THE SEARCH FOR COLON STREET

While Sofia is on a spa pilgrimage, Morgan and I went out on our own. Well, not really on our own – we got a celebrity guide *whatever*

Mariani (our reader in Italy) wanted us to check out what’s in the famous Colon Street, Aries suggested we gotta have dried mangoes and otap (whatever it is –we’ll find out), and since I’m “gigutom” (hungry) all the time -- we gotta try to see what’s out there. Moreover, my tan is superb so I gotta flaunt it out there.

“Can you take us to Colon Street please?” I told the cab jockey.

“There is nothing there, sir.” He eagerly smiled. “You want to have some fun in the town?”

“No. We wanna see Colon Street, please.”

“Where you come from? Is this your first time in Cebu? You meet beautiful Cebuana girls already…?”

Oh shoots! I know where this conversation is going. The cab still hasn’t move an inch. Our long legs are crissed-crossed and uncomfortable in the dang taxi! Michael spoke to him in Filipino and the uber friendly cab jockey instantly changed his mood. So, way we go.

Minutes later: “This is Colon Street, sir. Nothing.” The cab jockey said looking at us through the rear view mirror. If he's a tourist ambassador -- he'll make more money. Guaranteed.

If those cars, and jeepneys, and big stores and thousands of people are “nothing” to him, I don’t know what is. “Where can we buy “otap”? I asked.

“Otap? You know otap?” he seemed surprised – Michael is not a give away? Ha! “Yes, we are looking for it and some dried mangoes.” “And it must come from Colon St.” I added.

“Otap and dried mangoes “IS” everywhere. You can buy it in the airport.” Wow, a very good suggestion. *my fists; ready to fly in all direction*. “Get off!” I told Morgan and Michael.

So there we are, in the middle of a busy street that the cab jockey “claimed” to be the street we were looking for.

Colon Street is said to be the oldest street in the whole of the Philippines. It was named after Cristobal Colon (Christopher Colombus) hundreds of years ago. If this street is what that cab jockey says it is, well, it now looks like an ordinary busy street that you see in Bangkok, KL or Jakarta. Michael is not much of a help. Take that!

We took another cab and went to Arena instead. Too see 100 girls in bikini!

--Pisanu in Cebu City