Today, I catch a fast boat in the afternoon from Cebu to Bohol. From the port of Tagbilaran, it is a short taxi ride to Panglao Island, where I will stay for four days. The diving is world class so we shall see what happens.
Cebu is a lovely island. The hotel I stayed in is high on a hillside above Cebu City so it catches very refreshing breezes. The first few hours of the day are especially delightful, before the heat builds.
Yesterday, I explored a Spanish fort built in the mid-1500s and then carried on to the oldest church in the Philippines, which houses a much revered tiny statue of the virgin. People lined up for ages to make individual intercession in front of the glass case that contains the relic. It was interesting to observe the fervour of the devotees as they placed palms on the glass as close as possible to the virgin. May all of their prayers be answered, by that or any other means! Just as in Manila, earthquakes, fires and war have been hard on any ancient architecture. One tower of the fort had crumbled in the earthquake that shook Cebu in October of 2013. A hopeful sign declared that the government was prepared to rebuild the country's heritage. There was little visual evidence of the terrible typhoon that tore through Cebu in November of last year. Thousands died, particularly in neighbouring Leyte. It's sobering to follow in the tailwind of such a cataclysmic event but life must go on.
This is the entrance to the Fort San Pedro:
Cebu is a lovely island. The hotel I stayed in is high on a hillside above Cebu City so it catches very refreshing breezes. The first few hours of the day are especially delightful, before the heat builds.
Yesterday, I explored a Spanish fort built in the mid-1500s and then carried on to the oldest church in the Philippines, which houses a much revered tiny statue of the virgin. People lined up for ages to make individual intercession in front of the glass case that contains the relic. It was interesting to observe the fervour of the devotees as they placed palms on the glass as close as possible to the virgin. May all of their prayers be answered, by that or any other means! Just as in Manila, earthquakes, fires and war have been hard on any ancient architecture. One tower of the fort had crumbled in the earthquake that shook Cebu in October of 2013. A hopeful sign declared that the government was prepared to rebuild the country's heritage. There was little visual evidence of the terrible typhoon that tore through Cebu in November of last year. Thousands died, particularly in neighbouring Leyte. It's sobering to follow in the tailwind of such a cataclysmic event but life must go on.
This is the entrance to the Fort San Pedro:
That's amazing that the destruction of the typhoon has been cleaned up so quickly. What a terrible event.
ReplyDeleteHope you get to do some diving.