Hi Hive😍👋
What's your holiday been like?
I'm hoping that with someone special in your life, you will enjoy this holiday of yours.
I'm on vacation with my cousin and niece, who come from Mindanao. Last year, this vacation was planned. They'd like to go with me to some tourist spots in the Visayas in Cebu City. I'm currently living in Cebu and I'm used to traveling and the destination we're going to is familiar to me so I'm sure I can accompany them with confidence and also be their guide for the travel time to commute in a cheap way.
📌Day one of the vacation💗
In the morning I took a bus to Cebu City at 5 o'clock. The bus leaves at five o'clock and twenty six minutes. Before I left the house, I just had coffee and biscuits. The bus terminal is close to where I live, so I had no trouble finding a ride to North Bus Terminal (NBT) in Cebu City. My bus ride takes three hours and twenty minutes, and the fare is one hundred and fifty pesos (₱150.00).
At eight o'clock and twenty seven minutes in the morning, I have arrived on the North Bust terminal. I had a good ride on the bus to Cebu City.
So I went straight to the next terminal where Mybus is located. I've been standing in line to buy tickets to Mactan Airport, LapuLapu City, where I'm going to pick up my cousin and niece.
The mybus ticket fare is only fifty pesos (₱50.00). You're being dropped off at the Mactan Airport entrance by this bus. The trip from mybus terminal to Mactan airport took me forty five minutes.
To find the exit of the airplanes that arrived, just walk to your left near the yellow jeepney stop and there you will notice the stairs going down. You'll see a passenger exit in this area as soon as you get down. I've been able to find my cousin and niece easily because I told them to wait in front of Jolibee fastfood, so that they wouldn't mind waiting until I got there. And we finally met in their few minutes of waiting.
After that, I went into the comfort room as soon as possible. We leave right away and go to the waiting area to ride a jeepney. Before we go to our hotel in Cebu City where we're staying during this vacation, we will be going to the 10,000 Roses🌹 Cafe. To test this out for them, I took a cheap ride in the city of Cebu on their initial day tour.
Cheapest fare:
₱8.00 - Yellow Jeepney (Multi-cab): from Mactan Airport (outside) to Savemore Opon Market. (Seventeen Minutes.)
₱16.00 - Jeepney from Savemore Opon Market to Cordova. (Thirty-Five Minutes.)
₱30.00 - Electric Tricycle/Tricycle going to 10,000 Roses. (Five minutes)
We've reached 10,000 Rosas from Mactan airport in fifty minutes. But unfortunately to know that they are closed at that time 11:00 a.m. and it will open at 2:00 p.m. We'll have no choice but to leave the place right away because the weather's hot.
We rode a tricycle near the Metro Mall in Cordova where we could ride a jeep to the terminal where we would ride another jeep to the Park Mall.
Commute fare:
₱30.00 - Tricycle: From 10,000 Roses to Metro Mall, Cordova
₱16.00 - Near Metro Mall, Cordova ride a Jeepney to Jeepney Terminal
₱16.00 - From Terminal to Park Mall.
We were dropped off at the jeepney terminal at Park Mall and we walked to the Jolibee fast food where we would have lunch.
After we've done our Lunch, we ride a taxi going to Salinas Suites in Lahug, Cebu City. We paid 108.00 pesos for the ride.
It was 2:04 p.m. when we arrived at the Salinas Suites. After we got our room keys, we went up the stairs and rested in our room for an hour before going out again.
❣️ Basilica Minore Del Sto. Niño, Cebu, Philippines
From Salinas Suites, we walk to the highway where the Mini bus or jeepney going to Basilica Minore del Sto. Nino. We've chosen to take the mini bus because it was air conditioned, in order to relieve the heat.
When we came to the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño Church, we went straight to the place where we're going to light a candle and pray, and we've asked for gratitude and guidance in our journey, and we're going to be safe during our vacation.
Then we went inside the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño Church and we knelt before the altar of the church and prayed. I'm taking them to the oldest church in Cebu before we go on tour with my cousins and niece.
We'll go out and take some pictures after we pray.
We bought a candle from the candle sellers inside the church (you can easily notice them apart from the fact that they are offering candles, you will hear them say "Sinug Mam/Sir") they are wearing the color Yellow -gold and red clothing. Before giving it to you from them, they will first ask you how many pieces of candles are you going to buy, ten pesos for a candle, then they will start with their traditional "sinug" prayer dance.
Sinug is what they call the prayer dance while holding the candle. The simple way they dance is to raise and lower the back part of the foot but the front part of the foot stays on the ground and the body swings left and right. The way to dance is to pray sincerely for everyone who has an intention of thanksgiving, forgiveness, and recovery from illness.
They dance in front of the altar of Sto Niño Church, while they say the prayers you listen silently and there is a part of the prayer that you have to answer. You can take the candles you've bought with you and offer them to Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño Church, which is in a designated area.
We went to the Magellan's Cross, near the entrance of Basilica Minore del Sto Niño Church. You can leave a candle here as well.
We've stopped to look at it and see the upper part as we walk by Magellan's Cross. After we took photos for memories we left.
Trip to I.T Park
We're going to I.T Park, where we can take the Green Bus to Tops Mountain View. We rode a mini bus and it took forty one minutes to get there.
Nine Minutes of walking we reach the bus terminal.
To get to the Tops in my time frame, it's gonna take 30 minutes.
The lady staff will collect two hundred pesos (P200.00) for each passenger, which covers the fare back and forth including the entrance fee to Tops Mountain View before you get off the bus. The tickets were divided into three cuts. Collecting the collector for the bus ride from I.T. Park to Tops is one part of a ticket. And another one piece of ticket collected when you enter an entrance fee in Tops. Then the last ticket must be kept with you, 'cause when you go back to I.T. Park on a bus, they collect that ticket.
As darkness enveloped the surroundings, strange colorful lights appeared everywhere. The color of the sky is amazing, it's bright and it's very beautiful to look at.
From where I'm standing at the Tops Mountain View in Cebu, this is a beautiful view. I can recognize the Cebu Cordova Link Expressway Bridge (CCLEX) and the SM Sea Side Mall. The planes that fly with light are blinking from above. It is so amazing.
Here in Tops Mountain View with the sunset, I've never missed a chance to take some photographs.
There's still a lot of work to be done on the Tops building. The upper part is still under construction, the lower part has areas that are already occupied and has some displays and there are restaurants where you can order food while you are here.
People around are busy taking pictures and looking at the scenery of moments they've all experienced in one place. We don't know each other, but we were in the same place and at the same time. They're becoming my background, knowing I'm the same in their photographs. It's really relaxing in this place.
I've been to Tops Mountain View, and I can see the city of Cebu at night, with the lights on.
The fence that had been built on Tops was stainless, and lenght up to my shoulders from the ground.
Please take care of your things when you're in this area. 'Cause you can't put things back when they fall from the fence.
The sunset has passed, the moon on the other side of the sky is here. Amazing Moon, which gives you the night's glory.
We decided to leave this place after more than an hour's stay, walking around and enjoying that view.
It's not far from the entrance to Tops Mountain View, where the bus is park. We handed the ticket to a fare collector standing next to the bus.
The experience in today's tour was great, unexpected but we did it. Leaving with a lovely smile and sweet memories of this place.
From Tops to I.T. Park, we have a smooth and safe bus ride. We had a safe journey, although on the curvy road we encountered many cars, buses and motorcycles going to Tops Mountain View.
In thirty eight minutes we arrived at I.T Park Terminal where we rode hours ago. And then we're looking for something to go with dinner.
My cousin and niece decided to try the "Tuslob buwa"(Cebuano Street food) it is the brain 🧠 of the pig, it looks like a gravy.
In this menu, the "Tuslob buwa" cooked by the customers, the butane stove, the pan and ladle are ready in the dinning area, the ingredients are placed in these plastic covered cups that they will serve it to. Light the stove, put the pan on the stove, add oil, using ladle to mix some ingredients, and add the pig brains they've prepared. Once you've reached the texture of this cooking, it'll be ready to eat.
This dinner doesn't need a plate, a spoon or a fork. You'll need the "puso" "hangging rice" (coconut leaf which is shaped like a diamond or rectangles with rice inside of it). When you buy "puso "they slice it already so that it is easy to get the rice. Put a half piece of puso in the pan, dip it into the cooked pig's brain. You'll be dropping it over and over again every time you bite. It's entertaining, doesn't it? They've both had a good time, and for my dinner I chose chicken with puso.
After we had eaten, we returned to the hotel right away.
...and that's what I shared with you at the beginning of our four days vacation. Thanks for reading my blog, I appreciate your time. Bless you, Take care 👋😊🫰.