alegre guitar mactan cebu

when i was along with my Singaporean counterparts in Cebu, i gave them a small guitar souvenir and one thing that immediately came into their mind is that Filipinos are so inclined to music. i agreed.one thing that makes Cebu city even more marketable to the tourists is its decades old guitar industry. from a time when the Spanish influenced the Cebuanos to a musical instrument that evolved and progressed.one of the many guitar factory is the Alegre Guitars. located in an almost hidden area of Abuno in the island of Mactan. owned by Fernando Bebbot Alegre who's a good guitarist himself.they have a showroom open to all where one can even see how each of the guitars are made intricately. from different types of wood forming the country's most loved and widely used instrument.from generation to generation, the guitars that they are making had evolved as well from the mere standard guitars to making yukaleles, mandolas, banjos, and bass guitars. Alegre Guitars is located in Abuno, Lapu Lapu City, Mactan island. i recommend that you take a cab going there. estimated travel time from the Mactan airport to this place is just about 30minutes or less.

yap san diego ancestral house cebu city

on my way to the Casa Gorordo, what got my attention was this old wooden house with a series of sign posts. i should drop by. this should be something. not your usual Cebu stop spot.fortunate enough, it was another ancestral house. the Yap-San Diego heritage house along Lopez Jaena street just meters away from Casa Gorordo and the Heritage of Cebu monument.the many times i've been to Cebu, i never heard about this. yet i learned that it is one of the oldest ancestral house in the country believed to have built in the 17th century. owned by Dona Maria Yap.
it is one of the oldest and so i wondered why it did not gain people's attention? according to the guide, it remained as a boarding house for quite some time. until it was renovated little by little by Val, who inherited the house.today, like the Casa Gorordo house, it is considered as a house museum. filled with a great collection of antiques. at first look, one might even thought it's a big nipa house. to me, it's between being a bungalow and nipa house.the ground floor's walling is made up of coral stones while the second floor is made up of wood. sets of antique Chinese plates, well carved furniture, antique jars, a painting over a capiz window, age old Sto Nino figures makes it a house worth seeing.the most unusual thing i observed was the banca planter on one side of the house. this side of the house is a lot where the residents would usually stay and rest. i like how they controlled the access of the people at the second floor. one should wear a shoe cover to protect and preserve the original wooden flooring. it just needs improvement in the the way they arrange the items inside the house.the Yap-San Diego Heritage house and museum is located 155 Lopez Jaena street corner Mabini street in Parian. taking of photos is allowed inside while a minimal entrance fee helps support its preservation. thanks to the guide of the house for taking time bringing me around the house and for all those who planned and funded its preservation.

casa gorordo cebu city

just recently i've been traveling to Cebu city regularly for a day trip. even with a short time, i still had the chance to drop by some of the historical city spots that i've never been to. one of this is the ancestral house, Casa Gorordo.now a museum that kept some of the furniture from the Spanish colonial period. rehabilitated in the early 1980s and has been open to the public by the Aboitiz. originally built by Alejandro Reynes y Rosales and was later bought by the first archbishop of Cebu Juan Isidro de Gorordo.located in Parian, one of Cebu's oldest districts, on a place where one won't expect a museum to be situated. a small and narrow street with crowded houses that one can actually get lost even when they go there with a map.but in contrast to its environ, is a beautiful two-floor house with a garden lawn and bricked walkways. a small well in the lawn adds attraction to its lawn. a balcony with a roof covered with vines coming from the ground floor.the first floor has large rooms with a flooring of red stones and big wooden pillars. the second floor displays sets of antique furniture on a long hallway. a number of rooms with beautiful beds, a rocking chair on one side and age old clocks.though it is not as elegant as the La Cocina de Tita Moning, it has kept its charm. a small showroom on the ground floor is used for exhibits and another structure stands inside its compound which serves as a souvenir shop.this is one of the few remaining ancestral house in Cebu city and among the few house museums in the country. sad though, that among the many ancestral houses in Parian, only a few was restored.it is open from Mondays to Saturdays 9:00am to 12:00nn and 2:00pm-5:00pm with an entrance fee of P50 (as of this post). located at Lopez Jaena street. to avoid getting lost, i recommend one to take a taxi. taking of photos inside the museum is not allowed.

join the trek to pinatubo

inviting everyone to a trek to Mt. Pinatubo's cyan colored crater on December 6 (Sunday). just for a day trip trek to one of my favorite travel spot. this will be my third time there.experience the 4x4 and the dusty rough ride and trek the rocky areas to the crater. i rarely go to a place twice, but not when it's Mt. Pinatubo as it doesn't require experienced trekkers to see its crater.to those who are interested, just email me at i.dongho@gmail.com or just leave your email in the comment page. this is open to everyone. see you there!