Pathway to the Taoist Temple.
We hoped for good weather and that was what we got for the third day of our stay in Cebu. The sun was bright but not beaming and the skies were clear. It was the perfect opportunity to head up to the Taoist Temple in Beverly Hills Subdivision, the center of worship for Taoism, the religion that follows the teachings of ancient Chinese Philosopher, Lao Tze. Since this tourist spot is inside a subdivision, the fastest way to get there is by taking a cab, but the commuter’s way would be to take a multicab to JY Square Mall and then ride one of the motorcycles (habal-habal) up to the temple.
The the temple consists of several Chinese pagodas that house the worshiping areas where you can pray to the different Chinese gods of Taoism for guidance. You can also do a ritual to ask the gods to grant you a wish. The area also has a multipurpose hall with a stage, which, I assume, is used for events and celebrations during the Chinese new year.
Entrance to Fort San Pedro.
Although the Taoist Temple is open to tourists and non-worshipers, there are a few restrictions upon visiting the site which were made clear to us by manong guard at the gate. You can only take pictures of the exterior of the temple, the images of the gods are also off limits to camera lenses, and you are not allowed to use tripods. The whole compound of the temple is a sacred worshiping area and everyone is strictly asked to keep the noise down to whispers.
There was one spot we missed when we were at downtown during our first day at Cebu. That was our next destination as we headed down the steps of the Taoist Temple. From Beverly Hills, we took a cab down to Plaza Independencia at Cebu City’s Pier Area to visit Fort San Pedro, a military structure built by indigenous Cebuano laborers under the command of Spanish conquistador, Migel Lopez de Legazpi and the then Spanish government of Cebu. This triangular-shaped bastion aimed to repel Muslim raiders and was later used by Filipino revolutionaries near the end of the 19th century.
Dried seafood sold at Tabuan Market.
Also inside the Fort San Pedro is the Region IV branch of the National Museum, which was closed at the time of our visit so did not get the chance to see what it had to offer. Like all ancient Spanish strongholds, the fort is surrounded by cannons and watchtowers used to spot and fend off incoming threats. This structure is just like a chip off Intramuros but without the establishments.
After taking some pictures with the cannons of Fort San Pedro, we thought it was time to go buy some pasalubong. What else is Cebu famous for but the danggit, squid, and other sun-dried seafood that you can buy at Tabuan Market. A warning though, this is one smelly market and the smell sticks to you and your clothes that you have to take a bath and change clothes afterwards.
To us Pinoys, stinky food is good food. Tuyo, tinapa, and itlog na maalat, are part of our morning meals, and we totally enjoy it. Danggit,fresh from Cebu, is one of the delicacies that everyone wants as pasalubong from Cebu. But there was one food item I was curious about, the tapang isda (fish jerky). It’s the same fish as the danggit but marinated in a tapa mixture and then sun dried. (We tried it back here in manila and it was delicious. It is soft, chewy, and stinks less compared to the crispy danggit.) I definitely recommend this food.
Imperial Hotel.
A quick shower at the hotel rids us of the remnants of Tabuan Market and ready for the road trip back to Mactan Island. Our destination, the guitar guitar factories and we might as well stop by Imperial Hotel to check out their water recreation facilities. The Imperial Hotel is probably the most luxurious of all the hotels in Cebu, even surpassing The Hilton at Punta Engaño.
Marigondon houses the premiere guitar factories, such as Alegre Guitars, in Cebu. The music pieces here are of top quality which is also reflected in the price. Sad that I was not able to buy one for myself. You can probably buy one of these cheap if you do not look like a tourist like we did or, if you know somebody in Cebu, let them buy you the instrument. I tried one of the guitars and the sound was exquisite. Even the baby guitars resonate clean notes even with its small sound box.
We hired a tricycle to take us around Marigondon because this is the boundary of multicabs and taxis are scarce at these parts of Cebu. After touring around the local communities and beaches, we found ourselves back at Marina Mall eating at Tong’s Seafood Restaurant where we raided the buffet table. The food was good and inexpensive. Oh, and they serve oysters, too. Perfect ending to a long day.
Related blogs:
- Taking in Four Days of Cebu, Day 1: Strolling Downtown
- Taking in Four Days of Cebu, Day 2: Atop Crowne Regency
- Taking in Four Days of Cebu, Day4: T’was Nice to Know You, Cebu
