Cebu Island

Alona Beach, Panglao Island - Cebu City, Cebu Island – 26 km
From the ferry port in Tagbilaran, ferries departed practically every hour to the island
of Cebu. The ticket was a mere P500, and one could walk the bicycle on board.
Moreover, the weather was perfect and the sea as smooth as anyone could wish.

Two hours later, we arrived in the large and chaotic city of Cebu where I set out to one
of the multitudes of malls. The purpose was to locate a GoPro camera. Taking the large
number of shopping centres in town, I reckoned that if one couldn’t find what you were
looking for in Cebu, it didn’t exist. More money than intended was spent, but I became
the proud owner of a GoPro camera. Although the shop didn’t sell a handlebar mount,
they located a bike shop in Bacolod that promised to keep one until my arrival.

The entire evening was spent figuring out how to operate my new toy and change the
waterproof housing—quite a nifty little thing.

Cebu City – Blue Pot Resort - 85 km

My late night made a slow start. Still, I first stopped at the Old Fort, built by the
Spanish and dating to 1738. From the fort, I cycled through the old part of the city
with its narrow lanes and smelly open sewerage canals. The area, surprisingly, hid a
considerable amount of beautiful, old colonial buildings.

My chosen route went clockwise around the island and even though Sunday, the going
was slow as the traffic was hectic. The road was jam-packed with busses, cars, trucks
(loaded to the hilt), tricycles and colourful Jeepneys. As a result, a considerable
amount of exhaust-laden fumes were inhaled. On a bicycle, one could keep as far to
the side as possible but still I had to veer off to avoid oncoming traffic.