The only taxi rides we've taken since our arrival are trips with large bags, etc, and/or we couldn't get a bus going our way. One thing I've had fun with, be it on a bus, jeepney or taxi, has been just clicking off shots with my cell phone during the rides. Taxis and buses are easier and more comfortable to do this of course. You can see our building in the fourth photo, the building on the left in the distant background.
I don't particularly care for the malls in the US. The malls here I like a lot! Up front, one has to acknowledge that their air conditioning is nice. This is a tropical country, and it feels good to walk into the mall after wandering around outside. Another thing I'm not very fond of in the US is shopping, unless it's arts/crafts/tools focused. But I love exploring all the different kinds of stores and restaurants here. Robinsons is a large shopping chain here in the Philippines, and they have a bunch of branches here in Cebu. I took their free shuttle bus from our smaller local Robinsons today, to a mid-sized mall a few miles away called Robinsons Galleria.
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We went out to the il Corso area yesterday. The long promenade along the water was beautiful...restaurants are slowly opening, bicyclist and walkers enjoyed the weather and the views. The new Cordoba bridge will be completed and opened in the new year, and the lighting made for some nice photo ops later...yesterday was for walking and eating. The Food Courtyard had all kinds of choices, and we started off with fresh coconut. The vendor first cut it open with a machete, and we drank the coconut water. After we finished the drink, he cut it in half for us and scraped the inside meat for us to eat. That's what they use for the coconut shakes we had the other day. I think mango shakes are still my favorite.
Visayas Art Fair, Part 1 - I went to the Visayas Art Fair here in Cebu last Sunday. There was a Lot of good Art, but being a crafts person, I gravitated to the sculptures and crafts. One of the sculptors I liked has another show happening over on Mactan Island this weekend, and I'm thinking of going. Overall, it was outstanding. The exhibition was part of Cebu Design Week, and "the objective (was) to connect the islands through art". The Visayas, or "the Visayan Islands is one of the three principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, along with Luzon and Mindanao". I also liked the venue, the Montebello Villa Hotel. It's one of many old hotels in Cebu, and one of my fantasies is to share photo walks through some of them.
