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Introduction
The rain poured heavily on the highway as I made my way to Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 to catch my flight to Cebu. It’s 6:45pm and the traffic around me is starting to build up as people rush home from work. I’m sitting in the back of a van, backpack on the seat beside me. It’s my first time heading to Terminal 3 in almost three years. The last time I traveled from there was when I went to Macau in November 2019, before there was any talk of a mysterious virus manifesting itself in Wuhan. To say I was excited would be an understatement.
These last two years were rough, as they probably were for everyone, and I was just so ecstatic to be able to finally do what I love again and, in addition to that, discover a whole new place. Well, that’s not completely true. It wasn’t an all-new place. Truth is I had been to Cebu twice before. However, I was barely six months old the first time I went and during my second trip we spent most of our time at the resort and never really explored places farther than Cebu City. So for all intents and purposes, this was my first real trip to Cebu.
If you guys aren’t familiar with Philippine history (and I wouldn’t blame you if you weren’t), then it’s worth mentioning that Cebu is probably the most historic place in the Philippines, or at least tied with Manila and Vigan. The Philippine nation’s roots can be traced back to its white sand beaches, with Cebu being considered the birthplace of not just the Philippines, but of Christianity and Catholicism in Asia. It was here that Ferdinand Magellan planted the now-iconic cross, one of the country’s oldest and most revered relics (along with the nearby Santo Niño), which signaled the beginning of the Christianization of the Philippines. The Philippines remains one of only two countries in Asia (the other being East Timor) with a majority Christian population.
Cebu, however, has more to it than just old Catholic symbols. A lush jungle overtakes much of the island, which is surrounded by crystal clear seas teeming with plenty of marine life. I was lucky enough to bear witness to the island’s natural beauty, and you’ll read more about my experiences in upcoming trip reports. It really blows my mind that you could throw a dart at a map of the Philippines and no matter what island you hit, you’re guaranteed to find something beautiful or interesting. The country’s rich history and abundant natural beauty make it an appealing destination no matter where you go, and this is true for Cebu as well.
My plan of attack for Cebu was pretty straightforward, although thinking back on it I can’t believe I did all of this in four days. The first day would be dedicated to exploring old Cebu, with the highlights being Fort San Pedro, Basilica Del Santo Niño, and the historic houses of the Parian district. The second day would involve getting up at 4 am to take a two and a half hour car ride to the town of Moalboal in the southwest portion of the island in order to go snorkeling with sea turtles and experience the famed sardine run.
The following day would be slightly similar to the second day in that it also involves waking up early and driving two and a half hours southwest, but this time I’d be going to the town of Badian to experience the activity Cebu is most known for: canyoneering. If you don’t know what that is, you’re not alone. I too had no idea what it was until I did my research for this trip, but long story short it’s now at the top of my “I have to do this again” list. The last day would involve me renting a car and going to the tourist sites on the outskirts of Cebu city, including Tops lookout, Sirao Flower Garden, and the Taoist Temple.
Sorry for the long introduction. Let’s get to the meat of this trip report, shall we?
At the Airport (for the first time in FOREVER)
I arrived at the airport at around 7:01 pm. Check-in had just opened for my flight, so I got my luggage from the back of the van, said goodbye to my driver, and headed for the airport entrance confident and ready to start my trip. I had booked my roundtrip flights to Cebu with Cebu Pacific. In case you’ve never heard of them, Cebu Pacific is the Philippines’ largest low-cost airline. My round-trip tickets with them cost Php 5,449 (around $97). They’re a pretty reliable airline and I’ve flown with them numerous times in the past and would recommend them. They have flights to Vietnam, Dubai, Brunei, Malaysia, and Singapore, among others. If you’re going to those places to or from the Philippines, definitely check them out!
When I arrived at the airport, however, I completely forgot that you need to show a valid ticket to enter the airport. And of course, this was the one time I forgot to print my ticket. To make matters worse my cellular data wasn’t working because I had discontinued it when I moved out of the country. It’s a good thing I had a Smart (the Philippine cell provider, not the state of being intelligent) pocket wifi that my dad let me borrow or I wouldn’t have been able to enter the airport. I quickly retrieved it from my backpack, turned it on, waited for it to connect, and loaded my ticket. The guard stationed at the entrance took one look at it and let me through. One crisis averted so far!
Weirdly enough, Philippine airports have their own mini security checks that are stationed at each entrance before you can even get to the check-in counters. And the procedure is mostly similar to the one that traditionally happens before you get to your gate, except you don’t have to take your shoes off. So I shoved my phone and wallet into my bag, put all my bags on the conveyor belt, and waited for them at the other side of the metal detector. After which, I made my way to the check-in counters, expecting to find a long line of travelers waiting by the desks to be checked in.
Mini Check-In Heart Attack
But I found no such thing. There were no lines, no people at the desks, nothing. At this point, my anxiety started to rise. Had I misread the ticket and completely missed check-in? Was I possibly in the wrong terminal? Would I have to waste paying for an extra ticket to go on a later flight cause I missed my original one? I started to panic until I noticed a couple of terminals set up in front of the now empty check-in desks. I approached one and was greeted by a home screen that was telling me to check in.
Apparently, check-in was now done through these check-in kiosks. I had seen these before in other countries but never thought I would see one in the Philippines. So I clicked on the screen and began to check in. My boarding pass and luggage tags were printed in 2 minutes. Overall it was a smooth, easy process that I’m glad Cebu Pacific implemented for its customers. Apparently, although I didn’t see it, you could still check in with a live person at another counter. But for convenience’s sake, it’s best to use one of these kiosks. When I received my boarding pass, it said that my gate was still TBA, but I decided to go on ahead and get through security then just wait for them to announce my gate from there.
Following that was bag drop. I dropped off my luggage at a check-in counter opposite where the kiosks were. I was confused as to how to attach the luggage tags onto my suitcase but the kind attendant at the bag drop did it for me. Considering that there are maybe over 15 flights between Manila and Cebu every day, and that’s just with Cebu Pacific, I’m surprised that the bags don’t get mixed up and end up on the wrong flight more often. But I guess whatever system they have in place works.
After dropping off my bag I made my way over to security. Luckily there was just one other person in line. I had to take off my shoes and my laptop as normal but, weirdly enough, they asked that my cameras be taken out as well. As I was intending to vlog this trip, it took a while for me to unearth every single camera in my possession, but I eventually went through without a hitch.
Ready for Takeoff (Almost)
Most of the restaurant and food stalls were closed as it was past 7:30pm at this point, but I still walked the entire length of the terminal looking for food. I wasn’t particularly hungry because I just ate before heading to the terminal, but I thought it was best to have a little something to eat on the plane in case I got hungry. I ended up not buying anything, however.
My flight was scheduled to depart at 9:45 and we finally got our gate announcement at around 8:30pm. I was hanging out in an area a little bit past security before they announced my gate. They had some steel seats set up for people who were waiting for their gate to be announced. But soon enough they assigned us a gate (which ended up being gate 134A). I started walking the length of the terminal thinking it was at the other end when I noticed a sign indicating that my gate was down an escalator to the right side of the terminal. So down the escalator I went.
There were about four gates at the bottom of the escalator and mine was the second to the last one. Boarding time was supposed to be at 9:00 but 8:55 came and went and it didn’t look like we were close to boarding. Then, right at 9pm, they announced that our aircraft had, in fact, just landed. Now normally this would shock and irritate me, but I had ridden Cebu Pacific before and I know that they tend to exaggerate the flight time to account for delays like this. My flight itinerary said it would take 90 minutes to get to Cebu when I knew for a fact that flying from Manila to Cebu would only take an hour. So I wasn’t worried by the announcement and, soon enough, they let us board our flight at around 9:25.
Up in the Air
They shuttled us onto some buses and drove us to our aircraft. The plane had a single aisle down the middle with three seats on either side. We started taxiing at around 9:55 and were in the air by 10pm. They didn’t serve meals on this flight and it was over pretty quick. It wasn’t completely uneventful, however, as the flight had what was probably the roughest landing I’ve ever experienced in all my years of flying. The plane bounced when it hit the ground and swerved to the right as it tried to steady itself. This startled everyone in the cabin, with some people audibly reacting when it happened. But aside from that, the flight itself went pretty smoothly.
We eventually taxied and docked at one of the gates. Upon exiting the plane I quickly made my way to the luggage carousels and my bag came out in about five minutes. I then exited the baggage claim area and walked towards the arrival driveway. And here’s where I almost made a very crucial and costly mistake.
How I Almost Got Scammed in the Cebu Airport
I had planned to take a Grab (Southeast Asia’s version of Uber for those of you that don’t know) from the airport to my hotel in the Capitol area of the city. Upon exiting the terminal and arriving at the driveway, I immediately approached the first person who looked like they worked at the airport. I asked him where the designated Grab pickup spot was. He said, however, that Grabs were now banned from going to the airport.
This, naturally, shocked me. I started to internally panic, wondering how I was possibly gonna get to my hotel given that I didn’t pay for my hotel’s shuttle service. I asked the man how I could get to my hotel. He asked me where my hotel was and after I told him, he said that I could take one of the buses that were loading people off to the side of the driveway. I looked over at the buses and that’s when I noticed something.
The name of the bus line (which escapes me right now) that was printed on the side of the bus was also printed on his shirt. This guy worked for the bus company! Of course he would tell me that Grab cars don’t come to the airport anymore. He was trying to fool me into paying to ride the bus. As soon as I realized this, I walked away from him and towards someone who had the logo of the airport on his shirt. I asked him where the Grab station was and it turned out to be a 30 second walk from where I was. Hopefully this experience reminds you all to be very careful when traveling cause scams can happen anywhere and to anyone.
I booked the grab, which cost Php 442 (around $7.87) and within 30 minutes I was at my hotel. I quickly checked in, unpacked some of my stuff, charged my gadgets, and soon enough I was asleep before my head hit the pillow. And so ends the first trip report of my newly minted website.
If you’re still here, I want to thank you for reading this and I hope you guys will stick around for the next one. Tomorrow we’re gonna be going to the historic district of Cebu city! Follow along for more!
Want to experience this trip report on video? Click here to view my vlog for this day!
Links to the other installments of this trip report series:
Cebu Trip Report ’22 Part 1: I Almost Got Scammed (Arrival Day)
Cebu Trip Report ’22 Part 2: Melting Through Historic Cebu (Day 1)
Cebu Trip Report ’22 Part 3: Swimming with Sea Turtles (Day 2)
Cebu Trip Report ’22 Part 4: Cliff-Jumping and Canyoneering
Cebu Trip Report ’22 Part 5: Temples, Flowers, and a Great View!
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