Philippine Travels # 6: Favourites

As is probably obvious from my Instagram photos (for those of you who took on my suggestion to virtually creep on me there, at least. Haha), I went to Cebu last week with one of my longest, closest friends, Erika.

And inasmuch as I’m all averted to all things cheesy — well, at least online — I think I’d have to say this: Cebu is my favourite Philippine province. I mean, never mind that it doesn’t have high peaks; it’s a beautiful island with nothing but beauty (both in the landscapes and the profiles) within — and around — it. Plus, I can always go to the surrounding provinces should I feel the want to have the wind in my back and sun in my face kind of thing.

Anyway, in our (unfortunately) short stay in Cebu, we decided to not have an itinerary and see where we’ll end up in.

I’d like to think we ended up in better places from where we started off.

(I had very few photos of the whole trip, though. My phone got fried and my iPod followed soon thereafter. I didn’t know what was in me when I decided not to bring my camera charger. Here are, however, the few gems I was able to capture. Anyone in the Manila area willing to accompany me to Hidalgo tomorrow? Lol)

Photo run-through!

 

I’ve always wanted to go to Oslob ever since one of my closest friends/ROTC comrades went there for a conservation biology class. The idea of swimming with whale sharks, even for someone like me who only wades in the water, was so surreal that I had to try it.

And, you know, try it I did.

The kid in me was jumping for joy when the whale sharks appeared, eating krill off of the hands of the fishermen and guides who brought the whale sharks closer to us. The novice environmentalist in me, however, struggled. During the orientation earlier that day, we were told that the whale sharks should be at least 4 metres away from us, but it sure didn’t feel that way when the backs of the gentle giants would brush our feet and hands. I mean, inasmuch as it was magic literally swimming with them instead of being a few metres away from them as suggested, I hope regulations would be followed. It would be magic either way.

(Also, important life question: why isn’t Oslob a natural park yet?)

Anyway, after the encounter with the whale sharks, Erika and I rode a habal-habal to Tumalog Waterfalls, a beautiful water/rock formation just 20 minutes away from Oslob.

 

We spent a couple of hours by the falls — skimming the frozen lake, having our backs massaged by the thundering rush of water, hiding beneath bamboo groves when the sun decided to give us a grand Cebu welcome…

It was at that exact moment, looking up, when I realized this is where I’d always want to be. This is what I always want to do.

 

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We went to other places as well, but none of those, in retrospect, made me feel as grand and as small as when I was safely wedged between two rocks by the falls, soothed by the sound of drops and feeling the mist crawl up my skin like the first rays of sunlight after a stormy night.

                                     

We went to a museum, visited Magellan’s cross and Lapu-Lapu’s shrine (unfortunately, I wasn’t able to take a photo of the latter), and had our final lunch at Pizza Republic, which is owned by a friend’s family.

Cebu, you’re in a special place in my heart. I’ll be sure to come back.