Cebu was my birthplace. So did I greatly possess the yearning, the wanting, and the craving to satisfy not just my wanderlust but more so my compulsion to gain more knowledge about the land of my forefather. It was my territory, my playground, and my backyard – only I didn’t grow up there.
So my journey began. I first took a quick tour around Cebu City and then headed south, on and off-road, skimming the coast and cutting through the mountains. Being somewhat of a city slicker still, I kept my maps handy – four regional topographic maps, if I’m not mistaken, which I had purchased from the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA).
Oh, I was prepared! The GPS was not available then and the slender jewel of an island was larger than I had imagined.
Journalist Joselito Costas and dive-instructor Michael Lazaro were my touring companions. Good friends and Cebuanos both, they had each ventured through many roads less traveled. We were perfectly compatible for the time of our lives!
We cruised down tree-lined avenues and up towards magnificent vistas.
Through Minglanilla, Alcoy and Santander, and around to Samboan, Malabuyoc and Dalaguete, we savored all we could – from the warmth and simplicity of our local hosts to the generous and breathtaking abundance that nature would bare. We compiled anecdotes from Catmon, Borbon, Bantayan and Medellin. Even Tuburan and Tabuelan gave us stories to tell. Pilar, Tudela, Cordova and Olango were names little known then while Capitancillo and Carnasa were still islands secluded.
Day after day, week after week and month after month, we discovered and rediscovered marvelous things aplenty. Renowned travel photographer, George Tapan, was privileged to come along, sometimes with his apprentice son. He marveled at many sights and scenes that were at once unique and worthy of his photography and, in fact, published a number of photos of our exclusive accounts in more recent travel books.
Rediscovering Cebu was an immensely rewarding experience. Almost a decade later, I’m still on that track because Cebu is ever reinventing its incontestable allure.
