is the second oldest airline in the country. It has the reputation of having pioneered commercial flights to the country’s fastest growing tourist destinations including Boracay, Batanes, and northern Palawan. Now on its 16th year of operation, it has expanded its reach regionally with jet services to Singapore, Hong Kong, and Macau.

During our trip to Cebu, we spent a day in the city. There aren’t a lot of tourist spots to visit in the city so the next best thing is to try the country’s only sky attraction, the Skywalk Extreme and the Edge Coaster at the Crown Regency Hotel & Towers.

The Crown Regency Hotel in Cebu is the tallest building in the city spanning 38 floors. On the 37th floor is the Sky Walk where you will walk around outside the building and get a view of the whole city. The Edge Coaster on the 38th floor is a ride around the edge of the building where you can tilt your seat downward for a vertigo-inducing view.

We took a cab to Crown Regency at Fuente Osmeña and entered the hotel. The receptionist told us to head to the 19th floor to inquire about the rates.

Rates

Since we went there after lunch, we didn’t avail of their buffet with rides rate. There’s also a 4D theater available but we only opted for the Sky Walk and Edge Coaster ride.

The rate for the two rides is Php600 per head inclusive of a light snack. Not bad I might say considering how expensive the sky walk in Macau is. For complete rates and packages, check out their site.

After paying, we head up to the 38th floor and went outside to check out the view of Cebu city first before doing the rides. You can already see Bohol from the hotel.

Skywalk Extreme

This is the first and only Sky Walk in the country so it’s something you might want to try when you’re in Cebu. You will go outside for a 10 to 15-minute walk around the walkway with a cord attached to the ceiling and into your harness.

You need to wear a flight suit and rubber shoes. No slippers nor any loose items. No cameras allowed as well! They will give you a locker for you to place your belongings. If you don’t have any rubber shoes on, you need to buy a pair of socks (Php20) and they will lend you the shoes.

Once on your suit, you will put on your harness. There’s also an instructor who will brief you on some safety procedures. He will also lead you during the walk and act as some sort of tour guide. There’s also another personnel who will be taking photos during the walk.

As you do your walk, your guide will make you stop at certain points for some photo op. You can walk near the edge and look over below if you want.

Make sure you ask the photographer to take lots of photos with different poses. Take your time at each stop. It’s probably going to be a once in a lifetime thing so make the most of it.

When you’re done, you have the option to buy your photos on a CD or have it printed.

Ok I’m going to take some time talking about claiming the photos. I was surprised when I learned that the CD costs Php550!!! It gets more expensive if there are more of you so splitting the cost won’t do any good. Unbelievable! The photos were amateurish despite using a DSLR camera (there were a big speck on the lens) and we only had 10 shots. You can’t say no because you want to bring home something from it. Having a photo printed costs about Php200+. What a rip off!

Ok that’s enough ranting… for now.

Edge Coaster

Back at the 38th floor is the Edge Coaster. This is a 3-minute motorized ride around the edge of the building so you can get a nice view of the city in all angles.

No need to get into any harness here, your seat will keep you secure. You can control how your seat is tilted. Backward if you’re afraid of heights and just want to enjoy the view from the top or forward until you’re literally facing the pavement below.

Just like the Sky Walk, you are not allowed to bring your camera with you. You can ask a friend to go outside and take photos of you while on the ride though.

I was hesitant in buying our photos because it’s another Php550 for a CD of amateurish shots. They won’t even put your Edge Coaster and Sky Walk photos in one CD so you have to pay more than the rides. Geez! We settled for a 6×8 printed photo for Php230 because Tia insisted on it.

Afterwards, we headed back down to the 19th floor for our included snacks. It’s just a choice of a donut, dimsum or sandwich and an iced tea for your drink.

It wasn’t really a thrilling experience especially if you’re not afraid of heights. If you are then it’s best that you go at night. You won’t see the ground but you’ll get to enjoy the city lights.

If I’m going to do it again, I’m just going to go for the Sky Walk and have more photos taken. If not for the absurd cost of the photos I would’ve enjoyed my time in the Sky Experience Adventure.

Cebu Pacific is slashing 42% off the lowest year-round fare for Kota Kinabalu and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in a seat sale starting March 11 until March 13, 2010, for travel June 1 to August 31, 2010.

Avail of the ‘Go Lite’ seat sale fare of Php1,099 for flights from Manila to Kota Kinabalu; and if you are headed to the Truly Asia Capital of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur get the ‘Go Lite’ seat sale fare of Php1,999.

Cebu Pacific flies every Monday and Friday to Kota Kinabalu, and daily to Kuala Lumpur, both key cities in Malaysia. Be on your way to Kota Kinabalu, a resort city in Sabah, is the gateway to Mount Kinabalu, the tallest mountain in Southeast Asia. Kuala Lumpur, on the other hand, is home to the Petronas Towers and is the capital city of Malaysia.

Grab the ‘Go Lite’ seat sale fare of P688 on CEB’s nine times weekly Manila-Roxas flights.

Cebu Pacific also offers Fun Tours hotel packages to Kuala Lumpur as low as Php4,190 and to Kota Kinabalu as low as Php3,404. These are inclusive of four days, three nights hotel accommodation with buffet breakfast.

The Amorita Resort in Panglao Island, Bohol is one of the newest resorts in the island that caters to the high-end tourists. Amorita combines the comforts and service of a 5-star hotel and the beautiful scenery of a beach-front vacation spot. Just be prepared to fork out Php8,500 per night on one of their queen-sized bedrooms.

From Manila: Domestic carriers such as Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific have direct flights to Tagbilaran City Daily.

From Cebu: Fast craft sea vessels such as Ocean Jet, SuperCat and Weesam have daily trips to Tagbilaran City with approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes travel time.

Amorita offers escorted transfers (30-45 minutes) from the airport or the pier in Tagbilaran (Capital of Bohol)
to the resort.

Manila Sales & Reservations Office:
Unit 1632 City and Land Mega Plaza,
ADB Ave., Ortigas Center, Pasig City
Tel Nos: +63 2 687-3641/914-0585/+63 2 914-1728/914-1527
Fax No: +63 2 914-0584
Mobile: +63 917 8619441/922 8593403
Email: inquiries @ amoritaresort.com
URL: www.amoritaresort.com

In Bohol:
Easter A. Lim Drive, Brgy. Tawala,
Panglao, Bohol, Philippines 6340
Tel Nos. +63 38 502-9001 to 03
Fax No. +63 38 502-9002

As posted by the Philippines Department of Tourism (DoT), see below the list of events for the year 2008:

Panagbenga: Baguio Flower Festival
Baguio City; February 1 to March 5
(074) 4465793, 4421007

Sibug-Sibug Festival
Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay; February 1 to 16
(062) 3335557

Bicol Arts Festival
Legazpi City, Albay; February 1 to 28
(052) 8206315

Music & Theater Festival
De Lara Park (Capitol Grounds), Cagayan de Oro; February 1 to 29
(08822) 726394, 723696

Salakayan Festival
Miag-ao, Iloilo; First week of February
(033) 5091260, 3209505

Chinese Lunar New Year
Baguio City; February 2
(074) 4422855

Feast of our Lady of Candles
Jaro, Iloilo City; February 2
(033) 5091260, 3209505

Pamulinawen
Laoag City, Ilocos Norte; February 2 to 10
(077) 7731676

Fiesta Tsinoy
Legaspi City, Albay; February 3
(052) 4820712

Dinagsa
Sto. Nino Plaza, Poblacion, Muntinlupa City
(02) 5230820

Burdahan Festival
Taal, Bocaue, Bulacan; February 4 to 13
(044) 6926720, (0920) 4008240

Chinese New Year
Manila; February 7
(02) 5281134

Burgos Town Fiesta/Buybuy Festival
Burgos, La Union; February 9 to 11
(0912) 2081227, (0918) 2134618

Chinese New year
Downtown Iloilo City; February 9
(033) 3372172, 3367572

Babaylan Festival
Bago City, Negros Occidental; February 9
(034) 4610540, 7328362

Pagoda sa Daan
Pateros, Metro Manila; 2nd Saturday of February
(02) 5424346

Fertility Rites/Feast Day of Sta. Clara
Sta. Clara Parish, Pasay City; February 10
(02) 5510523

Bodbod Kabog
Catmon, Cebu; February 10
(032) 4309196

Tinagba Festival
Iriga City; February 11
(054) 6551397

Rokyaw Festival
Aquinas University, Legaspi City; February 11
(052) 8208747

Ullalim Festival
Tabuk, Kalinga; February 12 to 14
(074) 4427014, 6191127

Foundation Anniversary of the Province of Apayao
Kabugao, Apayao; February 14
(074) 4427014, 6191127

Laguimanok Festival
Padre Burgos, Quezon; February 14 to 17
(0920) 9075812

Sarok
Consolacion, Cebu; February 14
(032) 3441246

Travel Tour Expo
SMX Convention Center, SM Bay City, Pasay City; February 15 to 17
(02) 5520026 to 29, 8451324

Governor’s Cup 2008 – A Horse Show Competition
Cube Boardwalk, Mandaue City; February 15 to 17
(032) 2341643

Sayaw Pinoy
Liceo de Cagayan University, February 16
(08822) 723696

Sorteo Grand Festival
Carmona, Cavite; February 16 to 22
(046) 4301611

Iloilo Paraw Regatta
Villa Beach, Sto. Nino Sur, Arevalo, Iloilo City; February 16 to 17
(033) 3372172; 3367572

Tawo-tawo
Bayawas City, Negros Oriental; February 18
(035) 5310743

Kapyaan Festival
Davao del Sur, February 18 to 19
(0920) 3136792, (082) 4411472

Kaamulan Festival
Bukidnon, February 18 to March 10
(08822) 726394, 723696

Pasayaw
Canlaon City, Negros Oriental; February 19
(035) 4140004

Sampaguita Festival
San Pedro, Laguna; February 21 to 22
(02) 8686623

Musikahan
Tagum City; February 21 to 27
(084) 4003788, 3710659

Kalilangan Festival
General Santos City; February 21 to 27
(083) 5538338, 5538448

33rd Bamboo Organ Festival
Las Pinas Church, Las Pinas City; February 21 to 29
(02) 8741440

WOW Araw ng Caraga
Caraga; February 22 to 23
(085) 8156040

International Philippine Marathon
Manila – Marikina; February 24
Registration: February 17; Orchidarium, Rizal Park
(02) 5276376, 5276378 to 79

Cebu Charter Day
Cebu City; February 24
(032) 4124355

Ani ng Sining
Municipal Gym, Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur; February 25 to 28
(0920) 3136792, (082) 4411463

On our third day in Laoag, we took a trip south to Vigan City, the capital of Ilocos Sur. We only planned to visit Calle Crisologo and Baluarte to save time.

After a quick breakfast at Balay da Blas, we took a trike and left for the Bus Terminal going to Vigan. I forgot the name of the bus but it’s only an ordinary one (non-airconditioned) and the fare was Php100 each. The ride lasted for 2 and 1/2 hours with some short stops picking up passengers by the road.

TIP: If you could spare Php20 more for your fare, I would suggest riding an air-conditioned bus like PARTAS. The seats are more comfy, they don’t stop to wait for passengers, and you don’t have to take in the scent of burning leaves by the roadside every few minutes.

We got off at the Vigan City Hall and asked directions from the traffic cops on how to get to Calle Crisologo. From the city hall, Calle Crisologo is about 3 blocks away so we just traveled there by foot.

First thing we saw is Plaza Burgos which is some sort of mini Rizal Park complete with a little statue of Jose Rizal in the middle. You can also see a lot of calesas for hire parked here. We did not hire one since we don’t plan on seeing the whole of Vigan and the ride is expensive for our budget.

Plaza Burgos

Beside the park is St. Paul’s Cathedral or what is commonly known as Vigan Cathedral. Just like St. William’s Cathedral in Laoag, this church is old but you wouldn’t recognize it since it is regularly maintained giving it a freshly painted look.

Vigan Cathedral with locals included

On one side of Plaza Burgos is the street leading to Calle Crisologo. You could easily see the statue of Leona Florentino, the famous Ilocana poet, satirist and playright during the Spanish Period, in front of the first Max’s Restaurant.

Tourist info center on the left, Cafe Leona on the right

TIP: If you are new to Vigan, you could head straight to the Ilocos Sur Tourist Information center and ask for a brochure as well as directions and other things. It is situated at the start of Crisologo St. besides Cafe Leona.

You can also see the Ilocos Sur Tourist Information center near the statue. We went there first to grab a brochure of Ilocos Sur and ask questions regarding other places to visit and transportation fares as well. The information guy is friendly and very helpful. Besides the information center is Cafe Leona which is a very nice place to eat. They serve huge servings of Filipino and Italian food at a decent price. Make sure to try their iced tea!

CALLE CRISOLOGO

Calle Crisologo or Crisologo St. is a 4-block street with cobblestone pavement lined with souvenirs and antique shops. No vehicles are allowed (only calesas) on the street except for the intersections. So if you’re going to take a nice photo of the street, make sure there are no cars, scooters, motorcycles passing through the intersections. We spent a great deal of time here to buy souvenirs for our friends and family.

Afterwards, it’s time to go to Baluarte, the home and mini zoo of Chavit Singson. We took a trike for Php40 after haggling it down from Php60 and it took us around 20 minutes to get there and there’s no entrance fee.

Calle Crisologo

BALUARTE

When you first step into Baluarte, you could see ostriches around the lobby and information area. Yup, they’re not fenced! There are also little horses with small carriages on them that you can ride for free to tour you around the place. I won’t be writing about what I saw at the zoo since that will sound like an elementary school paper but one thing’s for sure, the little ponies have huge dongs. Hehehe.

TIP: Do not stay late at Baluarte if you don’t plan on bringing your own vehicle. I don’t think the tricycle drivers waits there all day long.

We finished at around 3pm and luckily there are still lots of tricycles outside Baluarte to take us back to the city. Price is still Php40 but originally the driver’s asking for Php50. Anyway, we asked the driver to drop us off at the PARTAS bus terminal going toback to Laoag.

The bus is air-conditioned and Php20 more expensive but it’s more spacious and the seats are well-cushioned. We arrived at Laoag at around 5 PM and went back to our suite.

FARE BREAKDOWN

• Ordinary Bus from Laoag to Vigan – Php 100
• Tricycle travelling to and from Baluarte – Php 40-50
• Air-conditioned Bus from Vigan to Laoag (PARTAS) – Php 121.00

For dinner, we ate at C&E Pizzeria and tried their Bagnet Pizza. Mmmm. I strongly suggest that you try it yourself. We just packed our things and pasalubongs in the evening for our flight tomorrow noon.

The day after, we arrived at the airport 1 hour before our flight which is 12 noon but found out that it was delayed for 3 hours. Hayyy Cebu Pacific talaga.

This concludes the series of our Ilocos Tour. I hope you find it helpful in planning your trip to Ilocos. It’s a must-visit place here in the Philippines!

Part 1: From Manila to Laoag
Part 2: Going to Pagudpud
Part 3: Pagudpud
Part 4: City of Laoag
Part 5: South of Laoag
Part 6: Going to Vigan from Laoag

If you have any questions/suggestions/corrections, please feel free to leave a comment. Thanks!

On December 2007, my wife and I went on a 6-day Ilocos tour. We visited places in Laoag, Pagudpud and Vigan. We don’t know anybody there so it was a great adventure for us. I’m writing our experience to help others out there who want to visit the place but don’t know where to start, what to visit, how to get where, etc.

Our plan is to go to Pagudpud first and stay there for 2 nights then go back to Laoag for 3 more nights. It was raining pretty bad the week before we’re supposed to leave and since it’s already December, we decided not to go swimming anymore on the nice beaches of Pagudpud.

We travelled by plane (Cebu Pacific) to Laoag instead of the cheaper but 12 hour bus ride from Manila to Laoag. As many of you may experience riding Cebu Pacific, always expect that the flight would be delayed. Anyhow, we were greeted with a nice sunny weather landing in Laoag Airport.

TIP: Call your airline before you leave for the airport for schedule changes. It sucks to be stuck on the terminal for hours.

Our next order of business upon landing is to head straight to Pagudpud which is covered on the next part.

Part 1: From Manila to Laoag
Part 2: Going to Pagudpud
Part 3: Pagudpud
Part 4: City of Laoag
Part 5: South of Laoag
Part 6: Going to Vigan from Laoag

If you have any questions/suggestions/corrections, please feel free to leave a comment. Thanks!

Dalaguete: Pueblo Antigo

As the music of the wind plays, passing by the scenic coastal road and lush vegetation of southern Cebu, we passed by the siloy (a black bird endemic to Cebu) town of Alcoy on our way to Dalaguete. The town known for being the Vegetable basket of Cebu and melodic way of speaking Sugbohanon (perhaps quite to Hiligaynon).

Seeing the casa real (municipal hall) of Dalaguete, I’ve noticed that it has quite a number of old houses, mostly of bahay na bato architecture or as popularly stated as “Antillan” by some. It was quite hot and humid by that time, so we decided to buy bottled water. Inita pud oi! As we went deeper to the poblacion, there’s our main destination: Iglesia de San Guillermo el Hermitanio. Another church fortress with a watchtower. Its more like a twin of Argao’s Iglesia de San Miguel but quite minimalist in nature. It has also a watchtower in front of the plaza and along side the church is the convent.

After having a relaxing time by the town’s seaside promenade, its time to move on towards our next destination: Argao. And we’re quite hungry and the sky has started to be gray.

Argao: Viaje Comida y Herencia

Gutum na gyud mi nya kapuya na dyutay. Our stomachs are grumbling in disgrace as we rode the bus going to Argao. Its a 15 minute ride from Dalaguete though, so its quite near than Boljo-on to Dalaguete. The sky dimmed in grey and we disembarked on the town’s designated waiting shed.

We were searching for a place to eat, and found a lechonan along the highway. Gees, the lechon for half a kilo was just around P140! Thats already good for 4! And boy, the lechon was tasty! Sulit! Finished our Lechon de Cebu comida, then its time to go visita iglesia again.

La Iglesia de San Miguel de Arcangel is one of the most impressive church structures in Cebu island. Oozing its baroque and rococo aspects, the facade is intricately carved and the belltower that is imposing. Surrounding the “walled town” is the Civil Government buildings of Argao, which sits across the plaza. As usual, the convent sits beside the church. But what is saddening though is that what the priest did to the beautiful retablo. Someone has just have this urge to paint all the retablo saints into gold! Ano ba yan! Walang art! The rest of the church interior was awesome except for the tragic fate of the retablo-altar.

It was already drizzling and I was seeking for Argao’s famous delicacy, torta. We passed by Chingays and bought some pasalubong for just P30 per torta. Its more like a sweet bread with sugar, cheese and raisins, raised by cocunut wine or tuba instead of yeast, making its distinct aroma and flavor.

We’re tired already, we’re heading for our last destination: The heritage city of Carcar.

Torta

Carcar City: Destinasyon Ultimo de Herencia

Noticing Carcar’s narrow streets and age-old houses along the highway signifies the wealth that this town posseses. Carcar has numerous old structures in its poblacion area but endangered due to urban traffic encroachment. We set foot from the marketplace, crossing the Carcar rotunda and went to the church plaza immediately. Oh my! Nahutdan na battery ang camera! So I bought batteries while Arnold and the rest of the gang waited.

After a few minutes, we set off to Carcar’s Plaza. Surrounded by vintage houses, P Del Corro Building, the Convento and the uniquely Moorish-Orthodoxic architecture of Iglesia de Santa Alexandria. It was a Sunday so the plaza was busy. The design of the church is quite unique in our country. It looks more of a Russian Orthodox church rather than a Roman Catholic church, some believe that it made the marauding Moros thought that this was a mosque in order for them to evade invasion of the town.

The church still maintains a beautiful interior altar and the walls still intact. The ceiling with its antiquated azure paint signifies its majestic past yet what destroyed this beautiful edifice was the screen doors in the main door. Unsa man na oi, morag canteen! (What the heck, its look like a canteen!) The reason: to prevent birds from entering the church. Susmio!

After an exiting day of traveling south, we have nearly traveled more or less 200 kilometers already. Quite exhausted but the tour was unforgettable. We were stuffed with amazing vistas of the sea, the aroma and the grandeur of the antiquity, savoring the delicacies and embraced by the warm Cebuano hospitality, the suroy-suroy that we had that one Sunday was truly an experience.

It was definitely my first boat ride in Cebu and my first time meeting some strangers that would become my ultimate barkada in the Queen City. A balikbayan forumer came home and promised a treat that the forumers based in Cebu would never forget. Island hopping from Mactan Island to Olango Island and back and hitting the big waves of the southerly wind also known in the Philippines as habagat.

It was a year ago.

Shangri-La Paradiso

And it was also clealy my first time entering Mactan Shangri-la Resort, a top-end hotel located in the eastern portion of the Island of Mactan in Cebu, Philippines. Itself the beaches are exclusive for hotel guests only. Sayang! Although I’ve got a glimpse of its beach. Anyway, this hotel became the official residence of the 12th ASEAN Summit which was held earlier this year.

Paris’ Pink Sister and the Port

So we went off to Punta Engaño Port, the main entrypoint for Olango-bound passengers and tourist. We rented an outrigger boat for P2000 for the whole day. The port is located just behind the posh Mediterranean-inspired Hilton Resort and Spa which is a condotel (condominium and hotel) and a resort in one package. It is the tallest skyscraper in Mactan Island and can be seen as far as Carmen in mainland Cebu.

Back to the banca, i noticed that the sea between Mactan and Olango islands were choppy. At first, I’m having doubts of cruising with this kind of situation. No, there are no typhoons at that time nor rain, its just windy. After the negotiation, we went off to Olango island hitting gargantuan waves.

Korean Stilt Colony

Why Korean colony? We were hungry and searching for a community that has fresh bountiful harvest from the sea. The banca operator told us that there are restaurants on stilts in the northern Olango shores and guess what, they are choosy. And they choose Korean citizens to dine in. And also, the price: it was immensely dollar rated! You might spend more than PhP10,000!

After crossing the choppy waters, so we have no choice but to take a rest, dine and enjoy the strong habagat wind. Fresh seafood that is but with a price that is too steep for a local tourist.

Cruising Olango

We planned to go to the bird sanctuary but it was not the season, so we just went cruising on the shore of Olango Island and yes, we were hit by those whitecap waves again. I just imagine that scenario in the Perfect Storm! It was a rocky one hour ride beside the western coast of Olango facing Mactan and seeing Cebu in the distance.

Now, we were at the end of the southern tip of the island, its time to cruise back to Mactan, this time, its already mid-afternoon and the waves were stronger then ever.

Crossing the treacherous waters

We have no choice but to go back to the Maribago area of Mactan island with the waves strongly hitting against the banca. As we head to Mactan, our banca is already slanting towards the right side since the waves were hitting us on our left portion (starboard, port, someone help me here!). There is one wave that hit us so hard that I was panicking. Boy, it was so close, and still Mactan is 30 minutes away!

Cruising Mactan

The waves subsided as we approach the Mactan shores. We saw a lot of tourists in jetskis and banana boats and resorts were jampacked despite it being a weekday. Mactan’s eastern shore is lined up with high-end to low-cost resorts. It is one of Metro Cebu’s assets since city living is accompanied by island living. Plantation Bay in the south all the way to Hilton Resort in the northern shore, the beaches and the sea was full of Asian tourists.

And so we cruised slowly along the coast. It was relaxing rather than having an adrenaline rush earlier, so we took pictures.

We ended up our day tired and so, after that 5 hour cruise, we went back to Punta Engano port.

It was an experience that I could never forget. It was one July Tuesday. It was the start of the friendship that I had with my barkada in Cebu. It was the time I realized what Enya sang in the Orinoco Flow… “From Peru to Cebu, sail away!”

San Fernando, Pampanga is set to be the first of four Philippine cities to host the upcoming Shroud of Turin exhibit. After enlightening New Zealand, Shroud Exhibits International, Inc. presents the Philippine Exhibition of The Mystery of the Shroud of Turin, opening on July 20 at SM Pampanga.

Revered for hundreds of years as the burial shroud of Jesus Christ, the Shroud of Turin is locked away in a cathedral in Italy, publicly displayed only three or four times a century. On these rare occasions, pilgrims from all over the world troop to Turin to witness the exposition.

However, Filipinos need not wait until the next official exposition in 2025, as they have the chance to view the replica of this artifact together with over 80 other exhibit items from the collection of Mr. Barrie Schwortz, the Official Documenting Photographer commissioned by King Umberto II of Savoy, the Shroud’s previous monarch-owner.

The Philippine Exhibition of the Shroud of Turin begins in Pampanga and will then be taken to SM Mall of Asia from Sept. 8 to Dec.9; SM City Davao from Jan. 18 to Feb.3, 2008; and SM City Cebu from April 4 to 27, 2008.

Managed by Primetrade Asia, Inc., endorsed by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) and the Department of Education, and for the benefit of the Sisters of the Holy Face Congregation, The Holy One of the Lord Catholic Foundation, Inc., and the Diocese of Parañaque, the exhibit is a 45-minute lights and sound show that also features exclusive video clips and other special artifacts.

The exhibition allows visitors to journey with the Shroud’s history, discover the facts and myths behind the most studied archaeological artifact of all time, and unravel the mystery behind this treasured piece. Visitors will be taken on a module by module tour of the historical pilgrimage of the Shroud including the Way of the Cross, and the various theories based on art, science, technology, and the Bible that aim to shed light on this historical, scientific and ecclesiastical phenomenon.

A Reflection Room is also on hand for visitors who wish to spend some moments in quiet solace and prayer, while a special area of the exhibition is also set aside for special events, such as seminars and workshops, hosted by religious groups.

For more details, contact Shroud Exhibits International, Inc. at 895-2966 or 610-0870, or email info@shroudexhibits.ph.