Mactan Shrine, Lapulapu City, Cebu
Mactan Island is one of the famous landmarks of Cebu. It is also where the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority is located. Because of this, many five-star hotels and tourist attractions are in Mactan, not to mention all the natural white sand beaches.
Today, I'm going to give you a little tour of one of Cebu's historical spots in Mactan, the famous Monument of Lapulapu or popularly known as the Mactan Shrine.
So first up, we have here a small tower, which is the first thing you would see when you enter the park.
Here's how it looks from afar...
It looks magnificient during the night, with all the warm lightings surrounding it :)
Of course, a park is not complete without its greenery.
This one is like a mini pond, but it doesn't have water in it when I went there. There are days that they put water though :)
Here's Lapulapu's Monument with its back :D
How 'bout a little close-up? :)
That isn't his original color. They actually painted him bronze during the Kadaugan sa Mactan last April 27.
Here's a shot of the Mactan Bay (in low tide).
It is in this exact location where the Battle of Mactan was fought over four hundred eighty years ago (on April 27, 1521), where a Portuguese-born Spanish explorer Ferdinand Magellan died in the hands of the brave warrior chieftain Lapulapu, regarded by the Filipinos as the "First Philippine National Hero".
Here's a view of the shore. In here, you can see the "Balay ni Gloria" on the left.
Here's a different view of the Balay ni Gloria, or at least the roof of it, LOL! :D
A feast for the eyes! The park also has some lifesize displays of native artifacts that depict how the locals of Mactan lived in the past and perhaps in the present as well.
Right here is like a shelter with a roof made from Nipa Palm.
There are also some prototypes of small fishing boats known as "bangka" that local fishermen use for fishing.
And here's some kind of a tribe sculpture, cool huh!
And of course, a tourist attraction is not complete without the souviner shops ;)
Here, you can buy different sorts of local/native jewelries and bling-blings such as beaded bracelets and necklaces, anklets, large dangling earrings, colorful bags and purses with woven or shell designs, clogs and other shoes, souviner keychains, shell and wood-carved decorations for the house, and of course, guitars!
The Mactan Shrine is actually not that difficult to locate once you're in Mactan. Public transportations such as taxis and jeepneys are readily available. You should have no hassles when you take the cab since the drivers are already familiar with the location. When opting for a jeepney though, make sure that the sign on the route board says: "Punta Engano" (read as "eng-gan-yo").
So I hope you guys enjoyed the pics! And do visit Mactan one of these days! Tell me when you do :)
I'll see you guys on my next post! :)
