Travelling overland and by boat in the Philippines involves some long journeys, so it is inevitable you’ll need to make some stopovers. Here are 3 that we didn’t stay long enough in to warrant their own posts but to skip over them would be unfair.
Cebu City
Our first stop was the gateway to Bohol – Cebu City. The second busiest airport after Manila, a lot of people pass through but not so many stay in the city. We however chose to stay for a few days, mainly because we arrived on Good Friday and almost everything was closed but being a city thankfully some places were still open.
On Easter Saturday we visited a mall – not a traditional cultural experience perhaps but a popular Filipino pastime, and just walking around and people watching was fascinating. It was also our first chance to visit one since all were closed on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.
Ayala Mall in Cebu
On Easter Sunday we visited San Pedro fort, a crumbling Spanish fort which although small, was very calm and picturesque.
Aside from a children’s birthday party taking place…
Despite not really doing an awful lot in Cebu, we quite liked it. It’s a big city (though a fraction of the size of Manila) so it takes a while to get around but luckily taxis are cheap and tend to have honest drivers.
Dumaguete
We were quite looking forward to Dumaguete, it was supposed to be a hip university town, and I imagined a chilled day walking along the Boulevard stopping to check out some cool cafe’s.
Well we sort of did that, except the boulevard seemed quite seedy with sexpats filling the bars, and scores of child beggars tugging at your arm constantly.
It was also a day of unrelenting sun, so after walking around the university campus for a while, which was interesting, and definitely where the cooler area was, we escaped to an air conditioned mall again.
I feel a bit bad because it probably is a great town when you spend more time there, but with only one day we were limited and very hot! Apparently there are plenty of worthwhile sights within driving distance though.
Bacolod
This was a bit of a disaster, but still turned out to be our favourite city. We were only initially planning to stay here for a night, as a break between bus trips but decided to make it 2 nights as Katy had read about the Negros Forests and Ecological Foundation. This sounded perfect – a place to see and learn about some endangered animals, while staying in the city. But we got there to find out it was closed. On a Saturday. Why?!?
Undeterred we did manage to see some sights, namely the beautiful San Sebastian cathedral an the Bacolod public plaza.
In the afternoon we set off for something I wanted to see – The Ruins. An old Spanish era mansion which was burned out during WW2 to stop the occupying Japanese from using it, the skeleton has stood ever since and is supposed to look amazing in the late afternoon and be a great place for photos. It’s a bit out of the way and we couldn’t get a taxi driver to take us there for less than 500PHP (more than our room for the night cost!).
We arrived to be confronted by locked gates and a sign saying it had closed early because of a wedding. Seriously?? We begged them to let us in to take one photo, and they eventually let us. Not exactly money well spent, as we drove straight back to the city again.
Our 500PHP photo
We had one more thing to do in Bacolod – eat Chicken Inasal. This is a local dish of barbecued chicken marinated with garlic, lemongrass, vinegar and various other ingredients, and served on skewers. It tastes INCREDIBLE. It’s served all around the Philippines, especially at my favourite fast food chain – Mang Inasal. However it originated in Bacolod and is the best place to get it. Sure enough we had some and it was delicious.
Katy chowing down on some Inasal. Whited out due to iPhone flash!
We enjoyed checking out some of the cities. It was a nice change from more heavily touristed areas such as Bohol and Boracay, and a chance to experience local culture a bit more. Not to mention accommodation is MUCH cheaper than on the smaller islands!
You missed going to the best city of them all – ILOILO CITY AND ENVIRONS. ILOILO today is the most livable city in the Philippines, as declared now for three straight consecutive years by the DILG (2015-17); Iloilo is the original Queen City of the South; Iloilo today is the Paris, Madrid, and Singapore of the Philippines combined; Iloilo is the cleanest city in the Philippines; Iloilo is the Philippines’ Emerging Living Museum City; Iloilo is The City of Love; Iloilo is the MOst Beautiful City in the Philippines. Iloilo has plenty of old mansions, grand Spanish-era churches, Spanish and Americal colonial private and government buildings; Iloilo is the Garden City of the Philippines – plazas, parks, esplanades, landscaped streets, flower-bedecked Spanish influenced bridges; the heritage and culture well-preserved. Iloilo is more than just these! Iloilo is modern and stylish – notice across the clean scenic and iconic Iloilo River (just cross the river, from the heritage districts of Jaro, Molo, Lapaz, and the City Proper Calle Real) – everything is new, modern and looking like the new BCG of Taguig and Makati! They’re all here – Ayala, Megaworld, SM, Plazuela, Injap, Gaisano, S & R, Smallville, Boardwalk, Federal Land. Iloilo is so much more! Heirloom dishes, fresh seafoods, La Paz Batchoy, Pancit Molo, Pancit Efuven, Chicken Inasal and Chicken Lechon (at the Villa Beach since the pre and postwar WWII eras, and since way before it was snatched recognition by imitators); chicken Binakol, Cabatuan Tinuom, Fresh Molo and Jaro Lumpia Ubud, Kadios-Baboy-Langka, Kadios-Baboy-Ubad, Original Deocampo’s Barquillos, Biscoho, Panaderia de Molo, Original Biscocho Haus, Montelibano Squid Rings, Subeldia Cream Hornets, Jaro Pinasugbo, Pavia baye-baye, San Joaquin bandi; Miag-ao Hablon, Piña, Patadyong fabrics; Javelosa Butterscotch; Mang Inasal; Que Waffle time; Dainty Calo-calo Bihon with Crust; Tatoy’s ; Breakthrough; Balay Manokan; etc. ILOILO IS YOUR DREAM PARADISE IN THE PHILIPPINES – 20 MINUTES TO GUIMARAS; 4-HOUR COMFORTABLE RIDES TO BORACAY; GIGANTES ISLANDS; SICOGON. Who would imagine there is such a city like this in the Philippines?