This weekend I visited a family in Alegria, a small beach town close to the south western tip of Cebu Island. I stayed there two nights and thoroughly enjoyed my first out-of-town trip since I arrived in the Philippines last month. I took a bus from the South Cebu Bus Terminal early in the morning. Cost of the ride was only 150 pesos or about $3.20 USD. At 5:00 a.m., the terminal was already bustling with people trying to get on a bus out of town. Apparently, you need to get there early to catch a bus, because they fill up instantly with passengers. For most Filipinos, traveling by bus or ferry is the least expensive way to get places.
The ride took about 3-1/2 hours to Alegria. The bus was very modern, with comfortable seats, free wi-fi and air conditioning. The fare I mentioned is the cost of riding a “modern” bus, compared to the lower-priced and less-equipped buses that are more prevalent.
Once I got to the home of the family, I was given my own room and fed immediately. They always kept checking with me to see if I was hungry or needed anything. They were so friendly to me that I started feeling like family after just a couple of days. Unfortunately I will need to learn Visaya (the language of this region) to ever really be accepted fully. I plan to learn it someday if I decide that I do want to settle here in the Philippines. I have really been enjoying the hospitality and friendliness of Filipinos since I’ve been here. Getting out of the city has the same effect as in the U.S. – people are even more friendly in rural areas. Even though they don’t see many foreigners “in the provinces” like they do in the cities, I was still welcomed and included.
On the first day, I was invited to join the family for a big picnic at a local resort where one family member works. We packed up the food, our towels and swimsuits and hired a “tricycle” cab to take us there. (I’ll talk more about these tricycles in another post, but to summarize, it is simply a motorcycle with a sidecar than can hold as many as eight people. When I ride though, it will only hold one other person!)
My day at the beach was totally relaxing, just enjoying the breeze, the sun and the beautiful quiet waters. The water was warm and refreshing and not very deep. Apparently the tide was going out during the day, which is why it seemed so shallow where we were.
On the next day, several of us took a walk around the community and we stopped by a beautiful ocean-side Catholic church. (Most churches in the Philippines are Catholic.) The church was in the final phase of construction and was already being used. It was such a quiet and peaceful place to hang out in for a while.
That afternoon, I caught a bus back to Cebu City. The ride was on a old style bus with open windows, crowded seating and apparently no shocks because it was the roughest ride of my life, as far as I can remember! But it only cost 100 pesos!
Here are some of the photos that I took on this trip.
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