AJ and I will fly off to Cebu later to spend the Holy Week there. I’ve finished packing this morning. I love, love my colorful Cath Kidston bags! The bag stroller was bought at the Landmark for just P350.00. Why didn’t I thought of this before? Now we don’t have to worry about carrying the travel bag (I realized how physically taxing it was when I brought it with me to Naga/Legazpi last February).
AJ and I are really excited about this trip. Although I’ve been to Cebu for a number of times already (as part of my work before), the only time I’ve taken a proper trip to enjoy its many wonderful places was in 2010 (before my nephew, Liam, was born) to celebrate my brother’s birthday.
It’s also going to be AJ’s first time there, which makes this trip doubly exciting. Am glad my brother organized a side trip to Bohol – an equally beautiful place famous for its Chocolate Hills – so we can maximize our trip.
But more than that, I am looking forward to the food trip that will sure take place (probably on Easter Sunday). Cebu is known for sumptuous but amazingly affordable food! Can’t wait to visit Casa Verde again! This is Cebu’s answer to TGIF – and it’s way, way cheaper!
Of course, we cannot miss AA BBQ – where everything is grilled and can be ordered on a per-piece (or rather, per stick) basis!
I wished we have more time in our hands so we can go back to the old churches that me and my family were able to visit in 2010. It was one full day of traveling around different towns in Cebu to see its historic churches. Here were some that we visited:
St. Michael the Archangel Church in Argao, Cebu:
Boljoon Church. Its baroque structure was well-preserved (the church is considered a National Cultural Treasure) and being there was like being transported back to the Spanish colonial period:
You will see that it is situated just off the main road, and this is what you will see across the church:
The Boljoon Church, like most of the churches during the Spanish period, was built in a community-type structure – complete with schools, dormitories (for the priests and missionaries, I presume) and bell tower:
Wow! I didn’t know I have these beautiful photos from our Boljoon trip – all taken from my Sony Ericsson cellphone (W995 model, 8.1 megapixel). Am still using this same phone until now and it still continue to give me crisp and amazing photos.
The last church that we visited was the Simala Church, built on top of a hill.
This was the only church we visited were a number of devotees could be seen inside and outside its premises. Most of them are devotees of the miraculous image of the Virgin (Mary Queen of Heaven and Earth).
The area’s really, really big and I remember it has lots of nice blooms surrounding it. There were also lots of human-like angel figures, like this St. Michael below, manning the gates of the hill going to the Church.
Perhaps next year we could schedule a Visita Iglesia in this southern part of Cebu. But for our trip this year, we plan to visit the churches in Cebu City, in observance of lent.
Have a meaningful week ahead, and let us take time to reflect and observe this season of faith – whether or not we’re spending it at our home or out.
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