My inner introvert is starting to show: The last time I did the MBTI (Myers–Briggs Type Indicator) Personality Test, I tested 96% Introvert.

😱

As far as travel goes, this means that I increasingly avoid placing myself in large tour groups that move around by the busloads; I am starting to skip out on overtouristy areas and find myself gravitating towards ‘second cities’ instead; and, my itineraries are often embedded in quiet corners, immersive experiences, and the nuances of an unhurried solitude.

In Cebu, this found me in an unconventional part of town: Mactan Island, an atoll inconveniently located about an hour out of Cebu City which, by contrast, is where everything on every tourist list is. Unsurprisingly, Mactan Island is not where first-time visitors choose to hole themselves in: after all, this means longer travelling times; restricted dining and shopping options; and of course, excessive transport costs, if you choose to ridehail your way around your destinations daily.

And yet, Mactan Island was where I ended up at; because, as cumbersome as its location can prove, it has, in recent years, become quite the byword for quiet luxury, famous for its remote beachfront accommodations, laidback vibes, and island attitude. It stood like an open secret, meant only for those who sought to know.

And there was something undeniably irresistible about that.

At the beginning, I semi-worried about the possibility of having to shoulder heavy surcharges for day trips (Mactan is a solid hour away from the city even by car) – or worse, having to report to a central locale within the city for the tour’s pick-up convenience. Most trips begin in the wee hours of the morning (think anywhere between 3-5am), which, if given the latter, very well implies having to be up at 1am+ just to arrive in time for pick-up. How mortifying is that… and on a holiday, no less!

I can be uncharacteristically languid on a beach holiday; and was almost ready to talk myself out of ‘adventure’ in settlement for a full week’s worth of slothing at the beach & pool, when Google played its part as fate (/faith) restorer, showed up and held my hand, and led me straight to the doors of Cebu Tours, a tight little outfit stocked with a winding list of trips that stole my heart from the get-go. This is, primarily, because:

1- It was very price-friendly compared to other outfits.
2- When emailed, I got a response really quick.
3- A hotel pick-up was factored in at no extra cost, no matter which part of Cebu you’re based.
4- It literally afforded me the option of going on a one-person tour, at a cost that is by no means astronomical in any way you can possibly imagine.

I distinctly remember having to clarify with their staff at least two times across the course of our communication that the rates were indeed as stated on the website, because I could not, by any measure, believe how it could be so affordable for a one-person tour, keeping in mind the content and duration of the trip.

The icing on the cake was that I was travelling as part of a group of two when I was in Cebu – which meant even lower rates than travelling as one 🤭. On the day of the trip, we were picked up by a car at 3am at our accommodation, and this same driver saw us from place to place through the entire day (yes, it was really just us two, no add-ons halfway through the trip) – and from destination to destination, everything was done exclusively to our own pace, our own rhythm, our own beat.

WHALE SHARK WATCHING AT OSLOB

Don’t let this deter you though. One, because I don’t think there is actually a way to arrange a trip where you can be the sole observer – and two; to be perfectly honest, the on-shore centre is a tad chaotic and there are tons of people, perpetually ringing announcements off the loudhailer, and a whole lot of movement but yet none at the same time; and the entire scene can prove to be… overwhelming, especially if you have to navigate yourself through the process on your own. It actually made me super relieved about having my guide from Cebu Tours with us, because she sorted out all the nitty gritty without fuss (ticketing, queue numbers, grouping, etc.), and even looked after our belongings and clothes while we were out on the waters. So many tiny details didn’t even occur to me until it happened – for instance, I would have been SUPER uneasy about leaving our belongings unattended while going out to the waters, which is something alot of them do.

I suppose there are times where being on a tour actually works to the introvert’s benefit. 🙃

A PECULIAR DETOUR TO TUMALOG FALLS

Sadly, this part of the trip I didn’t like as much. We were only alloted 20-30 minutes at Tumalog, which afforded a very touch-and-go experience. I remember being super bummed on the ride out because we barely had enough time to soak up the place – it was a serious pity because this place had such vibes too.

A preferred experience would require at least a couple of hours, if not half a day. Alternatively, it would probably have been better to just leave it out of the itinerary altogether, and have this 30 minutes allocated to something else more fruitful.

Luckily, lunch right after was a great pick-me-up. It was simple food but food that championed local ingredients; and extremely comforting and hearty for my slightly disappointed soul.

MOALBOAL SARDINE RUN + SEA TURTLES

A diver’s paradise located at the west coast of Cebu Island, Moalboal is home to the Philippines’ breathtaking sardine run. While not as elusive as the Northern Lights, it is nevertheless not uncommon for people to head out and not catch either one or both of these. After much observation, I put it down to actual skill, to be able to know exactly where to find them – especially when it comes to the Sea Turtles. You have to watch the winds, which affect the tides, which determine the waters’ cloudiness, which influences where these creatures choose to hide out…

It all looks so effortless on the surface, but if you pay enough attention to your guide(s), you will learn that deciphering between these variables can be a real piece of work.

The Sardine Run, which is a phenomenon that only happens in TWO places in this entire world (South Africa, and here) was such an immense sensory overload for me it immediately ranked right up there together with the Whale Sharks. Imagine a living, breathing mass of countless sardines moving in otherworldly precision, morphing and undulating like a shimmering vortex seemingly orchestrated by an unseen conductor. It was nothing short of sensational – sublime, when you get to swim amidst it all.

It was also my first time seeing a Sea Turtle so upclose. Did you know they get to live at least 50-100 years a lifetime? 😱

I later learned that, though indicated, an actual encounter with a Sea Turtle on this trip was a non-guaranteed, and most people don’t actually get to see them. This is because Sea Turtles are generally solitary creatures and therefore harder to spot, especially once the winds hit and the waters get too cloudy.

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If you’re naturally introverted and headed to Cebu soon, I cannot recommend Cebu Tours enough. It’s so inherently made for solitude and slowness that every step practically feels orchestrated to align with the subtleties of your quiet being.

And in case you’re wondering, nope, none of this is sponsored by anything – except perhaps my own memories and the fact that this stands out as one of the rare best travel decisions I have ever made in my life. The icing on the cake is that they even offer Go-Pros on rent at super affordable rates; and it was such a fortuitous discovery for me because so much of the footage you see above wouldn’t have existed had I simply decided to rely on my phone. They were highly efficient about uploading all my content after the trip and transferring everything to me too, which I was extremely grateful for because I have serious content-disappearance anxiety. 😅

Until the next adventure beckons!