Driving Along Cebu’s SRP Road

This has been my longest stay in Cebu after 10 years of living in Manila. It’s been quite an experience for me, re-discovering my home island and appreciating its beauty now that I’m older (ehem) and wiser. We’ve lived in Talisay City since 1985. It wasn’t a city back then and I remembered my friends in high school not wanting to visit me at home because it was too far! As Cebu province and Cebu City progressed, the traffic congestion from Cebu City to Talisay could sometimes take more than an hour. Mind you, in Cebu where anywhere is 30 mins away, that’s totally far! And if you drive, good-luck! Because, its not just the volume of traffic you have to deal with but buses, motorcycles, v-hires, everything goes along N. Bacalso Ave, the only road that leads to the south of Cebu.

Now with the SRP (South Reclamation Project) Road, from the Carmen node (Talisay City portion of the SRP), my parents place is only a good 15min away from Cebu City! Amazing and you can run at more than 80kph! It’s really fast and it has changed the way we in Talisay City live. We can easily go home, have lunch and siesta, and be ready to “gimik”. That’s the beauty of Cebu, island lifestyle in a highly urban city.

In my early morning drive, I really love seeing the sun rising above the serene waters and birds flying about ... the Spanish looking building (relic) at Kawit Island really reminds you of Cebu’s rich history. And as you reach the midtown (mid-section of Cebu City), the City Gov’t has constructed a sort of viewing area with benches that one can drive through from the South going into Cebu City. My husband and I stopped by one lazy Sunday afternoon and just sat there mesmerized by the sea and the calm surrounding. Truly priceless considering its free!

And as the sun sets or in Cebuano we call it “kilum-kilum”, your drive will be transformed to that of seeing a city coming to life with lights lining up the city mountain slopes --- these are the lights coming from the private subdivisions and residential areas being developed by local and Manila-based real estate companies. Truly Cebu has attracted a lot of people coming from it’s neighbouring islands to settle in its sunny and bustling metropolis.

I promised myself I would take time to document the SRP as I see it now and share it with people who have been to Cebu, or are planning to visit or are like me, who have left the Queen City and re-discovering its beauty and charm. I will post my pics, and even if there might be other blogs who have published their stories about the SRP, mine is from the eyes of someone who has left and seen it with new eyes! Will post it before I fly back to Manila. Hope it will inspire people to come and visit Cebu.

Mrs Jane B.