I have been yearning to come back to Cebu this 2019 and it became a reality with my trip last weekend. I had been fond of visiting the city every year during the Regionals and for other Magic: the Gathering related activities. Those trips were more of playing the game than seeing the world per se. This time, I have thought to be more of a tourist visiting the city.

The January trip was mainly unplanned because our officemates were looking for cheap promo flights for various Philippine destinations. We looked on the trip to Clark, Cebu, Palawan and Cagayan de Oro and to see on which ones would be cheaper to have with the group.

I initially checked on the Cebu fares and found it to be on the P100 base fare, I just then chose one weekend that is available by schedule and booked on the dates January 11th to 13th, 2019. That I, later on, found out to be one week before the Sinulog festival. I then suggested the dates to my officemates and they were to double check their availability on those dates first. I saddened me coz I thought that it was supposed to be a group trip. It ended up to be a solo trip but I didn’t really mind coz I would be in control of my time.

Come weeks before January, I have been checking blog posts and Youtube videos on the scenes and activities that can be done in Cebu city. There were a lot of options and tourist spots mentioned but I jot down those can be viable within the schedule of my Friday arrival and after check-in on the hostel. The main tourist spot that I first added on my list was the Temple of Leah and I had read on how to access the site using various modes of transportation and the spots to take pictures on. Maybe I will detail my experience there on a separate blog post.

Next up was to visit the Magic store named Magus Games which is just a few blocks from my hostel though I needed to one ride to get there. I also wanted to see their Magic community there and also check some of the products that are for sale. The popular game store before was Neutral Grounds Cebu that was located on the second floor of JY Square mall in Lahug. Unfortunately, the owner Rod had to finally close its doors last year.

Another added spot for me to visit was the Magellan’s Cross and the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño de Cebu. The locations were also one jeepney ride away and the Google maps for assistance.

One thing that I usually do when I visit the city was to check the transportation options and choose one that is the cheapest. Good thing there are blogs detailing these topics so it was just easy to read and note. Going to Cebu city from the Mactan airport has this public transport called My Bus and the fare is very much cheaper than taking a taxi. Their terminal is just near the arrival area and their point to point destination is from the airport to SM City Cebu. Since I will be only bringing my backpack, I opted to take the bus and have personal experience and I hope this can be a transportation option soon at Iloilo International Airport.

Day One – Iloilo to Cebu

Days prior to my travel, I was somewhat feeling sickly because of the weather and having a few asthma attacks. It was just a gloomy feeling but I decided to take my initial meds and took some rest to regain myself. The clothes and other things haven’t packed until the night before and I took an early out so I would enough time to check on the other stuff needed for the trip. I borrowed one Standard deck from my teammate Ace just in case there is a Friday Night Magic event that I can join.

My flight schedule was 6:30 in the morning so I needed to sleep early. Unfortunately, my brain decided to just give me more thoughts and so I finally got to sleep around 11:00pm. Good thing I just left the room light on and my phone’s alarms to wake me up at 2:00am. I woke up minutes before my alarm clock time, checked my emails and made some coffee to stir up my vibes. My actual meal would just be at the airport so I then just prepared my stuff, double checked my things and took a bath. I left the boarding house around 3:30am and since I already web checked-in, it was not a rush to go to the airport. One cab and van ride later, I arrived at the airport at 4:30am. It was time for that Silog breakfast.

To be continued…

*header pic from Getty Images.