Cebu City's urban attractions

I wanted to skip the beaches that Cebu is famous for. So I went on a daylong urban adventure in Cebu City, my hometown. It turned out to be just as much fun!

My sister talked me into trying two of Cebu's newest attractions: The Edge Coaster and the Skywalk Extreme.

Thrills and spills

Despite my fear of heights, we went up to the 38th floor of the 40-storey Crown Regency Hotel & Towers (also the country's tallest hotel tower) at Fuente Osmena to try the Edge Coaster — the world's first joy ride round the edge of a building. Tickets are available at the hotel for 500 Pesos (Dh38).

The two-seater coaster tilts down to 55 degrees and moves around the edge of the building to give you a breathtaking view of the city below.

Initially, it's like asking a death wish to come true. But the coaster has an inbuilt control switch, which allows you to untilt it if you want. So once I got over the initial scare, it was exhilarating to be sitting there, in the open and on the edge, with a view of the whole city.

Next, on the 37th floor, we tried the Skywalk Extreme, which is the first of its kind in the country.

After signing a form saying we were fit enough to try this stunt, we put on the special suits and harness while an instructor gave us a quick brief on safety.

We were led to a platform outside the building. It seemed surreal to be walking on the platform at such a dizzying height, looking down at cars that looked like matchboxes.

Gains and bargains

The next challenge took us along Colon Street, the oldest in the Philippines. It was a challenge to make my way gracefully through the narrow, crowded sidewalks lined with vendors offering everything from food to herbal medicine.

The street, built by the Spaniards who arrived in Cebu in 1565, is considered the commercial hub of Cebu City.

To me, it is a bargain hunter's paradise. With sister, aunt and cousin in tow, I plodded my way to the busy intersection near Gaisano Metro.

Some call this area Cebu's answer to the Times Square of New York because of the overwhelming number of pedestrians.

From the intersection, we turned left to Magallanes Street to try our luck at an ukay-ukay challenge at Carbon Market. The Cebuano word ukay means to dig up from a pile.

Ukay-ukay is popular among people wanting to find chic second-hand items for less. But the place also sees well-to-do people who go there just for the thrill of a bargain.

The best day for an ukay-ukay session is Sunday, when Magallanes Street is lined with stalls displaying an assortment of clothes, toys, caps, bags and shoes.

My cousin Irene was lucky enough to find a gold bracelet worth thousands of pesos in a bag she bought for only 150 Pesos (Dh11.5).

It is not unusual for an ukay-ukay hunter to find foreign currency (mostly US dollars) tucked away in the pockets of second-hand bags and clothes at the market.

Landmarks in time

We walked down Magallanes Street and in about 15 minutes, reached Cebu's famous landmark, the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño, one of the oldest churches in the Philippines.

It houses the statue of the Child Jesus, Santo Niño. Next to the church is a small chapel that houses Magellan's Cross, another landmark.

A wooden cross encases the original one the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan planted in Cebu in 1521.

No urban adventure can be complete without a ride on the famous jeepney of the Philippines.

The “king of the road'' is a popular public transportation in Cebu, or the Philippines, for that matter, and costs about 7 Pesos (50 fils) at the minimum.

The vehicle, found only in the Philippines, was made after the Second World War by Filipinos, who converted US army Jeeps into the 15-passenger vehicles they are now.

Exotic excellence

I love Cebu City's street food, which is cheap and found everywhere. I call them “meals on wheels'', since the food is often peddled on mobile “stores''.

The most common is the barbecue nga saging — deep-fried ripe bananas coated with caramel — which costs 8 Pesos (60 fils).

Larsians, at Fuente Osmeña, is a collection of restaurants offering Cebuano favourites, from chicken to squid.

Try the isaw, or grilled chicken intestine, for 15 Pesos (Dh1) and pair it with puso, also called Cebu's hanging rice.

The rice is cooked in a casing made of coconut leaves. Three pieces of puso cost 6 Pesos (50 fils).

If you want to try something more adventurous, go for the balut — fertilised and boiled duck egg with a partially developed embryo. The cost: 20 Pesos (Dh1.5). The experience: Priceless!

How to go there from the UAE

Cathay Pacific flies daily via Hong Kong
Fare from Dh2,480

Information courtesy: The Holiday Lounge by Dnata.
Ph: 04 4380454

Cebu fact file

Cebu is the second most important metropolitan centre in the Philippines. The capital is Cebu City, which is also known as the Queen City of the South.

Cebu is the country's main domestic shipping port and is a significant centre of commerce, trade and industry in the Visayas and Mindanao regions.