Adventure Travel

Keeping my Faith with Sto. Nino 0

Jul 23, 2010 by Admin in Adventure Travel, Cebu Travel Tags: ,

When we talk about Cebu City, the first that will come into my mind is the Santo Niño Church or the Minor Basilica of the Santo Niño, because when we tackle about Magellan’s Cross in my Social Studies class, my teacher always mention this church. As far as I remember, this church is almost five centuries old, built last 1555 using bamboo sticks.

Minor Basilica of the Santo Niño

During my first visit to this church, I found it very holy and solemn. I almost cry upon seeing the Santo Niño. It was said that the Santo Niño was known as a Cebuano Roman Catholic patron as a presentation of a child Jesus Christ, but cannot be considered as a patron or intercessor to God in behalf of the Cebuano’s.

As I start praying I feel the presence of Santo Niño in me, as if he is talking to me. When the mass started, I can see that everybody is participating. As I go around the church, I found a lot of praying ladies as I call them, they offer you help to pray for you. You’ll just need to pay for the candles used by these ladies once you ask for their prayers.

Minor Basilica of the Santo Niño

There are also some souvenirs and prayer items sold outside the church. The prices are very much cheaper compared to those sold in malls and department stores. At the right of the church, you will find a small eatery just in case you get hungry after the mass, the food is very affordable and yummy.

In front of the church reminds me of some pictures from Europe, they call this place as the coliseum. This place will be used mostly when there are big events in the church like celebrating the “Sinulog” or the feast of Santo Niño, wherein a lot of people around the country will be there to join the celebration, most of them feel and receive a miracle from Santo Niño. A lot of devotees come to Cebu to witness this event and many of them are lining up just to kiss or see the holy child. My first visit to the church was really memorable, and it keeps me to have a strong faith with God.


Cebu Taoist Temple 0

Jul 19, 2010 by Admin in Adventure Travel, Cebu Travel, Nature Trip, Travel Tips Tags:

Due to the geographic location, close to Taiwan and China, Chinese community is growing so fast in the Philippines. Chinese traders were attracted to stay in the country. As the years pass, Chinese shared their traditions and beliefs to the Filipinos.

Cebu Taoist templeOne of the infrastructures that Chinese had built in Philippines is the Cebu Taoist Temple. You can find the temple along Beverly Hills, just 6 kilometers away from the downtown of Cebu.

This was built on 1972 by the Chinese community. Unlike the neighboring Temple, Taoist temple continues to attract not only the worshipers of Buddha but also the non-worshipers. Many of the tourists from all over the country always include this temple as one of the tourist landmarks in Cebu.

My first visit here in this place was way back 4 years ago when I was working in a Taiwanese- owned company. My boss always asks me to be with her as she visits the temple every Sunday. When I first saw the temple, found it really amazing, maybe because I am a Catholic, and it was my initial experience to visit such a place. As I entered, the Temple entrance seems so familiar to me, then I realized it looks like the replica of the Great Wall of China, which I only saw in my Social Studies books. You can also find a chapel, a library, a souvenir shop and a wishing well inside the temple.

A lot of tourists and believers were there during my first visit since it was Sunday. The Chinese worshipers are doing their traditional prayer where one prays to the gods to grant one’s wish. There are some rituals performed by them, which include hand washing and praying barefoot. If you also see blocks of wood, try dropping them. They say that your wish would be granted when you drop the wood, and they are facing upwards. If not then it is not yet the time for one’s wish to be granted and one has to come to the temple some other time. If you are looking for a Chinese scenery visit, try to include Taoist Temple in your list.


credit to: Capella

Holy Week in Good Shepherd 0

Jul 15, 2010 by Admin in Adventure Travel, Cebu Travel

Holy Week is the time of the year where we reflect on our sins. It is the time where we acknowledge what we have done wrong and what we need to do to correct it. Every holy week, we usually go to Manila to celebrate it with my father’s relatives. However, this year, due to budget constraints and busy schedules, we celebrated it here in Cebu.

Holy Monday to Maundy Thursday is just normal days during the holy week. The special days of the week are during Good Friday and Easter Sunday. On Good Friday, Jesus Christ was crucified and died at 3’o clock in the afternoon. It is usually re-enacted by people.

holy week in Good ShepherdFurthermore, during Good Friday, there is a special place where people gather around in Cebu. This place is at the peak of Banawa, also known as The Good Shepherd. Good Shepherd is famous for the statues that signify how Jesus died on the cross. It has 13 stations and each station tells on Jesus Christ’s sacrifices for us.

Last April, I went to the Good Shepherd together with my siblings, my boyfriend and another cousin from Manila. We toured our cousin to witness how Cebuanos celebrate the holy week. A year ago, it was the same cousin who toured us in Manila and showed how the Tagalogs celebrate their holy week.

He was amazed when he saw the man-size statues and how they were placed along the mountain. We have to follow trails to get to the 13th station. It was an uneven path that we trekked on. It was very hot that day. We were all thirsty and we had to share one bottle of mineral water since our money was only enough for the whole activity. If we spend too much, there won’t be anything left for our fare.

Despite the scarcity, it was fulfilling when we arrived at the last station. We had sore feet and dry throats but the atmosphere up to the 13th station was awesome. We could see the whole city, and it was very beautiful to look at from our view. We never regretted of going up to the last station.


Image: Wandering Angel
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