Cebu, the old and new
I spent some years of my childhood in Cebu, and the province will always have a place in my heart. It is the oldest city in the Philippines, and reminders of its age are everywhere - from the historical landmarks that jut all over the city and its surrounding islands, to the architecture along the old markets and streets. The city is an eclectic mix of old and new and I’ve never bored going there. One corner, all you see are Spanish-inspired homes and the next are all-glass office spaces.
We used to live in old Lutopan, at the time when the Atlas Mining Corp still had something left to mine. Going to Cebu City then was by way of old, rickety buses that don’t have glass windows, along treacherous mountain roads that are full of dry dust our throats and nostrils were black before we reached town. But we always looked forward to the family trips. Now of course, things have changed. Atlas Mining is all but a shell, and the buses have been replaced by air-conditioned FX taxis. The nightlife has perked up and malls are all over the place it is starting to look and feel like Manila. Well, maybe a little like Manila but not quite. After all, the lush island beaches of Mactan and Lapu-lapu are just a short ride from the city, and there is nothing like them near Manila!
But I haven’t been to the province in a long time, and I would love to hear what new and wonderful things have happened in the last year or so. If you have anything to share, please update me of my beloved city!
Tags: Cebu, history, Philippines, tourism, travelRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Places to Visit, Travel and Culture
October 17th, 2007 at 3:47 am
well cebu is not the oldest city. manila is oldest city, however, cebu is the oldest civilization…cebu now is the most progressive province earning the highest income of all provinces in the country
December 5th, 2007 at 1:58 am
Hi grace, well i don’t know when you were last in our beloved city of Cebu, but i can tell you that i too am a fan of my birth city. I took my young family there for our holidays in Jan of 2007 for a total of 4 weeks. And everyday was a blast, throughly enjoyed it, especially spending it with my relatives both the Bacalso/Gabuya families. And most of which was spent shopping as we are from Australia, we just went hardcore on what we wanted, we got it attitude. Nothing much as changed since i last visited back in 2001, although its been 6yrs i still managed to locate some of the attractions i remembered. Everyday weekend was a trip to various beaches around mactan/lapu lapu area. I truely miss Cebu, and if i had my way i would be there every year, my lady and i and once the 2nd baby is old enough to travel, we will be going straight back to Cebu, this time to finally tie the knot on my home turf. I say to everyone here in Australia that Philippines is where the heart lies, although i won’t turn my back on Australia, as its a very lucky country. But a frequent visit to Cebu and even a small bussiness there would be another excuse to go back home.