Cebu island cal Alison Appelbe Contributing Writer I flew out of Manila on the iail of Typhoon Olga. In recent days, Olga had cut a nasty swath across the north- ern Philippines, leaving her mark on the capital city. However, as promised, the weather in the Visayas, the group of islands chat make up much of the centre of the Philippine archipeiago, was sunny and dry. We landed ar Mactan International Airport, off Cebu Island. The. taxi wended along roads lined with houses, some of a stilt-like construction, and fish vendors, frond-thatched patio restaurants and open stalls selling souvenirs made from shelis and other items gleaned from the sea. Chickens, goats, children and motorized pedi-cabs dart- ed about, reducing cur speed. Good thing that. By the tme the car pulled into the palm- dotted grounds of Mactan Island Resort, the Visayas’ for- midable calming powers were having an effect. On the other hand, staff at luxurious Asian hotels move swiftly. Moments {ater | was set- tled into a room done up in what a brochure described as tropical decor ~— rattan chairs and settee, framed watercolours on a south-sea theine, and play- ful, pea-green wood detailing. Mactan Island Resort is 13 hectares of beachfront near the neck of a peninsula known as . Panta Engano, © Operated by Asian-based Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, . this self-sufficient playground is designed for both the urban sophisticate who wants only to languish in a lounge chair en in a warm. sea-green pool, and the tireless adventur- er who heads out to the sparse, ly inhabited islands, ree! -sandbars less than an roa pumpboat ride away, for fish- ing, diving and exploring. <. Some will make it as far west Photos Alison Appelbe BASILICA Minore del Santo Nino in Cebu City was built in the sixteenth century. as Bohol Istand, famous for a landscape of hundreds of eerie hillocks known as the Chocolate Hills, and the pic- Turesque rice terraces at Lila. Directly below my patio lies a lagoon-like pool of the purest turquoise. Just beyond is a white sand beach dotted with blue-striped lounge chairs with huge protective hoods. And at the end of the cove sits a tiny perfect tropical island. I spurvied (down. to the unds, greedily flitting from bool to beach and back again, unable to decide which location would deliver the most plea- sure. In the end, I spent three days at Mactan island without placing a toe in the larger of two curvaceous swimming pools, and failed to make it to all five of the resorts distinctive restaurants. 1 did, however, snorkel at several locations off nearby Olango = Island, peering through my visor at fish whose shapes ran from razor thin to obese, and whose colours included chartreuse, neon blue and silver and black stripes; made a short trek to a rough- hewn statue of Lapu-Lapu, the native chief who killed Ferdinand Magellan in’ the Battle of Mactan Island on April 27, 1521; and toured nearby Cebu City, home to about one million people, with a local historian. Cebu City’s centerpiece is a tall wooden cross believed to contain fragments of the rustic timber cross crected by the How far will you walk in your life? RS ee On; i eu ce wb ss i wth ag = tel ‘THE AVERAGE PERSON WALKS 284,000 KM IN THEIR LIFETIME Mayellan on a beach on Cebu Island, several weeks before his death. just beyond the cross stands the Basilica Minore del Santo Nino, a lovely weathered stone church built in the 16th cent- rv and, on the Sunday } attend- ed, packed with worshippers. Along one side of the sanctuary people queued up to pass by a sacred statue of the infant Tesus; out on the plaza balloon-sellers and food vendors hawked their wares. The scene was as much car- nival as contempladion. The surrounding streets, adjacent to the Carbon Marker, filled with food produce and native crafts, were jammed with people and slow-moving vehicles. We stopped in at Fort San Pedro, built in the 14th centu- ry to keep out marauding pirates. Lichen-covered stone walls enclose a garden refuge, and a museum houses a small Spanish galleon raised from the ocean floor. Finally, we drove into the cool hills above the city to visit a colourful Tavist tem- ple that serves the city’s large Chinese community. Back at Mactan Island, | studied the resort map to dis- cover that I'd yet to take in che Auium Garden, a night spot called Coco Loco, the Asiatica restaurant, the Beach Bar, the beauty salon and the tennis and golf centre. Thad, however, eaten well at the Shang Palace (dim sum), the Paparazzi (Italian) and the Garden Patio cafe (sumptuous condnental breakfasts). On my final night, 1 hustled over to the resort’s most popu- lar restaurant, Cowrie Cove — really just a veranda perched over the water. Fish and lobster, harvested by fishermen who work from catamarans, smoked on a grill, As the sun sets, I raised a glass of wine to the Visayas and Mactan Island. Olga be damned. Cathay Pacific Airways flies directly between Hong Kong and Mactan Internationa Airport. For information on Mactan Island Resort call 1- 800-942-5050, or visit . RRP ASR ais with thie ad*(CARPET CLEANING & RESTORATION ° Upholstery, stains * Molds, mildew, odor © Flood/water damage 24 hr emergency ~some restrcuons. apply Residential & Commercial 984-7575 Ke Sarui, Bangkek & Heong Keng February 9, 23 or March 8, 22, 2000 * 3 nights Hong Kong. © 3 nights Banglox. e 7 nights Ko Samui. © Daily breakfast included. ’ Tour in Bangkok. Ask for Elaine; she just returned HELPING THE WORL WRITE now CODE Setf-sufficiency through literacy in the developing warid For information, call 1-800-661-2633 ae "LET US PICK UP — AND DELIVER YOUR LAUNDRY 985-9503 Toads of laundry - $5.50: 38 folding}1/2 toads’: Feather duvet -$11 00 “We welcome you to a clinic near you for a ten minute computerized gait and pressure analysis test. This test measures the weight disuibution along the busom of - your foot while you are walking. Digital information ~ and our doctor's clinical exam can then be used to » make presaiption orthotics, c comet many abnomal foot functions If your have pain in your feet, ankles, _ knees of lower back. please contact a clinic near you fora gait and presse anulysis test. oot . 90 . Fiiaxx | Hours of cperation ° ee a Wor gues. ahurs, Fa'Sam-SP™ North Van Laundry & Ory S/saning Service Sat Sam - 8pm 111 East 12 St. North Vancouver (42th & Lonsdale) 985-3503 TRE rae Ta ee Sun 10am - 7pm Delbrook ‘Come walk r rthotics www.footmaxx.com 9387-7100 ise the Caribbean 7-day cruises FROM é GOR din per person - cruise only Select January departures = Price includes port charges of $214 Many more Sailings at great savings available Ask us about terrific savings and member benuses! $999 applies to Westerdam Jan. 29, 2000 sailing.