Places: Marcelo B. Fernan Bridge (Mactan, Cebu) / Fuente Osmena Circle (Cebu City, Cebu)
Date: 18 February 2009

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

The airport was in Mactan, so going to Cebu City, we had to take the taxi or hire a car service. We seriously had no clue how much taxi fares were, so we decided to hire a car because it had a fixed price. Brother told the ticketing officer to take us to La Guardia Hotel near Colon Street, and all of us were set to go. I stayed in the front seat so I could get a great view of Cebu. Of course, my camera’s ready to take some drive by shots!

Changing the lights in the post. I wanted to take different shots of this scene, but the driver was driving quite fast, so this was the only picture I have of it.

Entering Mandaue City via Marcelo B. Fernan bridge. According to Wikipedia:

Marcelo Fernan Bridge is an extradosed cable-stayed bridge located in Metro Cebu, Cebu in the Philippines. It spans across Mactan Channel connecting Cebu Island to Mactan Island.

Marcelo Fernan Bridge was opened in August 1999 to decongest the traffic from the older Mactan-Mandaue Bridge. The bridge has a total length of 1237 meters (4058.40 feet) with a center span of 185 meters (606.96 feet). The bridge is one of the widest and longest bridge span in the Philippines. The bridge was constructed with the help of the Japanese Government.It was named after Senator Marcelo Fernan, a political figure from Cebu City.

Brother was hoping we could take pictures of the bridge from the base, but the driver didn’t want to, so we had to be contented with this. =)

Along the road was a wall with different paintings and graffiti, and I was lucky that as I pressed the shutter, it captured this part of the wall!

There was a problem with the travel - turned out the ticketing officer told the driver to take us to La Guardia in Lahug, when we were supposed to be going near Colon Street. It was a bit funny that my brother (with a map of Cebu City at hand) was guiding the driver which road to take us. Hmmm… it was our first time in Cebu, and we were guiding the driver where to take us? But all’s well that ended well. We reached the hotel at around 3:30PM, and after refreshing ourselves, we went out to eat as we still haven’t had our lunch.

Malou wanted to eat Lechon Cebu (roasted pig, Cebu style). She has been craving for pork ever since she got back - she’s working in an Arab country where pork wasn’t allowed. The staff of the hotel just told us to go to Robinson’s Place (a mall), and try if we can find lechon there.

After eating, we went out to roam and take pictures:

Taken from an overpass. This is the Fuente Osmena Blvd.

Cebu is known for their guitars, and this musical instrument can be bought just about anywhere - even on the streets!

At the heart of the boulevard is the Fuente Osmena Circle. No one will really miss it because there was a fountain in the middle of it… and first time tourists meant checking it out! Here are some pictures:

Literally meaning, “Osmena’s Fountain,” this was built in honor of “Grand Old Man,” Sergio Osmena Sr. who served as the second President of the Philippine Commonwealth. This park has been a witness to many of Cebu’s significant gatherings, including the Sinulog Festival, which was held every January.

The tallest building in the third picture was the Crown Regency Hotel, where tourist can go to if they want to do some sky walking. We weren’t able to try it because we were on a budget and we found it a bit expensive. But our friends who arrived earlier that day tried it and said it was great. Actually, while the three of us were in the park, our friends were doing the sky walking!

Drinking water was available in the hotel, but we need to call for a staff to fill our pitcher, so after roaming around the park, we went to the grocery and headed back to the hotel. No more dinner for us - but brother and I did go out to check the scenes of Colon Street (the oldest street in the Philippines) at night. At 9PM I was just way too tired and sleepy, I fell asleep while watching the television! Our friends had a little party (just chit chats over junk foods) in one of the rooms, but I wasn’t able to attend that anymore, brother didn’t bother to wake me up anymore.

*** Jenn ***

Place: Ninoy Aquino International Airport - Terminal 2 (Pasay City, Metro Manila)
Date: 18 February 2009

We consider ourselves lucky to be able to book a flight to Cebu for the CFC Singles for Christ International Conference. Lucky because we were able to avail of their promo - our flight to Cebu only cost us 788 pesos all in (except the terminal fee, of course), and even luckier are we that even if the promo is only for people who own credit card, our SFC sister Andrelee helped us in booking the flight. Booking for three people (brother, his friend, and I) wasn’t an easy thing to do (since Andre and I were communicating through YM), but in the end it was all good.

The very first plane trip I had was Manila - Tagbilaran (Bohol) and it was a noon flight. I told myself I would never fly at high noon again because it was hard bearing with the heat, but we still booked the noon flight for this one. Reasons? I already forgot.

The Philippine Airlines, Inc. (PAL) was the first airline in Asia, being established 68 years ago. They have two hubs, one in Manila (NAIA Terminal 2) and one in Mactan-Cebu. Aside from the nineteen destinations in the Philippines, the airline also flies to twenty-four destinations in South-East Asia, East Asia, Australia, Canada, and United States.

Obviously, I seated by the window because of only one thing: I wanted to take sky pictures! Unlike laptops and cell phones, digital cameras are allowed to be used during the flight, and because the flight last about an hour, I basically had an hour to take pictures.

Compared to the other big airline company here in the Philippines, I could say that it was more pleasurable to fly with PAL. The seats are more comfortable, they have little monitors showing some programs to entertain the passengers, and the temperature inside the plane was much cooler. However, they don’t do games, they don’t sell some corporate merchandise, and there was nothing to read during the flight. But, if I will be given a choice, I would still consider flying to PAL, because the terminal was more accessible compared to Terminal 3.

We reached Mactan-Cebu International Airport just in time. During the flight, we were wondering if there were also some SFC people who took an early flight like we did, and we were very surprised when a lady approached my brother. Turned out, they already met during an SFC International Conference in the past, and the lady has recognized my brother (my brother has been in the Catholic community for seven years now). Another nice thing about this flight was that the staffs were very friendly enough to let us in the cockpit and have pictures with the pilots. Brother was the one who talked to them - he told that it was his first flight (which is true), and we just found ourselves inside the cockpit. So great!

From Mactan, we hired a car to take us to the hotel were we reserved a room. That story and more tomorrow.

*** Jenn ***

Place: Ninoy Aquino International Airport - Terminal 2 (Pasay City, Metro Manila)
Date: 18 February 2009

February 18 was the day my brother and I, along with brother’s friend Marilou flew to Cebu City for the CFC Singles For Christ International Conference. The conference was actually scheduled 20 - 22 February, but because my brother and I wanted to see more of the place, we decided to book the flights way much earlier. Actually, because it was an International Conference, so many people will be flying to Cebu, and seats were limited. Believe it or not, we booked the flight as early as Decemeber last year, and we were supposed to take the 19 February flight, but all seats were already taken that day. We simply had no choice but to get the 18 February flight. It was just fine, come to think of it, because our SFC siblings from the same chapter also flew to Cebu on that day, but they took the 4AM flight… we took the 1PM flight.

We booked through Philippine Airlines, which meant we will be checking in at the Terminal 2 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. Works best for us, because we could take a bus from outside of our village to the airport. However, we were traveling from 8AM - 12NN as we were stuck in traffic as soon as we entered EDSA (Epifanio delos Santos Avenue). When we reached the airport, the Philippine Airlines staffs were already making a final call for the 1PM flight. Whew! I think we just made it in time!

The security weren’t really strict when it comes to taking photographs. It was pretty much a photo frenzy for everyone, and since it was my first time in this terminal (I took my very first plane ride in NAIA Terminal 3), I did snapped some pictures.

NAIA-2, or the Centennial Terminal, is located on the old MIA road, which started its operations in 1999. It is called the Centennial Terminal in celebration of the 100th Year of the Philippine Independence (the construction of this terminal in 1998, the centennial year of the Philippine Independence). This terminal is home to the flag carrier, the Philippine Airlines and is used for their domestic and international flights.

And because this is a Watery Wednesday post, here’s a water shot I took from the airport:

This little area can be seen upon checking in. I think almost all of the passengers have a picture from this area. =) It took us a little few minutes before we boarded the plane. An extensive story about the Philippine Airlines flight to Cebu will be written tomorrow.

Parting Shot:

An aerial view of the NAIA-2 as the plane took off.

*** Jenn ***

Places: Post Office Building / Liwasang Bonifacio (Lawton, Manila)
Date: 10 February 2009

Like what I said in my last post, after taking pictures of the Pasig River, brother and I walked towards Lawton where we would take the bus going home. We have been taking pictures of the main Post Office Building and the Liwasang Bonifacio whenever we have the chance to, but my brother I should also take pictures of the columns in the Post Office Building. Well, it was indeed my first time to get as close as I can to the building (which is also my favorite Philippine Building), so why not?

Hoping my cell phone battery won’t die on me, here are the pictures I took of the Manila Central Post Office Building:

This building, being the main office of the Philippine Postal Corporation, houses the country’s main mail sorting business. The building was designed by Filipino architect Juan Marcos de Guzman Arellano and was built in 1926. It was severely damaged during the World War II, but was rebuilt in 1946, preserving the original design.

Fronting the building was the Liwasang Bonifacio:

Built as a tribute to the great son of Manila, Andres Bonifacio, who led the Katipunan during the Spanish Regime.

With that last shot, my cell phone’s battery died. No problem, I think I was able to capture enough moments. Anyway, this won’t be the last time I’d drop by this place, so expect more pictures from Lawton soon.

*** Jenn ***

Place: Pasig River (Manila Side)
Date: 10 February 2009

From Manila Cathedral, brother and I took the jeepney going to Lawton where we would take the bus home. As the jeepney cruised, brother took notice of the river, and asked if I would like to take pictures. Since we’re already there, I saw no reason why, so off we went.

Taken from Wikipedia:

The Pasig River (called Ilog Pasig in Filipino) is a river in the Philippines and connects Laguna de Bay (via the Napindan Channel) into Manila Bay. It stretches for 25 kilometres (15.5 mi) and divides Metro Manila into two. Its major tributaries are the Marikina River and San Juan River.

The Pasig River is technically a tidal estuary in that the flow direction depends upon the water level difference between Manila Bay and Laguna de Bay. During the dry season, the water level in Laguna de Bay is low and the flow direction of the Pasig River depends on the tides. During the wet season, when the water level of Laguna de Bay is high, flow is normally from Laguna de Bay towards Manila Bay.

The Pasig River used to be an important transport route in Spanish Manila. However, due to negligence and industrial development, the river has become very polluted and is considered dead (unable to sustain life) by ecologists.

The Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission (PRRC) was established to oversee rehabilitation efforts for the river. Supporting the PRRC are private sector organizations i.e. Clean and Green Foundation, Inc. who implemented the Piso para sa Pasig (Filipino: A peso for the Pasig) campaign.

I am not sure of the exact location of these pictures, but I was able to see “Escolta” just across, so I am guessing it’s the name of the place. =) I am looking forward to come back to this place to take more pictures as I only had my cell phone that time, which was also running low on battery. My brother was inviting me to go to Binondo (Chinatown) since it’s pretty much walking distance if we really wanted to walk, but I told him I didn’t want to “waste” my first visit in Binondo with a draining cell phone as my camera, so after the few shots taken, we walked to Lawton.

I am actually optimistic that the River would be resurrected. Recalling a past ferry boat ride along the river when I was about 14 years old, the river nowadays was much cleaner and more pleasant to the nose. But, as long as there were people living in shanties along the river, the vision of seeing the river breathe life would be difficult. But I am keeping my hopes up. I am sure all will be well.

*** Jenn ***

Place: Manila Cathedral (Intramuros, Manila)
Date: 10 February 2009

It had been a few weeks since my sister started her internship at a shipping company. She basically lived inside the ship, and chances for her to go out was very minimal, although there were times the ship would dock in different ports in Visayas and Mindanao. When the ship docked in Manila North Harbor, she sent us a text message if we could visit her and deliver her some important items like laundry soap and other personal items.

Brother and I visited her and waited until the ship left for Bacolod in Negros Occidental before we left the harbor, and since it was already lunch time, we decided to go back to Intramuros to eat and also so I could take pictures of Manila Cathedral for my Project 365.

Recalling from memory, there were seven cathedrals situated in Intramuros, but only two survived the test of time - the Manila Cathedral and the San Agustin Church. This church was elevated to the rank of Basilica Minore in 1981 by Pope John Paul II, and is officially named Basilica of the Immaculate Conception.

The second picture shows the two most popular mode of transportation in Intramuros - the jeepney and the kalesa (horse drawn carriage). You can see pictures from this cathedral at my old post here.

The Plaza Roma - which is just right in front of the Manila Cathedral was once called “Plaza Mayor” during the Spanish Regime, and was called “Plaza McKinley” during the American Regime. In 1960, following a reciprocal agreement between the Vatican and the Philippine government, it became Plaza de Roma, or Plaza Roma (a Piazza Manila was built in Rome). This plaza was once witness to raucous bull fights and other public events until it was converted to a garden in 1797. The bronze statue was of King Carlos IV of Spain was installed in 1824 as a tribute for having sent the first smallpox vaccine to the Philippines.

Some pictures from the area:

“Freezing” the water from the fountain in Plaza Roma, overlooking the Manila Cathedral.

Located at the side of the cathedral was the Ayuntamiento - where once seat of City Council of Manila was located. Sadly, the building was destroyed in the Battle of Manila in 1945. Nowadays, the government is making the place host to “Wow Philippines,” an exposition of some of Philippines’ goods.

All the pictures in this post were taken using my cell phone - at that time, our digital camera was with sister as she needed to document her internship, and I still haven’t bought my current camera.

*** Jenn ***

Place: The Archdiocesan Shrine of Jesus - The Way, the Truth, and the Life (Reclamation Area, Pasay City)
Date: 02 January 2009

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

After sister and I took pictures by the globe, we decided to go look for that Dinos Alive thing, since we were already there. We just took pictures outside because we don’t have enough money for the tickets. Actually, we were just happy to be outside, take pictures of the iguanas. =)

Sister said there’s a church near SM Mall of Asia, and since it was still quite early, we thought of passing by it as well, to maximize the time we had in the area. It was near the SMX Convention Center, and when we arrived, the church was still closed. We were a bit exhausted from walking, so we sat in the benches outside the SMX Center just to catch our breath and massage our legs and feet. It was a great thing we relaxed a bit, for the church was opened a little past 4PM. At least we were able to do what we wanted to do!

Pictures:

The facade.

The altar.

A shot of the interiors from the altar.

Schedule of services.

According to the church’s website, this church as well as the Pope John Paul II Youth Center (located just outside the church) was a fulfillment of the late Pope’s dream to have a center for the young people as he expressed during the World Youth Day celebration in 1995. The Shrine and the Youth Center is a fitting monument to the unprecedented attendance to the Holy Father’s Eucharistic Celebration at the Luneta Park, wherein more than six million people from all walks of life, from different corners of the world gathered, to join the said celebration. In the Pope’s message to the young people in attendance, he highlighted that Jesus is the Way the Truth and the Life.

It was also a project of former Archbishop of Manila, the late Jaime Cardinal Sin. (Source: http://www.shrineofjesus.org/about.html)

After saying some prayers, sister and I went back to the SM Mall of Asia Bay Area, but still took some pictures on our way out:

A beautiful window decor made of wood and capiz shells. See the globe? That’s how far we walked!

In a “reflective mood.” =)

The next time I go back here, I will really try to hear the mass and visit the JPII Youth Center.

*** Jenn ***