Cebu, Cebu island (Philippines)
The city of Cebu is the largest settlement of the island of the same name and the oldest city in the Philippines. Cebu Island is located in the center of the Philippine archipelago. It was opened to the world in 1521 by Ferdinand Magellan, where he died at the hands of the leader of a tribe who settled on a neighboring island. Cebu City is located on the east coast of the island. The city has a major international airport, which is located on the island of Mactan, connected to the island of Cebuby two bridges.
The city of Cebu is considered a historical monument, because it was from this settlement that the colonization of the Philippine archipelago began. Here you can see many historical sights. In 1886 in the city Cebu in honor of the navigator Ferdinand Magallan, a monument in the form of a large tower was erected at the place of his death. The most interesting thing is that next to this monument there is a monument to the leader Lapu-Lapu, who killed Magellan. In one of the chapels of the city, a wooden cross is also kept, which was placed by the team of Magellan’s ship when descending to the island. The oldest church of the archipelago is interesting – Minore del Santo Niño (also known as the Church of St. Augustine). The church was erected in 1565. The image of the Holy Infant Jesus is kept here – the oldest of the relics of the islands. It is a wooden figurine made by Flemish craftsmen. Ferdinand Magellan himself brought it to the island and presented it to the local queen during her adoption of Christianity. Inside the church is a small museum of the island’s Christianity. Cebu. Also in Cebu is the smallest and oldest Spanish fortress of the archipelago – Fort San Pedro, the construction of which began in 1565 and was completed in 1738. The fort is triangular in plan. The total area of fortifications is 2025 square meters. m, the height of the walls reaches 6 m, and their thickness is 2.5 m. In addition, in Cebu it is worth taking a walk along the oldest street in the Philippines – Colon, and visit the guitar factory, because Cebu Island is famous for its masters in the production of guitars and Philippine mandalins.
115 km from Cebu City, among the tropical forest, the picturesque Kawasan waterfall falls from a high cliff. Also in the vicinity of Cebu is the island of Olango – one of the most important stopping points on the way of migratory birds flying to Australia. Here you can see a wide variety of birds.
Just a few kilometers from Cebu City, white sandy beaches stretch along the coast. Other popular beach areas are located near the fishing village of Moalboal and on the islands of Mactan and Malapascua. The village of Moalboal is located on the west coast of the island of Cebu and is known for being one of the first places in the Philippines, where diving began. Cebu Islandsurrounded by coral walls that descend to a depth of 300 m. Underwater visibility here reaches 50 m. During diving, you can see a wide variety of species of corals, mollusks, tuna, groupers, manta rays, rays, turtles and sharks. In May, huge whale sharks appear off the coast of Cebu. In addition to the village of Moalboal, diving can be practiced on the islands of Mactan, Malapascua and Badian.
Dagupan, Luzon island (Philippines)
According to HEALTHVV, Dagupan is located 213 km from Manila on the west coast of Luzon. This is one of the most ancient cities in the Philippines, which was founded in 1590. In 1990, a devastating earthquake occurred here, so almost nothing of the historical sights survived.
Dagupan is world famous for its annual Bangus festival. During the festival, bangus (“milk fish”) is cooked according to all sorts of recipes. In 1999, the length of the bangus kebab was 1008 m and it was listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest kebab in the world.