Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
of Cebu by Magellan after her baptism, considered the first in Asia, in 1521.
Another tale has it that 44 years later, after laying siege to a pagan village, one of
conquistador Miguel López de Legazpi's foot soldiers found a wooden box that had
survived the bombardment inside a burning hut. Inside this box was the Santo
Niño, lying next to a number of native idols. If you want to see the statue, let alone
touch it, you'll have to join a queue of devotees that often stretches through the
church doors and outside. The church's bell tower was damaged during the October
2013 quake, however, and at the time of writing masses were being held in the
courtyard outside until repairs were complete.
6
Cebu Cathedral
Legazpi.St • Closed at the time of writing (usually daily 9am-7pm; free)
An imposing sixteenth-century Baroque structure,
Cebu Cathedral
has felt the force of
nature and conflict several times in its four hundred-year history. An early version was
completely destroyed by a typhoon before construction was even completed, and the
cathedral was almost completely destroyed during World War II. It was quickly rebuilt,
and renovated in 2009, but was damaged once again by the October 2013 quake.
Carbon Market
MC Briones St • Daily 6am-6pm • Free
No longer the coal unloading depot from which its name is derived,
Carbon Market
is
now an area of covered stalls where the range of goods on offer, edible and otherwise,
will leave you reeling - shining fat tuna, crabs, lobsters, coconuts, guavas, avocados,
mangoes and more. The market is alive from well before dawn and doesn't slow down
until after dark.
Fort San Pedro
Near the port area at the end of Sergio Osmeña Blvd • Daily 8am-8pm • P30
When he arrived in 1565, conquistador Miguel López de Legazpi set about building
Fort San Pedro
to guard against marauding Moros from the south. It was here, on
December 24, 1898, that three centuries of Spanish rule in Cebu came to an end when
their flag was lowered and they withdrew in a convoy of boats bound for Zamboanga,
their way station for the voyage to Spain. The fort has been used down the centuries as
a garrison, prison and zoo, but today is little more than a series of walls and ramparts
with gardens in between. On Sundays, the park opposite,
Plaza Independencia
, seethes
with locals playing ghetto-blasters and families enjoying picnics.
SINULOG
Almost as popular as Kalibo's Ati-Atihan (see box, p.336), the big, boisterous
Sinulog festival
,
which culminates on the third Sunday of January with a wild street parade and an outdoor
concert at Fuente Osmeña circle, is held in honour of Cebu's patron saint, the Santo Niño. The
Santo Niño statue itself (see opposite) is brought on a boat from Mandaue to the city proper,
festooned with candles and garlands, and is then paraded through the streets. Sinulog is
actually the name given to a swaying
dance
said to resemble the current (
sulog
) of a river and is
said to have evolved from tribal elders' rhythmic movements. Today, it's a memorable, deafening
spectacle, with hundreds of intricately dressed Cebuanos dancing through the streets to the
beat of noisy drums. Most of the action happens on President Osmeña Boulevard, but to escape
the crowds, grab a spot on one of the smaller roads, such as N. Escario Street, where security is
less zealous and you can slip underneath the velvet ropes and join the dancers. For information
about Sinulog and details of the exact route, which varies every year as the festival grows,
visit
W
sinulog.ph. If you plan to visit Cebu during Sinulog, make sure you book accommodation
well ahead of time.
