Blogs from Cebu, Philippines, Asia - page 10

A friend posted a picture of this church somewhere in cebu. It was diffferent from what i've seen and so i went there on my own last year-2011. From Cebu City, I make my way to Southbound Bus Terminal and ask locals.Got on the right bus and befriended my seatmate. The trip was about an hour and half and my new friend helped me where to get off the bus and directions to this simala church. Walking to the tricycle station I meet a couple who were going there at the same time. They were really nice! It turns out that they go there every year and so I asked if I could tag along, they said yes. We got there and indeed the church was not one i've seen before. There are stairs that goes ... read more

The last time I wrote I had seen enough of Cebu City and was headed for the bus station and the southwest coast of Cebu Island. The bus system in the Philippines is really good. The air-conditioned buses are very comfortable, with some dvds showing (if you can hear them). I’ve calculate that most bus journeys cost about €1 for an hour or travelling.So if you are told that the trip will be three hours long, count on a fare of about €3. The journey was uneventful but I love taking photos of the homes and people as we drive by. I like to see them working, playing, eating together, shopping, etc. My original plan had been to go to Oslob where, it was said, one could swim with the whale sharks and dolphins. The ... read more

Cebu City has long been thought of nothing more than a Visayan gateway, a quick stopover for travelers on their way to something more interesting or languid. But this image is quickly becoming old-fashioned in a region that has seen record number of tourist arrivals in recent years. In 2011 nearly two million tourists arrived in the island, and the figures rose by around 11 percent in 2012. Property developers are seeing the potential of Cebu City and are planning to focus on tourism starting this year. Much of the sprucing up takes place in the uptown area, especially around the Cebu I.T. Park across the Waterfront Hotel. The park has several popular chain restaurants, which serve as the hangouts of yuppies who work in neighboring call centers. The Waterfront is an attraction in itself -- ... read more

When we reached Ormoc, we spent most of our time on the road. There were few ongoing road constructions so we had to slow down. There were several holes bored on the road and we had to avoid them as much as possible with slow speeds. We got past that but the curvy roads came next. We passed twisted and steep roads before we got to the city. My cell phone has a GPS navigator and we never had to stop and ask around for directions. But using the navigator drains the battery quickly so there were times that we really had to stop to ask people for directions. We headed to Palo, Leyte to see and take pictures of the MacArthur Shrine. We stayed there for about 15 minutes and then went back to riding; ... read more

Ok. Vi ankom Denpasar flyplass ganske sent. Måtte kjøpe visum on arrival. Det står en bankomat ved siden av luka, men den tar bare mastercard. Har du ikke et slikt kort, ja da må du faktisk ut av immigrasjon (som du egentlig skal ha visum til) for å finne en ATM som tar visakort. Very clever! Og disse visum-folka er så vant til at folk betaler i dollar, så da Karina spurte hva beløpet ble i deres valuta ble de faktisk litt forundret. Vår valuta? hmm..øhh...Nåvel, Sigurd fikk hentet penger og betalt. Ut for å finne taxi. Vi kjente med en gang at dette er et sted som kun handler om en ting: penger! Du er nødt for å vite hva prisene er, ellers blir du lurt. Heldigvis spurte vi litt omkring og fant en taxi ... read more