Hello from Cebu City! Day 3 in the Philippines.
After a 10hour delay at Singapore airport and temporarily losing my baggage (for two nights-but hey not too bad since I am trying to live with less stuff anyways) I arrived on Sunday afternoon in Manila and got picked up by my Japanese friend. From what I have seen of Manila it is one traffic clogged city!! My friend is staying in the heart of Makati City, so I mostly explored Makati City- skyscrappers and chic boutiques- as well as visiting the American memorial cemetery and the old city or "intramuros", literally "between the walls".
The best place to get a crash course on Spanish colonial times is San Augustin Museum, possibly the most beautiful and comprehensive museum I have visited on this trip. San Augustin is a former convent and still used by Augustinian friars. It has a long and sometimed tragic history- witness the memorial plaques for the friars who were murdered during the Japanese occupation during the Second World War. Definitely a must see if you go to Manila. The other experience I enjoyed was travelling by river ferry, although it was disappointing to see how polluted the Pasig River is with trash floating all over the place.
I flew to Cebu City yesterday and am exploring a bit today before heading to Bohol island. The first pic below shows the view from the Tops View Deck above Cebu. Cebu also has lots of traffic and is a little grimy but colourful. People mostly get around by jeepney, or shared taxis which are sort of like comfy pick up trucks with a top and seats. some of these jeepneys can seat 30 people from the looks of it alhough most carry about 12-14 when full.
The food is pretty oily and very meat heavy. I tried lechon or pork yesterday , a typical Cebuano dish. After being practically vegetarian in Myanmar so much meat is a bit much for my system so I think I will pick up food from the supermarket more often here or opt for seafood. So far I have tried raw fish marinated in vinegar and chilis which was quite tasty.
I am looking forward to going to the beach!!
Hugs to all.
Mia
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