El Viejo Viajero Does Cebu

Hi, I’m Hardie. Welcome to my new vlog El Viejo Viajero, the old traveler, my Spanish nom de guerre in recognition of my many years in Latin America, and the past history of my current home in the Philippines as a previous member of the Spanish Empire. I’ve called Cebu home for more than two years now, but I’ve never really vlogged it, or even blogged about it, with a v or a b, unless you count the period of my hospitalization, which was almost the end of my career as a traveler, and a travel blogger—almost. Because when the title of your blog is ‘Have Catheter, Will Travel,” then you’re pressing your luck, and hedging your bets, beyond the point which might be considered healthy. That was then; this is now. So now I want to pretend that I’m the new kid in town, fresh and full of excitement, ready to conquer the world, while telling you the best place to get the best views of a world equal parts water and earth, history and mystery, truth and consequence. Because that’s my job, as I see it, to explain history and culture as best I can, complete with photographs, since so few do, while they concentrate on the bars and pubs, restaurants and clubs, while ignoring what came before and what needs still to be explained. If you’re new to Cebu, then it all began down on the water’s edge near the city’s center. That’s where today you’ll find Magellan’s Cross, the actual cross that Ferdinand Magellan brought to the islands to begin its worship of Christianity, back in the year 1521 when Magellan landed as part of his round-the-world travel. You remember Magellan, right? That’s his English name. He’s also known as Fernando Magallanes in Spanish and Magalhaes in Portuguese, his native language. If this was his approximate half-way point around the world, it was also his final resting place, as he fell victim to the recriminations of the locals led by Lapu-lapu. May he rest in peace, though his body has never been found. Nearby is the basilica of Santo Nino, the country’s oldest Roman Catholic Church, dating from 1565, when the Holy child (Santo Nino) was found. It’s also a fully functioning modern church, also, so morning mass is easy to find at 0800 am in English and other times in Cebuano. It’s all quite beautiful and spiritually fulfilling, especially if you’re Catholic. Remember to dress appropriately, with long pants and no spaghetti straps. Also nearby is the historic Fort San Pedro, constructed in 1700-something to keep the enemies at bay and the pirates at sea, but just between you and me I suspect it was also designed to oversee the burgeoning galleon trade with Acapulco, Mexico, which yearly transferred supplies and product from one port to the other, while the Chinese waited to count their silver from Taxco, Mexico. This is no mock-up job, either, no. These are the actual cannons used to forestall the plunder of precious resources by precocious freebooters. Also, not far away, and still in the downtown area is the traditional fresh market at Carbon, where you can get all your fresh fruits and vegetables. It goes late into the night. You probably won’t be staying there, though, since most tourists now stay uptown, or even farther away at Mandaue or Lahug or Lapu Lapu near the airport. I like it near Fuente Osmena, though, which is like the new center, since the old Chinese centers have long since lost significance and many of the malls, especially Ayala, near IT Park, now attract many tourists. Many museums are centrally located, also, and are often historic. The Chinese still run many of the businesses, though, and scam centers, too, as the recent news reports can verify. Whether their connections are to mainland China or diaspora networks in Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand, I don’t know. But since the main Chinese dialect here is Hokkien aka Fukien, that points to a shared history with the diaspora, more than the modern mainland putonghua language and CCP politics. I’ve never explored Taoist temples, though, before, so that’s new for me here, and they look like something so Chinese-y that it’s almost hard to believe I’ve really never been aware of them. And there are others besides the main tourist attraction in Lahug. There are also some Chinese Buddhist temples, also, and by comparison they look much more conservative, with fewer dragons and more dharma, I guess. I’d say Taoism is to Chinese Buddhism what Hinduism is to Vajrayana Buddhism, though that might be an over-generalization. Theravada Buddhism is ancestral to both. One of the main tourist attractions now, though, is TOPS, the recently remodeled literal high point of the city, which ‘tops out’ (pun intended) at about 600 meters, above sea level, or 2000 feet, depending on which language you speak. Promoted now as ‘the Circle’, this was forever the place to bring your hot date for romantic views of the city and normal life far below, while making whoopie far above the fray. Now it’s been heavily rebuilt and promoted as 'the Circle’, something of a sky mall, or at least the food court portion thereof. So, for a couple bucks USD per head, you can have your choice of luscious lumps and libidinous libations while looking down at the city any time of the day. The only problem, of course, is that it’s a long ways up from the city, both time and distance, but mostly time, depending on traffic. Because, depending on where you leave from, it may only be 5mi/8km, but that’s at least a half hour as the crow flies, and possible much more, not to mention a hefty taxi charge for the privilege. Cheap shuttles are available from IT Park if you’re a legit tourist, not a midnight rambler. That’s as far as many tourists will get, anyway, since it’s more central and typical for the average tourist in that neighborhood. And if it sounds like a high-tech business park, well, it is that, sort of kind of almost maybe. I’m pretty sure IBM is there, but I know that Amazon is not, unless you’re talking about the whole neighborhood, not just the block that is technically IT Park. But I think that it’s better known as a neighborhood, and the most-traveled strip there would probably be Ayala Mall, either the original not so far away from the center, or the Central Bloc, which forms something of a continuum with IT Park as the inner mall portion of which IT Park is the outer walk. Now, I know what you’re thinking: a mall? Really? That’s what you’re recommending as a tourist sight to see? To which the answer is no, not me. But for others, yes, absolutely. Now, I won’t call any names, but another vlogger, showcased exactly this, and TOPS, and nothing else, as the places to see in Cebu. WTF? Why? Well, for one thing, it IS a bit hot and sweaty almost any time of the day or night, true, so some fresh cool air IS nice. But, I think the main attraction of the uptown neighborhood and the malls, of which there are quite a few, is the chance to forget that the Philippines has a level of poverty that you won’t find in Thailand or Malaysia, and probably not even Myanmar or Kampuchea. And, while the reasons for this are endlessly debated, the result is the same: it ain’t pretty. So, rather than try to solve the problem, which might take years, if not decades, sometimes it’s easier to just escape it. I suspect that’s why some of the nicest malls are in the poorest countries now, while many wealthy countries have largely abandoned the concept. This would seem to be a relatively new role for the Philippines, also, which not so long ago was one of the brighter spots of a once-bleak SE Asian landscape. Some of the loudest critics blame the colonizers and the corruption while avoiding the birthrate which rivals that of Africa on even a good day. This is a very Catholic country, and large families are traditional. They were in Thailand, also, until the government started offering free hysterectomies. China’s problem is now under-population, not over. Still, it somewhat defines the Philippines now, and it is worthwhile to explore a little bit, if not more. Because many of these are people of fine disposition, even if their circumstances are a bit challenging. They seem to be at a crossroads that many countries already passed by years, if not decades, ago. But that doesn’t mean that they are worth any less, only that they have challenges to face. If escape is one way to face it, it’s also one way to deal with it, directly. So, many Filipinos migrate out-of-country to support their extended families, while foregoing the larger questions of how to avoid repeating this cycle endlessly. That is happening, though, little by little, as birth rates gradually come down, and women consider options for themselves besides the traditional choices, of motherhood, maid, or mama-san. These things take time. But their lives are not wretched. Even in the most basic of neighborhoods, they manage to maintain some dignity and decorum, while struggling to scrape by financially. There are always others doing worse, and many mothers with children spend their nights on the street. Most men could care less. These things take time. If you like this content, please like and subscribe, and I will really appreciate it. I hope to continue my Filipino travel blogs for a month or two and I also do some old travels on hypertravel with Hardie, on the same channel. C U there. Thanks.