Cebu City, Visayas, Philippines
Monday, December 12, 2011
So I got to Cebu airport and sorted out a hotel with the woman at tourist info. She directed me to some cheaper white metre taxi's up some stairs opposite so went to get one of them. Drove about 45mins to the hotel and checked in. Quite a nice hotel for about 700 so not too bad. Just over a tenner a night. It was kind of in the middle between the 2 main streets so pretty good location. So got myself sorted and decided to go on a mission to have a look around, get a drink etc. I was going to head for Colon Street which is supposed to be the oldest street there and quite lively in parts with shops etc. But then stopped at an internet cafe in the way and it's a good job I did. There were warnings from people just saying to stay away from Colon Street especially at night but even during the day. Mainly if you're foreign I presume but after reading that and being on my own I decided to walk back up to the other main bit Fuerta Osmena. I went get some food and chilled at the hotel first then walked up. It was pretty cool as they had a shopping mall then a big roundabout with shops etc around that then in the middle was a big stage and they had nightly performances of dance and singing etc
. I walked right from there down towards where there were supposed to be some bars, clubs etc then some 'girlie bars' right down the far end. Just went to see what was down there and walked back and went to watch some of the dancing and singing for about 30mins or so then went to find some beer. Didn't look as though there was anywhere too obvious and I didn't fancy the girlie bars as they were kind of up the darker end of the road. Then went to check out this bar as it looked the best and there was a bit of a queue to get in and you had to pay but that was to see the band that was on downstairs. They had a room upstairs, free to get in with a DJ playing house etc so I was straight in. Not too many people in there but enough and had a few beers. Then realised they were doing 5 beers for 200 so ended up having 2 lots of them across a 2 hour period. Ended up getting quite drunk and walking back about 11.30pm. On the way there was a separate girlie bar so I decided to head in for a couple of drinks. Stayed for an hour or so and met some really nice girls then went to bed to sleep it off.
Next day I decided to go to Macton Island which is attached to Cebu City by a bridge and actually has a beach (apparently). So I woke up a little worse for wear and had to get a taxi to where the jeepneys could take me across to the island to Lapu Lapu. Got dropped off then went to ask about where to get to the beach
. Had to take another jeepney down this road and got dropped off. This guy accost me and offered to show me to the beach. He took me down these alleyways and came out on this tiny bit of gravel where he had a boat which could take me over to this small patch of sand. Turns out most of the beach is for hotels only and not very big so you have to pay a hotel to go and sit on their beach which I definitely couldn't be arsed with. Plus remembered I'd left my book on the last jeepney so lost that aswell now. So after having a pretty crappy day so far just decided to head back to Cebu. Got a jeepney back up which charged me twice as much as on the way down, then waited for another one to Cebu then got a taxi back to the hotel and just chilled there for a bit then went on the internet for aaaaages trying to upload photos. Eventually went back to the hotel then went for some food and went back to the club/bar for another 10 beers. They had some hip hop on this night so not quite as good but still got drunk. Then just went back.
Next day I headed off by ferry to Bohol.....
