A Day with the Priors

A Drive Down Southern Cebu

In my last blog, I featured best-selling author, Simon Prior. When Simon reached out to me, I was delighted. He and his family, who were currently residing in Australia, planned to visit my country, the Philippines. They were celebrating the high school graduation of their twin daughters, Candi and Ellie. Simon’s book ‘Coconut Wireless’ was a thoroughly enjoyable read so I was jazzed to get the opportunity to meet the author and his family in person. “Actually, my daughters picked the itinerary. They wanted to go snorkeling, see the sardine run, go kayaking and swim with the whale sharks!” Simon said. “Fantastic!” I said. “We lived for five years in the wonderful beach community of Moalboal. We were lucky enough to have enjoyed those things right at our backyard!”

Unfortunately, since the super typhoon destroyed our home 2021, we’d moved to the neighboring island of Negros Oriental. We were only an hour’s flight away from Cebu City, where they’d planned to visit. We were happy to meet up with them in Cebu. These were our old stomping grounds so we couldn’t wait to share all it’s secrets. I’m a native of Cebu and a proud islander. I was excited to show them the beach town we’d come to love.

The first night, Simon and his family lodged in a space theme hotel complete with sleeping capsules. They’d tried them before in Japan and wanted to relive the experience. Oh, wow! I had no idea we had them here on our island too. We’ve got to try those sometime, I thought. “Hey, why don’t I just pick you up instead, and we can drive together to the South?” I suggested. “That way, my husband and I can check out the space pods; I’d never seen them before.

I also know where all the good rest stops are between Cebu City and Moalboal.” Simon agreed. The drive was an estimated 3 to 4 hours south depending on traffic. Clean bathrooms are a priority for long scenic drives. When we arrived at the hotel, Simon and his family had come from Starbucks around the corner. While they were drinking their coffee, they found themselves featured in a Starbucks’ employee training session. Below is the view of the sleeping pods on the second floor of the hotel where they stayed.

Perfect for an overnight experience. While we were viewing it, the power was out. I’m pretty sure I’d feel claustrophobic if the air circulation stopped in the middle of the night. We get frequent power outage here in the islandsTechnically, we were driving from Mactan Island, (AKA Lapu-Lapu City) across a bridge connecting it to Cebu City, and then proceeded south to the town of Moalboal. I showed them the monument to Lapu-Lapu, our first national hero. Ferdinand Magellan, the first person known to have circumnavigated the world, died there. He drew his last breath at the hands of Lapu-Lapu, killed by the tribal chieftain.

Cebu is rich in history and culture heritage. Being a history major graduate in college, I shared some significant historical landmarks on our drive to the southern part of Cebu. In a past life, I’d worked as a tour guide for a local travel agency. I wondered if I still had the chops!In 1521, Magellan set out on an expedition for King Philipp of Spain. He sought an alternative route to spice islands and to spread Christianity. Their intention was to establish and expand Spanish colonies. Magellan experienced resistance from Lapu-Lapu on Mactan Island, famously known as ‘the Battle of Mactan’. He was shot in the foot by a poisoned arrow and died. He journeyed from Spain via South America with five ships. The voyage was completed by Sebastian Del Cano with the only one remaining ship. When the Philippine Islands were finally conquered, it was named in honor of King Philipp. Chronicling the story was Magellan’s historian, Venetian Scholar Antonio Pigafetta.

Lapu-Lapu monument in Mactan, Philippines

Lapu-Lapu, our first national hero or should I say rebel?After we crossed a bridge to Cebu City, a short side trip to Fort San Pedro was noteworthy. Built in the 1700’s, Fort San Pedro was one of the oldest triangular fort in the Philippines. It was built to repel attacks from Muslim armies from the South. It used to be a jail, then later a zoo. Eventually, it was taken over by Filipino revolutionaries. Now the fort houses a museum exhibiting precolonial artifacts. The neighboring countries in the Far East traded prior to the Spaniards arrival. Currently, the Fort maintains a beautiful garden and hosts events and weddings. Busloads of tourists visit daily.

Fort San Pedro in Cebu City, Philippines

From the fort, we weren’t far away from Magellan’s cross. You can’t leave Cebu City without checking out Magellan’s cross, the hallmark of Cebu. This was the spot where Ferdinand Magellan first landed and planted the cross. He befriended the tribal king, Rajah Humabon and baptized over 800 natives, that day. They sealed the deal with a blood compact. Magellan converted the natives to Christianity in exchange, Rajah Humabon paid Magellan tribute in gold.

Magellan's cross in Cebu City, Philippines

The locals believed the cross planted in the ground by Magellan miraculously grew. The real cross was underneath the larger public cross, protected. This was to prevent people from chipping away the wood for souvenirs or relics.Across from Magellan’s cross, is the entrance to the oldest church of the country, The Basilica del Minore del Santo Niño. Filipinos are 90% Christians. Many of the neighboring countries in the Far East pay homage to Buddhism, Islam or Hinduism. A hundred years later, explorer Legazpi journeyed to the Philippines to pursue its colonization, but the Filipino tribes were no longer as welcoming. Legazpi burned the city to subjugate the natives. In the ashes, the statue of Santo Niño had survived intact; the locals believed this was a miracle.

To Filipinos all over the country and abroad, the celebration of the miracles of Santo Niño is the biggest annual event on the Philippines calendar. It’s called Sinulog. Santo Niño translated is the ‘Christ Child’. With its parades and festivities, Sinulog, is similar to the Mardi Gras in Brazil. it reenacts the period before Spanish colonization, memorialize the acceptance of Christianity and honors the patron saint of Cebu, Santo Niño.

Aren’t they cute!?
Unfortunately, shorts and sleeveless shirts are prohibited in the church so
they draped Candi and Ellie with pink scarves to cover up.

We lit a candle and whispered a silent prayer and journeyed south to Moalboal. Along the way, we grabbed a bite in our favorite cafe joint, ‘The Coffee project’. They have strong coffee and their tasty treats are a local legend!We hit traffic in Carcar City for more or less 2 hours owing to a local fiesta. Normally, traffic would have been less than half of that. Visitors often stop in Carcar. It’s the last city of the South to do shopping and to take a break. Carcar displays vestiges of old Spanish houses. It’s also famous for its market where we can buy fresh assortment of meat, vegetables, and fruits, as well as our national dish, ‘Lechon’. ‘Lechon’ is a pig roasted on a spit for a couple of hours. It’s basted in special spices that makes the skin crunchy when cooked and the meat, tender and juicy. These are huge affairs usually reserved for special occasions. The market in Carcar is one of the most popular places to buy the tastiest ‘lechon’. I was aware that Simon and his family liked sampling the local food in every country they visit, so this was an important stop to savor the local delicacies.

Sampling local treats.The Carcar traffic was a grueling 2 hours in slow holiday motion but, it allowed for interesting conversations with Simon and Fiona. We shared our musical tastes, work, experiences, books and every other topic under the sun.

Cruising the market, the colorful Christmas Parols (lanterns) are popular,
and they only come out in December.Finally, we arrived in Moalboal, our destination. The long drive wiped us out and we all decided to chill out and enjoy the beach and the sun in our respective resorts.All in all, it was a pleasant day, hanging out with the Priors. In the days that followed, they pursued their adventures on the islands. We exchanged gifts and bade them a fond farewell. Friendship was sown across the continents