This is a post by THH Louie.

     Last day of our Cebu adventours. We woke up at 5 a.m. to prep up for the City Tour, but as you know, we consist of mostly girls so we took longer than expected! 9 o’clock to be exact! 😀 We agreed to eat breakfast before pushing through the city tour. We chose to eat at Jollibee (nothing beats a good fried chicken in the morning), the nearest restaurant from the pension house. As we were about to finish our meals, 3 street kids popped up and stole our food right before our eyes. It happened so fast we weren’t able to react. What drove those kids to do it? hunger most likely. We were able to talk and give them some food and the little boys gladly accepted it. Moving on, we rented a jeepney (P3500) to take us around the city. There were 13 people in the group so we felt that hiring a jeepney for the whole day was easier. First stop is the Taoist Temple, located inside Beverly Hills subdivision. The temple was built by Chinese community. Unlike Phu Sian Temple, the Taoist temple is open to the worshipers and non-worshipers alike. Visiting the temple is like having a taste of China. They have a replica of the Great Wall of China inside, how cool is that? 🙂 

     

     After countless selfies and candid shots, we went to see Magellan’s Cross at the heart of the city. I think every tourist in Cebu will not miss the chance of getting a glimpse of the historic Magellan’s Cross, an essential part of Philippines History. It was built by the Spaniards as ordered by Ferdinand Magellan himself upon arriving in Cebu.    Lastly, we went to Fort San Pedro. The entrance fee is just P30 per head and a free tourist guide (mostly students who are studying tourism/history) was provided. These tour guides are actually well informed and are very good with there words. Throwback 15th century. This fort served as the core of the first Spanish settlement in the Philippines. It is triangular in shape, with two sides facing the sea and the third side fronting the land. The fort contains the necessary buildings. And lots of cannons were mounted in specific areas. The structure was made out of egg shells and other materials apparently. Imagine how many eggs were used back then! 

  

      

     Before heading back to the Robe’s, we went for a quick lunch at Ayala Cebu. Upon arriving at the hotel, we had to prepare quickly because we had to accompany Darwin to Gaisan Festival Mall to meet up with his Lola whom he hasn’t met before. Such a heartwarming event. 🙂

     We headed back to Mactan International Airport at around 9 p.m. Most of us slept on the floor/benches as we had work the following morning. We boarded at 12:45Am and reached NAIA at around 2AM.

     I am glad we went to Cebu to celebrate #teamharthart’s anniversary. Cebu have so much beautiful places to offer. I just wish we had more time and money to spend. I would do it all over again no questions asked.

Cebu City Tour Gallery►

Read about our Whale Shark interaction here►

Read about the beautiful island of Sumilon here►

Read about the majestic Kawasan Falls here►

Read about our SCUBA diving experience in Moal Boal here►

Read about our Skywalk and Edge Coaster experience here►

Expenses:

P900 – Robe’s Pension House (3 persons max. If it exceeds 3 persons, you have to pay an additional P200 per head.)

P3500 – jeepney rental

P30 – Fort San Pedro tour

     A little back story: Airport Taxi’s was going to charge us P750 to reach home (Cainta, Rizal), which is too expensive no matter what angle you look at it so Jon and I decided to just take the bus home. Upon reaching the exit of the airport,  a metered taxi offered us a ride so we agreed thinking we would be able to cut cost (airport taxis are known to disregard the meter and instead ask for a fixed price).

     I had a bad feeling about the cab driver but we were so tired we just said yes to get it over with. The cab driver then asked us if we could allow his friend to join us in the cab. Instinctively we said no, the best decision we made that night. We said we will get off at Taft and then ride the bus but he was so persistent to take us to Buendia, we said no. He suggested to drop us off at Magallanes station. Just to finish the conversation, we said yes.

     Upon reaching Magallanes station, he drop us off away from other taxi drivers, something strange I believe. So when we asked how much is our taxi fare, it’s a whopping P820. We were mad, very mad. How can that be even possible, the journey took less than 15 minutes. We did not want to pay him, not that much anyways. That’s when he used the child lock so that we can’t get out. I was very nervous at that time I almost panicked. But I am really thankful Jon has a clear mind. He managed to grab the drivers shoulder and let us out.

     The driver then said that he will just charge us P200 which is still big! We did not have the exact amount (if we gave him a P500 bill I am sure no change will be given) so we asked the other drivers for change. We explained what happened and they suggested to just leave and not pay that driver. After that incident, I realized that the taxi was FAKE. It did not have the usual meter and plate number painted on the interiors. We were so tired and sleepy we did not see these things. Thank God he kept us safe.

     So for other travelers out there be warned, be sure that the taxi you will be riding in have a proper meter and has it’s plate number painted inside. Do not hesitate to ask for an ID before you set off and be sure that you save the taxi’s plate number. Better yet, ask someone you trust to pick you at the airport.