Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
THE VISAYAS
By plane
Cebu, Bohol, Negros, Panay, Romblon, Leyte and
Samar are all accessible by air, most with daily flights from
Manila and, in some cases, Cebu City.
By ferry
Major ferry companies still also ply some routes
between Manila and the Visayas, although with increasingly
low airfares, these services are dwindling.
Cebu
Right in the heart of the Visayas, nearly 600km south of Manila, the island of
CEBU
is the
ninth largest in the Philippines and site of the second largest city,
Cebu City
, an important
transport hub with ferry and air connections to the rest of the country. Cebu is a long,
narrow island - 300km from top to bottom and only 40km wide at its thickest point
- with a mountainous and rugged spine. Most tourists spend little time in the towns,
heading off as soon as possible to the beaches and islands of the north or west. The closest
beaches to Cebu City are on
Mactan Island
just to the southeast, although they are by no
means the best. Head north instead to the marvellous island of
Malapascua
, where the
sand is as fine as Boracay's; to tranquil
Bantayan
off the northwest coast; or to really get
away from it all, to the isolated
Camotes Islands
. Alternatively, to the south of Cebu City,
you can take a bus across the island to the diving haven of
Moalboal
and its nearby
beaches. Finally, right down in the south of the island,
Oslob
has become famous for the
chance for a close-up encounter with whale sharks.
6
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
CEBU
By plane
Getting to Cebu is simple. There are dozens of
flights daily from Manila and less frequent flights from
a number of other key destinations within the Visayas
(Kalibo and Tacloban), the rest of the Philippines (Camiguin,
Coron, Davao and Puerto Princesa) as well as the rest of Asia
(Hong Kong and Singapore).
By ferry
Cebu's position in the middle of the country
makes it an excellent place to journey onwards by ferry,
with sailings to Luzon and Mindanao and elsewhere in
the Visayas.
A QUICK GUIDE TO CEBUANO
Filipino (Tagalog) might be the of
cial language and English the medium of instruction, but
Cebuano
, the native language of Cebu, is the most widely spoken vernacular in the archipelago,
not only used in Cebu but also throughout most of the central and southern Philippines.
Cebuano and Tagalog have elements in common, but also have significant differences of
construction and phraseology - it's quite possible for a native Manileño to bump into a native
Cebuano and not be able to understand much of what he or she says.
Cebuano is evolving as it assimilates slang and colloquialisms from other Visayan dialects, as
well as from Tagalog and English. Confused? You will be. Most Cebuano conversations veer
apparently at random between all three languages, leaving even Filipino visitors unable to
grasp the meaning.
SOME CEBUANO BASICS
Good morning
Ma
a
yong b
u
ntag
Good afternoon
Ma
a
yong h
a
pon
Good evening
Ma
a
yong gab
i
How are you?
Kumus
ta
?
I'm fine
Ma
a
yo man
Very well
Ma
a
yo ka'ayo
What's your name?
Umsay pangalan
ni mu?
Where are you from?
Tag
a
din ka?
Thank you
Ye s
O-
o
No
Dili
OK
Sigi
How much is this?
Tag-pila ni?
Expensive
Mah
a
l
Cheap
Bar
a
t
Idiot!
Amaw!
Go away!
Layas!
Who?
Kins
a
?
Sal
a
mat
What?
Unsa?
You're welcome
Wal
a
y sapay
a
n
Why?
Ngan
o
?
Goodbye
Ari na ko
Near/Far
D
u
ol/Lay
o
