chapter location
The oldest city in the Philippines, built around a working port, with four centuries of Spanish, American and Japanese history layered under everyday Visayan life.
Cebu City is the oldest city in the Philippines and the commercial center of the Visayas, wrapped around a port that has been working since the sixteenth century.
Catholicism arrived with Magellan in 1521 and still shapes the calendar. The Chinese Filipino community has been here nearly as long. Both are visible in the churches, temples and shrines scattered across the city and the hills above it.
Every published post currently tagged to Cebu City, newest first.
PostBeing a Tourist in CebuApril 17, 2026A day playing tourist in Cebu City: the Spanish fort that became a Japanese detention camp, a museum wing of sea charts that sparked a conversation about aviation navigation, a hilltop monument built by a man for his late wife, and 168 steps to a Taoist temple full of dragons.
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PostWhat Cebu Taught Us About Booking the Next AirbnbApril 12, 2026Our first Cebu Airbnb gave us a crash course in slow travel: ask better questions, adapt quickly, and pay attention to the details that shape daily life.
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PostLearning the Rhythm: Our First Week Living in Cebu CityMarch 26, 2026The first week is rarely about the place itself. It is about friction: where to buy laundry soap, how to cross the street, and the slow shift from hesitation to rhythm.
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PostCrossing the Date Line and Skipping the RobotsMarch 22, 2026Twenty-five hours, two flights, one missed robot restaurant, and the moment the long way went international.
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