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A week of adventures

Language Learning, Travel / by

This week is going to be a traveling week for me.  Most of the week anyway.  I’m not going anywhere that I’ve never been before, but I am going where I am going armed a little differently than I have in the past.

I’ll be venturing to Cebu this week.  First, I’ll be spending some time in Cebu City, and I will also be going to Northern Cebu Island, to Bogo.  I’ve been to Cebu City many, many times in the past (although not for some time), but I’ve never gone north of the City before, so this part wil be new for me.  I have traveled south of Cebu City once, about halfway down the island from the City.  I had a friend who used to live in Sibonga, and went to visit him some years ago.  He might still live there, I’m not sure, we’ve kind of lost touch with each other.  When I visited my friend we headed further south from Sibonga, Cebu, but not all the way to the southern tip of the island, though.  But, as I said, this will be my first time to visit Northern Cebu.

The last time I was in Cebu, I believe, was in 2001, possibly 2002.  I used to go to Cebu fairly often for business, but I have had no need to visit the island for some time now.  I am expecting that it has grown a lot in the 7 or 8 years since I’ve been there.  I know that Davao has exploded in growth, and I expect that Cebu has grown at a rate more rapid than I’ve seen in Davao.

At the beginning of this article, I said that I would be “armed” differently than in the past.  What did I mean by that?  Well, primarily, I meant that in terms of language.  Of course, any regular reader will know that for nearly 2 years now I’ve been studying Bisaya, and learning to speak the language.  Bisaya is also called Cebuano, and originates from Cebu.  The type of Bisaya that I am learning is pure Cebuano, the way it is spoken in Cebu.  Davao City, where I live, is more “halo-halo” or a mixture of language.  Here, Tagalog and Cebuano are mixed up into a distinct Davaoenyo language of our own.  But, I am so excited to visit Cebu mostly because I want to listen to the people there and speak with them.  I have a friend, Lucky, a German who also studies Cebuano from the same teacher that I use (Bebe Metillo).  Lucky was in Cebu last week, and he just raves to me about how nice it is to hear pure Cebuano from the people.  He says he can understand and communicate much more clearly in Cebu than in Davao because of the purity of the language.  This really excites me a lot.  I predict that experiencing Cebu armed with language skills is going to be much different than when I knew only English and nothing else.

So, what is bringing me to Cebu?  Well, I’ve been wanting to go (primarily for the language exposure) for a few months now.  It so happened that an American friend of mine, who still lives in the States contacted me a few weeks ago.  He also has a house in Cebu and plans to retire there in a few years.  He has some things that he needs to have done at his house in Cebu, technical things regarding his Internet access there.  He offered to pay for my trip to Cebu if I would go to his house and take care of this for him, to which I readily agreed.  So, I expect that I will spend a half day or so at his house taking care of what he needs done, and then I’ll spend about 2 1/2 days doing other things.  My trip to Bogo is because I want to see the northern part of the island, and I also want to meet Rusty Ferguson.  I have known Rusty for over 6 months, but only through the Internet, and I think we talked on the phone one time.  It will be nice to meet him in person, and I want to see his new monkey too.  So, that is the main reason for going to Bogo (not sure if the main reason is Rusty or the monkey, though!).  While in Cebu City, I plan to hang out in some coffee shops for Internet access and write up some of my adventures for my daily articles here on LiP too.  Also, I expect that in hanging out in a few coffee shops I will meet some other expats living in Cebu.  Who knows, maybe I can find a new LiP writer who lives in Cebu City.  So, if you are an expat in Cebu City, please e-mail me through our contact form on this site, or give me a call or text at (0915) 216-0300, I’d enjoy meeting you while I’m in town.

But, while I am in the City, I primarily want to visit venues where I can listen to people, and talk with them.  For me, this means places like the Public Market, downtown areas and such.  Getting practice in the language while I am in Cebu has been my primary reason for wanting to visit the City for a few months now.

This week, all of my articles will be related to my trip to Cebu.  From planning the trip, my actual visit, my experiences, and maybe some photos from around the area.

Cebu City, here I come!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. you might as well stop by a nice bookstore while your at it. there's a Fully Booked branch in the Ayala Center that just opened last november.

    i'm not sure, but i think it was you who wrote about wanting to have a decent bookstore nearby.

  2. Kamusta ka Bob,

    Happy trails to you!! Looking forward to hearing about your journey. Also your visit with Rusty and the monkey should be interesting..take care now.

    Salamat kaayo,
    Danny 🙂

  5. Hi Bob,

    Kung mo-adto ka sa Carbon, palihug pangutana ug tag-pila na
    karon ang usa ka puso (humay) ug sa usa ka kilong inasal
    nga baboy. Mintras tanto pangutana na lang sab kug tagpila na ang usa ka hinog nga manggang karabaw. Apila na sab lang ang presyo
    sa usa ka salmong ginamos. Tua ka naman gyud i-apil na lang ang
    presyo sa tabliya ug budbud.

    Pag-ayo-ayo ug pagbantay sa imong bolsa diha sa Carbon. Daghan dihang
    mangungu-ot. Usa pa ayaw ug labay sa Junquera ha ( ti-aw ti-aw lang).

    Daghang Salamat.

  7. Hello Bob,
    I know you are looking forward to your trip and I'll be looking forward to reading your articles while you are there. How many miles is it from Davao to Cebu City? Also, it would be nice to see a picture of you and Rusty and maybe his monkey. He seems to me like a very comical guy and fun to be around.
    Have a good and safe trip.
    Dale

  8. Taas-taas man ning listaha ni! Unsa, di nimo pa-bakasyonon si 'Nong Bob? Hehehe, jk there Doc 😉

  9. Hello Bob,

    Pag naa ka sa cebu… maybe you want to try "puso" and dangit you might like it. its really good and cheap… heheheh..

    Happy trip na lang sa imo… pag ayo-ayo didto…. 🙂

  10. Awww you beat me to the punch. 🙂 I'm just messing with you! I will write a follow up though after the visit which is what I planned.

    You usually don't announce when you're going to be gone, I'm guessing for security reason and I've started doing the same thing.

    I'm looking very forward to your visit. Maybe you want wait 7 more years, if I could get you to stay another day, we'd go to Bantayan Island, then I know you'd be back. 🙂

  11. PS, remember unggoy mama-ak. I had to learn that to stop the kids when they try to per her. That works. Did I spell unggoy right?

  17. Hi Dr. Long – Pwede magbisita ko sa Carbon se Huwebes, possible. Mag-check ko. Nagbisita ko sa Carbon kaniadto, pero asa sa Junquera? Ambot ko sa lugar? Unsa didto?

  19. Hi Dale – I am not sure, but I would guess it must be 400 or so miles from Davao to Cebu, it's an hour flight. I'll be posting some photos on the site!

  21. Hi Ann- I won't be having any Dangit, dang it! I don't eat anything that stinks! Well… I do like Durian, and some people say that stinks, though! 😉

  22. Hi Rusty – I am enjoying Cebu City, it's a lot different from Davao, and sometimes different is good for a change. I'll be back! Next time I'm gonna drag Feyma along, though.

    You are right, I usually don't announce where I am going or when, but I don't consider Cebu to be a danger. A lot of places where I go in Mindanao are safer left unsaid until after I get home!

    I'll be seeing you tomorrow!

  25. don't get sick Bob ..have fun ..You need one of "those been there done that" t-shirts Bob…Phil n Jess

  26. Bob,
    Have a safe visit to Cebu . . . I look forward to reading about your travels.

  28. It will be facinating to hear a side by side comparison of Cebu City and Davao City from one who knows Davao intimitely. I'm eagerly anticipating your next few articles.

  29. Have a good trip Bob, I am sure we will enjoy reading of your experiences upon your return.

  30. Good luck on your trip to Cebu. I'm looking forward to your posts from Cebu. Listen and practice as much as you can.

    When I went to Cebu last summer, I went to the west coast town of Moalboal. It's a great place to scuba dive, but that was before I discovered Samal. In Cebu city, we visited Magellan's cross. I hope to return in the future, like you, to improve my language skills.

  32. Hi Scott – Thanks! I am sitting here at my hotel in Cebu right now eating breakfast and taking care of my e-mails! It's a nice day!

  34. Hi David – Check back tomorrow for a kind of "side by side" comparison of my feelings about Davao vs. Cebu. There might be some surprises for you there. I know that I was surprised by some of my feelings.

  36. Thank You Mr. Bob!
    I was really curious about the ballpark millage from Davao to Cebu City and I'm looking forward to your pictures. Thank you!
    Please be careful.
    Dale

  37. Hi Rusty,
    Ok! So tell me whats on Bantayan Island that will make Bob come back? You caught my eye on that one. My curiosity is up!
    Thanks, Dale

  38. My wife and use he ferry regularly, Never had prob getting a ticket any time, as for cebu pacific, did you see the early bird special. very cheap, as long as you got carry on lugage only. You sure are right about the creidt/debit cards. One time it work for me, always pay in cash now. Have fun in Cebu

  39. Hi Dale – No problem, happy to assist. I will be posting a few pictures after I get home. Dealing with that while traveling is cumbersome.

  41. Hi Kenney – Yeah, I bought the special – no luggage – ticket. Carry on only. Cheap price, but they make you jump through hell just to get a ticket.