Tourists visiting Cebu City may be deactivated for the first time at certain points in the city. The city offers many world-class resorts, hotels, beaches and diving sites. There are also some areas of the most devastating poverty in the world. Cebu is the capital of Cebu, Manila's second largest city in the Philippines. I always feel at home in the city and lived in the city before I built my home in the provinces of Cebu Province, Camotes. Cebu City is old and new, rich and poor, good and bad, nice and ugly blend. There is even a clean and very dirty or dirty mixture. The rule is that anyone who travels to Cebu first should not think about it.
My first trip to Cebu City was in February 2004. I went to the Philippines to meet a girl (Judith) wife. I came to Cebu-Mactan airport and Judith and one of the nurses met. My flight started in Florida and the last flight came from Hong Kong. Cebu International Airport is only a little outdated but very functional. In addition to airport doors, I saw a wave of people who wanted to meet with those arriving from Hong Kong. The airport was not so busy when I arrived and I think my plane was the only arriving flight at that time. As my people on my flight walked outside the airport door, they bombed bombs, taxis, and V-hiring greetings who wanted everything. I met Judith in front of the airport doors. He, my sister and I all jumped to an old Kia Taxi and went to our hotel.
The taxi was old and not very maintained. The air conditioner did not work and the window did not fall. Of course, that did not matter because I could not close the door because the door lock was broken. So there's a lot of air. The hotel is about a 30-minute drive from the airport. As I walked through the streets of the city, I could see that crowded sidewalks crowded the many sidewalks and street vendors. Some of the journeys we traveled were moderately maintained while others were in a bad state. The roads are crowded with many cars, but mostly Kia and Hyundais. There were also a lot of Jeepneys, a traditional travel method in the Philippines. The jeepney looks like an outbound military jeep, a hard case, and a large cargo space that is used on two bench seats for passengers. Jeepneys are usually different in color and many chrome painted. Many jeepneys are poorly maintained and most bald tires and brake systems are questionable. There were also many tiny motorbikes. After traveling in a few minutes I decided that Cebu's most dangerous vehicle was Jeepney, Taxi and finally a motorcycle. Jeepney drivers tend to rule on the road and stop on both sides of the road to pick up or get rid of passengers. I saw that many jeepneys cut off both lanes from traffic just to brake people and see others sliding off the edge of the road quickly to cut off the traffic so that the driver could get away from the traveler to drink along the way. Taxis are not better, but they are a minor threat because vehicles are smaller than a motorcycle. Motorcycles are a threat to the motorcycle driver and the passengers, and anyone who is walking along the road or on the sidewalk. Motorcycles build their own traffic lanes on the small shoulders, which the road may offer or sometimes on the painted dividing line as a narrow road to bring a separate traffic lanes. At other times, I saw motorcycles suppressing pedestrian walkways. Yet the pedestrians were less concerned about negligence and just walked on.
We continued on the way to our hotel in various areas of the city. Some areas were very old and the buildings looked as if they were ready for dismantling for years. Many buildings and storage fronts are made of concrete, plywood or corrugated steel sheets added to the broken windows and steel bars that cover the window or plywood. I can not imagine what the cost of steel bars is, as the buildings were so poor. I was sure the content was not better. I noticed some tiny shop fronts with a large open widow chicken litter. These little shops are about the size of a small closet, and in these small shops there are dozens of streets on every street. Sari-sari's stores are called and only very few products are sold such as canned fish, rice, food, cigarettes, etc. Most of the small shops are connected to the front of the private homes and are crisply constructed of unpainted plywood and tin roofs. The majority of Sari-sari shops block the sidewalks and force people to walk on the road to bypass the protruding plywood. For other Sari shops there is a small table or table along the narrow sidewalks where rum is bought and a karaoke machine helps block the sidewalks.
In many old areas, sidewalks are filled with sale cabins, tents or other types of hurried shelter. The sidewalks belong to the sellers and the pedestrians leave the ugly obstacles. These retail bags block the underlying stores on the sidewalks, and I'm still amazed at why retailers allow traders to block their stores. The streets and sidewalks in the old neighborhood are dirty in most areas. The bark is outside the streets, the chickens are connected to public utility columns or street signs and to dogs. Many of the old homes on the commercial street of the city may have rivers and canal systems. Many people use streets and sidewalks in their bathroom and even bathe on the sidewalk. The infrastructure of old towns almost does not exist. Low drainage, poor sewage systems, and low power lines, hundreds of wires, are cordlessly connected to a hard pole. I often wonder how the lorry makes them under the wires without hitting the wire. In many cases, larger trucks actually found the wires and cut off power in most of the city. One of the things that seemed to me to pass through all these areas of the taxi seemed to be happy. Despite what I saw as great poverty and terrible living conditions, these people or at least many people were happy. Although most of the people I saw have walked through the sidewalks on their daily routines. I thought these people were doing the same as the rest of the world in any big city. Yet, my first visit to Cebu City opened my eyes to the fact that at least poverty or the majority of the population lived in poverty
In about 30 minutes, riding a taxi, we came to a much nicer area of the city and there an oasis, in the middle of poverty, this beautiful hotel and a large modern shopping mall, as well as a number of great modern, well-maintained high-rise buildings. The scene was a sharp difference in the old regions. This area is found in all modern American cities and is very similar to a US city commercial area. The area is Ayala Business Park and Ayala Mall. This is the modern city of Cebu and all that can be found in every modern city.
Once in the Marriott Hotel I was looking for a very nice room and we all went to the dining room for a nice lunch. Soon after, Judith and I went home with her sister. Judith took the park to the Ayala Mall, only a five minute walk, and I was amazed at the mall inside. Stores were the same as in the US, Ace Hardware, Levi, MacDonald's, and so on. Plus there are a number of Philippine department stores and a variety of restaurants and cafés. All store salesmen and salespeople spoke English, and most Filipino people who walked in the shops spoke English. They use a mixture of English and native Cebuano. All business charts are written in English and the menu is in English. In many ways, I felt as if I had only traveled for 20 hours from Florida to be in an American city.
Although many other foreigners were in the mall, many Filipino people walked out of where I came from, and generally everyone was very friendly with me. While I bought some souvenirs at the mall to bring me home, Judith and I only bought a lot of windows. I was pleased to see that most of the deals in the shops are very cheap compared to the United States. At that time, a US dollar bought 56.00 pesos. Today it's a dollar and about 44.00 pesos. It's still a good deal, but today I'm cautious about spending. In the afternoon in the afternoon I was willing to sleep after my long flight to Cebuba. Judith went home and retired to my hotel room. The next morning Judith was in the hotel, bright and early, breakfasted at the hotel, then we left to look at the city and some beachfront resorts. Cebu has wonderful and beautiful resorts and are very good. The resorts are all well maintained and modern. The resorts have the largest population of foreigners and Filipino staff. I can quickly change the city from the poverty-stricken third world to a modern commercial and tourism city in some of the old areas where I needed a lot of help.
We went to Cebu to go to the old area of Colon. Colon is the oldest street in the country and has many landmarks. Colon, however, is a dirty area of very old and poorly maintained buildings. Prostitution is one of the main problems in Colon, and street crime. There are wonderful markets and great deals in Colon, but not an area where the new tourist walks alone. Hotels can be a really cheap price for Colon. Some just go for $ 20 for the night, but these hotels are picking up street girls and the girls and the rooms are really dirty. Last Judith and I stayed in two different Colon Hotels. We went to town on the Camotes Island monthly shopping trip. We decided to try hotels because they are cheap and close to the outside markets. I would never stay at these hotels again. The best words that describe them are old, dirty, rats infected and full of prostitution. Both hotels seem to cater to a strange man and any girl men can find in Colon Bar or on the street. The area has several small Bikini-type bars, with Bar girls (prostitutes), also called GRO. Unless you are looking for a prostitute, there are few reasons for Colon after dark and you still have to be very careful. That does not mean that all Colon is bad. There are nice shops and restaurants in Colon. I enjoy shopping in Colon, but I have to be careful in Colon.
During my first visit I saw the most in all areas of Cebu City and I was always safe. Of course, after dark, we did not go to the old parts of the city. We are more in resorts or Ayala Park, and these are all very safe and fun areas. I would recommend Cebu City to anyone who wants to go to a great resort and want to spend a beautiful beach on a diving, boating on the outer islands and not spending much money. All you have to do in Cebu City and see many wonderful things. Stay in any of the resorts is very affordable at around $ 60.00 per night and some as high as $ 250.00. Dinner in restaurants is also very cheap. Dining at good restaurants will cost only $ 10.00 and $ 20.00 for two people. It was a wonderful occasion during my first visit. However, Judith was my guide and my girlfriend. I do not know for sure that Cebu City would have liked Judith if he was not with me on the first trip.
Not long after my first visit to Cebu City, I moved to Cebu City, Florida, in 2004. At this point, Judit and I were committed and wanted to live on the Camotes Islands. However, we decided to live in the city while looking for land to build a house in Camotes. The Camotes Islands is a rural Cebu province and only two hours by boat from the city. We rented a new two-bedroom house in Cebu City Lahug. The monthly rental fee is only $ 125.00, and our TV cable is about $ 15.00 per month. The house was on a hillside overlooking the city and close to everything we needed. Lahug is a very nice area and now there are many new residential buildings in the area. Our monthly budget in Lahug is approx. $ 700, which includes rents, utility services, food, taxis, and many more dinners in restaurants and entertainments. I guess if we're still living in Lahug, then the budget would be just a few bucks.
A couple of weeks after I moved to Lahug, I felt like Cebu was my city and I really enjoyed urban life. The city offers many things to foreigners and the city is always trying to attract foreign retirees. She is a foreign city (expat). The largest group of foreigners are Cebu Korean, then Americans, Australians, British and Japanese. There is no racial tension or problem in the city I learned about and the city is very safe. However, as in any big city, there is a crime, but with common safeguards and precautions you can enjoy a happy life in Cebu City. Driving in the city is something I have never tried and I do not think I'll ever drive into town. Taxi cabs can get $ 1.00 to $ 2.00 in town anywhere, and that's OK for me.
Shopping in the city is great, and products from Philippine stores are all over the world. Many grocery stores are finished with Western brands, so you will never get browed from your favorite foods from home. Outbound foreign markets are great discounts and it is always fun to negotiate prices with traders. Cable TV is available in the city and offers many US shows and news shows. You can go to the cinemas and get $ 1.00 for a new release movie and popcorn for just a few pennies. The city has since moved to the Philippines. There are many new gate storage Al-Division serving foreign buyers, new high-rise apartment buildings and resorts all continue to attract foreigners. The two major malls in the city, Ayala and SM are both expanding. Many have been upgraded and infrastructure in many areas. The city is a great attraction for tourism and always tries to involve more tourists and foreign retirees. Immigrants from $ 1,000 a year old retirees can live like a king in Cebu City. You can live for less than $ 1,000, but I think $ 1,000.00 is the right number every month to save emergency, home and medical needs every month. The city has very good hospitals and medical costs are far less in the Philippines. In the Philippines, good dental care is also available. Many people go to Cebuba for medical or dental dinners. Do not forget, if you think you want to move to Cebu City, do the homework. Would you like to live in a new country? do you want to get away from your family and grandsons? When did you marry how your wife feels in Cebu? If you have a baby, you want to live in a new country and what about your education? Do you have patience and understanding to learn and live in a new culture? Do you have money to live a good life in Cebu without having to find a job? Do you have enough money for any type of emergency that can take up to five to ten thousand dollars? Finally, what is the reason for wanting to live in a new country? If I'm honest and positive to answer the above questions, maybe Cebu City is for you?
Do not forget that the Philippine economy is struggling. The Philippines has four or six years of college qualification leading to tax cabs or working as a business officer. Unemployment occurs in the country through the roof. Poverty is an important issue in the country. Because of all the beauty of the Philippines, poverty continues to destroy many Filipinos and their future, creating a nasty face for a rather beautiful country. Just this week, on November 8, 2007, an 11-year-old Manila, his mother, father and little brother, hung in a whimsical city. The reason for the girl's remark was that she was due to the poverty she and her family lived in. The father can not find a job for months and the mother works for only $ 1.00 a day. The little girl asked her father for the P200.00 school project that night. The father did not get the money, just under $ 4. All girls wanted to finish school and buy a new bike. A simple dream of severe poverty in a country struggling to overcome political corruption and stealing. Keep in mind that you can spend one day in the Philippines for one day for a Filipino family to live for a month. Poverty really takes life.
I really love my way of life in the Philippines, but it took me some time, patience, understanding and some of the victims to live in the Philippines. I made a lot of mistakes before I came here and some people live here. In 2004 I did not have enough money. I made some trips to Florida to complete the contract work and then returned to my dear Camotes Islands. She is currently away from home for a teaching contract. For me, however, it is worth mentioning that over the years there are only a few months in my paradise, Camotes Islands, Cebu, Philippines. I think anyone who is looking for a great vacation will enjoy Cebu City. Those who retire in a modest retirement can live well here, but we can be sure that food in a new country is right for you. Before you make a decision here, it is wise to come first to vacation and see the city. Then you can decide that this is the life you want. Once again, this paradise for me.
Source by Patrick Mcgrain