This Is What Cebu City Is ACTUALLY Like (Downtown Walking Tour)

Hi! Hi! Hi! Most people experience Cebu City from inside air-conditioned shopping malls. But the real city, where life actually happens, is right here in the downtown. So today isn't about chasing views or city highlights. It's about walking. It's about eating what the local people eat, talking to anyone who wants to talk to us, and really showing you what Cebu City is all about. Let's head in. So right now we are right in the heart of the city, and we're heading down towards the water. But along the way there is so much going on. There's so many little places selling things. Cell phones, fruit, food. It's like real, and it's raw here. And that's one of the things that I really like about it. It's not polished. It's just a city being itself. And it's a really cool place to go and walk around. Just get absorbed by the vibe. So I just stopped by Jollibee's right here. I got some water. Thank you so much. And I noticed that there were some homeless people along the way, so I thought maybe we could grab a couple meals inside. The staff in there was so nice, so funny. They even brought me a chair to sit in while I was waiting for my food to come out. But I thought maybe just do a little something while you can. I mean, I know it's not much. I know it doesn't make a huge difference. But I think being hungry is one of the hardest things. So being a responsible traveler, it's nice to be able to give a little bit back when you can. And Jollibee's is like the Filipino catnip. How are you doing? Hi. Good? Yeah. Nice. Is this your spot here? Yeah. Yeah? I live here. I sleep. You live and sleep here. I know it's not very much, but here is a soda. Here is some crispy chicken. Okay. Thank you. What is that? And French fries. French fries. Yeah. Enjoy. I know it really isn't that much, but it's got to be so... I just, I can't even imagine what it must be like to have to live on the street like that. And, you know, we're all just people and some of us are really close to ending up in the same kind of thing. And once you're in that situation, it can be so hard to get out of it, that cycle. So I just think that sometimes when we walk around in a place, it's so easy to look past homeless people, to look past the people that are struggling. But maybe if you're not hungry today, you can have a better night. Or just feel like people actually care about you as a human being. And just next to me right here is the Basilica of the City. And it's actually the oldest church in the Philippines. It's where Magellan came when he arrived here from Spain. And it's one of the most important places for that religion and spirituality here in Cebu. I would love to take you inside, but I'm wearing shorts and they don't let you inside in shorts. So I'm going to have to take a rain check. But right here in front of me, there's actually a very significant piece of their history. And that is the Cross of Magellan. And this cross in here is over 500 years old. It's actually really beautiful. I'm not Catholic, but I can understand the significance of something like this to the people. Now that we checked out the spiritual part of the downtown, just one block away is the Plaza del Independencia, where we are going right now across the street. Hello. The people here, everyone's smiling. Everyone is just, they're so nice. And I like it. You know, I feel like big cities, sometimes that feeling gets lost. But in Cebu City, it's great. And I'm not saying don't watch your bag or make sure that, you know, your phone is intact in your pocket. But, you know, that's true about any big city, whether it's Paris or New York. Yeah, let's head into the park and check it out. And then just behind it, there is another place that I really want to show you. They have some great little green spaces, lots of benches to sit on. And at night, they set up food vendors in the middle. It's a little bit early right now, so I don't think they're going to be set up. But I came here the other night with some locals that I met on my first day. And we did a barbecue. I had pig's blood, pig's brain, and some really delicious food with them. And then right across the way is the Fort San Pedro, which is the oldest Spanish fort here in the Philippines, as well as the tiniest. I went in the other day. And it's a nice place to walk around for maybe 15, 20 minutes, snap a couple of photos. But I want to keep heading down towards the water over here because I'm getting hungry. And I think we'll be able to find some good stuff down there. Hey, bro. Hey, guys. How are you doing? Are you from Cebu City? Yes. Nice. It's a great city. Thanks for sharing it. Thank you, bro. Bye-bye. And just around the corner is the Puso Village, which has a bunch of food inside. So let's go in. I hear they have some good lechon here, which is that famous Filipino dish of roasted pork. All right. So I just got gloved up because in the Philippines, they don't really give you silverware or plasticware. So they always give you a glove so you can eat clean. This is my lechon. It's slow-roasted pork over a charcoal fire. And it comes with this crispy skin on top. It looks so good, so juicy. Wow. Look at that little chunk right there. Mmm. They use lemongrass, some herbs, spices, and chili peppers because I got it spicy. I'm so excited. Oh, wow. Literally melts in your mouth. A little bit of fat on there. The pork is so tender. Mmm. And now for the best part, that crispy skin. Wow. This is actually where this dish was born here in Cebu City. You can find it everywhere. I don't know if this is the best, but it is really, really good. Mmm. I'm going to finish this up, and then we're going to go and head over to the oldest market here in the Philippines. Wow. That lechon was so good, I'm absolutely stuffed. And literally right next door to that Puso village is the carbon market where I am right now. And this has been feeding Cebu for generations. There are people everywhere and so much going on. It's a good place to sleep. Oh, yeah. Got some resting dogs. What do you got? Oh, chili peppers. Nice. Are they very spicy? Very spicy. Let's try one out. Let's try one out. Not too spicy. Yeah, it's good. Mmm. Thank you. How much? Just for one, how much? Now it's spicy. Thank you. Appreciate it. Wow, my mouth is on fire. Mmm. And I got a free chili pepper. Got some cleaning carrots back here. Nice. Thank you. Yeah. Gotta clean those carrots. They're huge carrots. This place is so cool. I think markets are such a great way to... Oh, don't get hit by a truck. I think that markets are such a great way to experience the city. And what I like about this is that it wasn't built for tourists. Like, I'm the only non-Filipino walking around here right now. And I'm thirsty after that chili pepper. Hey. Hello. Hello, how are you? I'm fine. That's nice. How about you? I'm great, now that I can get a coconut. Oh, you want a drink? I want a drink. Vodka? Yeah, please. Oh, you're very good. Mmm. Nothing like a fresh coconut. Especially when Connie chops it for you. We'll call it a Connie nut. Oh, that's me. Hey, look. You? That's me. He subscribed. Yeah, yeah, yeah. What? I don't have a sticker. Sorry. I would give you one, 100%. Yeah. I'm from America. Look at that. Yeah. If you haven't seen the Cinelogue video, check it out. It's so much fun. Well, thank you so much. You're welcome. And there's like another, there's a big neighborhood over here, right? Like if I go up and make a left? Yeah. Okay. Awesome. Go up there and you know, Barangay Hermitage. Barangay. It's covered with many, many people that play basketball. Okay, I'll go check it out. I appreciate it. You're welcome. Thank you. Let's go over there, head down to the water, see what we can find. Maybe we'll meet some more friendly people. But that's like, like this is the real Cebu. This is the real people of Cebu. And that's why it's so nice to be able to come down and like experience it. And I feel completely safe. Hi, how are you? Hi. Are you doing your homework or just fun? Oh, hi. Wow, very nice. You're very good at mazes. Yeah. You're welcome. Thank you. So many friendly people. So this is the Barangay Hermitage right here. And hello. We're just going to take a walk in and check it out. Look at those pre-chopped carrots. Nice. She's chopping potatoes. Nice job with your potatoes. Best potato chopper in Cebu. Hello, how are you? Oh, sorry, excuse me. Men at work. Wow, a little mini billiards table. Show me your best shot. It's okay, it's okay. Now you show me your best shot. Oh, he's a shark. So you see so many billiards here. The Philippines have four B's. Billiards, boxing, beauty queens. And I always forget the last B. But there's another B. And they are so passionate about basketball. Billiards, basketball, boxing, and beauty queens. Yep, those are the four. And they absolutely love it. They love to support each other. Any Filipino that's successful, they love it. Hello. Wow, this might rival Dumaguete for friendliness. Hello, how are you? We have the same haircut. Same haircut. I love coming down to places like this. I've seen so many vlogs of people just going to the shopping mall. Or just going to the beautiful places. But this place is beautiful too. Just because it's not shiny doesn't mean it's not special. And I've already had more people say hi to me than I think I ever have in my life in New Jersey. So let's continue down. And see what there is to see. So right here we're going past the sports complex. And on the left side they have some really nice, looks like handmade paintings on the wall. Are you making hanging rice holders? It's a puso. Ah, for the hanging rice. It's plain rice. Yeah, so they take plain rice, put it inside, hang it, and let it dry. And then they crack them open and eat it with the delicious food. This is Puso Village. Puso Village. Oh yeah. Your delivery is at Puso Village. Yeah, I go to Puso Village, yeah. Put rice. Ah, put rice in there. Ah, and then break. Ah, thank you so much. I appreciate it. I love all these mini pool tables. They got the mini pool table with the rooster underneath. Chicken. Chicken, sorry. Sorry, I'm not an expert. Nice. Alright, let's keep heading down. What do they got in here? Okay. Hi. That's cool. What's up, my man? How you doing? So you just pay and you can play for however long? Yeah. What are you playing? Rainbows. Wow. Are you good? Yes. The best? Very cool. Ooh, look at all that chicken. And I feel like they just make it work. It's like it's your house, it's your business. The community is just hanging out together. Oh, they're playing the shoe game. Oh, yeah. Oh, hello. Look at that beautiful little baby. Hi. Egg, yeah. Oh, yeah, some fish. Thank you so much. So it looks like their basketball court under the bridge doubles as a volleyball court. And it's ladies on one side. Hello. And men on the other. I think I like the ladies' side better. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Got some seaside karaoke, too. That was great. Long way to walk back through. Hello. What are you playing? Poker? Hi, how are you? Nice to meet you. Not my baby. But you're very cute. Very cute. This is probably where the adults play their pool. And then you emerge out past all the little tuk-tuk trikes and that iconic Cebu Bridge. Over there you can see the SM Cebu Mall or the seaside mall. There's a casino right there. And I think most people that come here, they stay in the city and they get in a cab. And they just drive over this bridge and go over to those malls. And there's some beautiful, very modern parts of Cebu City. But I've been walking around for a week, especially before Sinalog. And people were nice. But that little welcome I got there walking through the city or this neighborhood, the barangkay, was just like, hits you right in the heart. Yeah, it's your choice. Cebu has both sides. But I think that this is the real Cebu City. This is where the people live. This is how you can experience the Philippines. Because, yeah, it's nice to go to nice places. But when you venture out, when you take a risk and just wander and let your feet choose the path for you, you never know what you're going to find. And I feel like I found some really great vibes today. Some delicious food. The church. We gave some homeless people some food. And, you know, like, this is what traveling is about for me. It might not be the same for you. And that's okay. Because there's all different kinds of travel. But if you have the chance, take one of your days and just go out and really feel the city. That carbon market was so fun. That coconut juice, amazing. And as you saw, everyone is so friendly. I'm not saying don't be careful. I'm not saying don't watch your stuff. I'm just saying that you can really experience kindness here in the Philippines. So, yeah, I'm glad we did this today. I'm glad that you walked with me. So thank you for coming along. If you enjoyed this video, please give me a big thumbs up, comment, subscribe. And don't forget to bling, bling, bling, bling, bling, bling the Cebu City. I will see you next time. And really, from the bottom of my heart, thanks for being here.