After one day in Manila, I went on to Cebu, an Island in the Visayas Region. The biggest airport is located in Cebu City, therefore I went there by plane from Manila. After leaving my luggage at my hostel in the Food District I took an Uber to get out of the city. I went to the Temple of Leah, a monument in the style of Greek/Roman Antiquity. Its builder, a wealhty Cebuan citizen, erected this temple in honor of his late wive, Leah Albino-Adarna. The temple is nice to look at, however, one will be puzzled what it is for if one does not know the backstory. It is mainly a spot for couples, but from there you can also get a nice view over Cebu City.
Since there was no cellphone signal or WIFI at the Temple, I had to hire a motorbike taxi to get to my next destination. In the beginning it was sceptical, but ever since these taxis have become one of my favourite modes of transport in Cebu. They are not only cheap, but also perfect to get through the rush-hour traffic. For 100 Pesos (2 USD) I went to the Tops Lookout, a viewpoint from which you can look far over Cebu City and even Bohol. There is also a restaurant with moderate prices (considering the location and the view). I had Bicol Express, a dish from the region of Bicol, with pork, coconut, ginger and red peppers. For drinks I had pineapple juice – canned but good nonetheless.
In Cebu City proper you can also visit the Taoist Temple. Unfortunately I had no time for that, because I was in a hurry to go to Oslob. All in all, Cebu City is a bit greener and much more quiet than Manila, but it is still a buzzing provincial capital and business center. I would not recommend staying here for long, but one can easily spend one day here before moving on to the nicer spots in Cebu.
Abgestiegen bin ich übrigens im Food District Hostel. Das Hostel ist schön eingerichtet und sauber. Außerdem bietet es für die Philippinen ungewöhnlich schnelles Internet. Allerdings war es bei meinem Besuch sehr leer – wirkliche Hostelatmosphäre kommt dort also nicht auf. Ein Aufenthalt kann sich aber lohnen, wenn man ohnehin in Cebu City übernachten muss und ein ruhiges Plätzchen sucht. Gezahlt habe ich 300 Pesos (4,50 Euro) für ein Bett im 8-Bett-Zimmer, das jedoch fast völlig leer war. Eine gute Idee also, wenn man ohnehin in Cebu City übernachten muss und gerne allein sein möchte.
I was staying in the Food District Hostel, which has a nicely decorated and clean. The internet is surprisingly fast by Filipino standards. I payed 300 Pesos (6 USD) for a bed in a 6-bed dorm. However, the hostel was virtually empty when I was there, so there was no real hostel atmosphere. So if you are in Cebu City and you are looking for a quiet place where nobody is bothering you except the roosters in the early morning, this might be the hostel for you.
Tobi haut ab 