In spite of the sweltering weather, reaching up to 35 C or so, we braved the outside and went driving around town. And boy was I glad that P brought a Picanto instead of an open-covered multi-cab or else I’ll be unrecognizable by the end of the day because of too much tanning under the vengeful sun.
As much as I’d want to give a detailed account, I run out of words to type, but I’ll try, okay? So, here’s a somewhat minute-by-minute account of what we did last Thursday.
TAOIST TEMPLE
First off, since it was Crystal’s, Kat’s good friend from Manila, first time to Visit Cebu, literally an alien of this town, we toured Taoist Temple as it’s the closest tourist destination. You might have heard about this place before so I need not elaborate it. It was actually my third time to visit the temple. As per my observation, they get stricter every year. I was also disappointed to discover that their telescope, used to view the city, was no longer in use. It would have been handy spotting some hunks in Beverly Hills 
There’s also one thing to put in mind when visiting this place. SILENCE. Well, for the most obvious reason, it’s a sacred place so it requires your respect. Do keep your voices down or the guard on duty will follow you around with his placard that says “Keep silence or I’ll ask the temple God to kick your butts off!” Just kidding!
LAPU-LAPU SHRINE
Done tourist-ing in Taoist we, then, proceeded to the Northeast side of Cebu. Our destination was the bronze statue of Lapu-Lapu, a datu who purportedly killed Magellan in 1521, which is erected in Punta Engano, Mactan.
Surrounding the shrine, there are a myriad of souvenir shops where you could find the cheapest mementos for your stay in Cebu. Guitars, native finds, and shirts are priced at the lowest. And definitely, it’s a bling haven for the ladies.
PARKMALL
Our next stop was at the ParkMall, a newly opened shopping center in Cebu which is, by the way, also owned by Sy, owner of SM malls. There we ate our sumptuous lunch minus the less enthusiastic attendant. Compared to the major shopping centers in the city, ParkMall is a bit on the diminutive side. There’s not much you can do inside the mall except maybe to dine.
MANDAUE THRIFT SHOPS
Having filled our tummies, we felt recharged to do a little shopping in an ukay-ukay (thrifted goods) warehouse in Mandaue. Just like any other ukay-ukay shop, it lacks the ambience of your typical shopping center. And since it was past noon, it’s unusually scorching day. Sweats were literally dripping from my forehead. Needless to say, air-conditioners were nowhere to be found. But still we tolerated the muggy weather and brushed off the idea of backing out since it’s been ages that I’ve wanted to come to this place. In the end, we weren’t disappointed especially me. I brought home some of the finest finds I got from the shop. I’ll tell you about it more in details next time.
REYU (Japanese Surplus Shop)
All the way from Mandaue, we headed directly to Talamban to visit another interesting shop that sells goods mainly from Japan. The first time I’ve heard about this shop was from Yam, a former officemate and a fellow blogger. If you’re imagining an artsy/Jap-sy shop, sorry to disappoint you, but it’s the complete opposite of that. Try to visualize a JUNKSHOP That’s exactly my first impression. Everything looks like garbage. But let me quote an adage which states, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure”. Indeed, if you’re good at hunting, you can really get the nicest treasures one could only imagine and at a very sensible price at that.
KOREAN RESTO
We ended our day with a full meal at a Korean restaurant right near the intersection going to IT Park. It is a MUST visit resto in town. With the portion of the food they’re serving, you could never go wrong in dining at this restaurant. The appetizers alone are enough to fill your hunger. The trick in eating at Korean resto; just order not more than two dishes because they serve a lot of appetizers and it’s free of charge.
