Bogo på ön Cebu i Filippinerna - en shoppingtur

Bogo is a city located on the island of Cebu in the Philippines. It's the closest major city to the small island of Malapascua, which is why we came here one day to go shopping. On the list was everything we needed for the upcoming adventurous boat trip around the islands of the Philippines.

Table of contents

From Malapascua to Maya on the island of Cebu

If you go on your own, you can get from Malapascua by regular boat to Maya New Port on the island of Cebu. We were lucky enough to travel with the Filipino family we now know, in their stretcher Dotche II.

It was not only us who were going shopping in Bogo, but also the Filipino family. They would shop for our upcoming boat trip adventure - and for the fact that they are now renovating their beach bar on Malapascua.

Peter och Helena från FREEDOMtravel — Peter and Helena on board the Dotche II. photo: Julia

From Maya to Bogo

Once in Maya, we boarded a jeepny, a collective minibus, and headed to Daanbantayan.

In Daanbantayan we changed transport and jumped on a bigger bus. We then had about an hour's bus journey ahead of us, before arriving in Bogo City.

Lunch at the Mang Inasal fast food restaurant

In Bogo, the family had targeted lunch at the fast food restaurant Mang Inasal. This is a place where you can eat, for example, grilled chicken and we understood that the restaurant is popular with many Filipinos, partly because you can add an extra little money to get "unlimited rice". Yes, in this country they love rice!

At Mang Inasal you can also order the Filipino speciality "Halo halo" - a dessert with "extra everything". The dessert can be made in a few different ways, but it usually includes ice cream, ice, milk, fruit, jelly and beans. When you get it, it's nicely served, but according to our friends, you should then mix everything together into a smooth purple mess. The flavour? Sweet, of course, and not bad at all.

Bogo - a city of tricycles

Our first and strongest impression of Bogo is that this is a city full of tricycles, a type of motorised vehicle consisting of a moped and a passenger cabin. We saw these just everywhere, and we also rode them several times. Every time the Filipino family thought we should go to a different shopping centre, they made sure to cram the gang into two tricycles.

Motorised tricycles can look like anything you can imagine. They are often colourful and often decorated with extra bling. Sometimes you see vehicles that stand out in one way or another. The picture below shows a tricycle on a regular bike, with an umbrella as a roof.

Another thing you see on weekdays, both in Bogo and in other Philippine towns, is children and young people in school uniforms.

Shopping in Bogo

For us, it was all about shopping. We first went to a department store called Super Metro Bogo. Here we shopped for stuff for the upcoming boat trip in the form of sleeping mats, cushions, plates, glasses and rainwear.

The Filipino family was also shopping for supplies for their bar in Malapascua, which is being renovated and renamed from Lighthouse Beach Bar to Shipwreck Beach Bar.

We then travelled by tricycle to a small shop where the family found ropes, nets and materials to make the roof more resistant to rain.

Then it was time to go shopping in the Prince Warehouse Bogo. Here we found all kinds of things like pots, wipes, noodles, chocolate and ... a big pink mirror shaped like an apple. We will have a small toilet on board Dotche and we had talked about bringing a mirror. Why not a pink apple mirror, Peter thought? And so it was ...

Were we ready then? Yes, pretty much. The family also bought an alternator for the boat and a toilet seat.

Do you know how it works in shopping centres? Well, you get help to pack your parcels and then you can leave them in a checkout at the exit where you get a numbered tag, much like when you leave clothes in a wardrobe in a theatre.

Return journey to Maya

How would we get back to Maya with all our boxes and bags? Taking the bus was not really an option anymore. We could have booked some kind of van, but a cheaper option was to book a car from Prince Warehouse, which drove all the way to Maya. Smooth!

Here we unloaded all the shopping, which turned out to be a lot ...

Even the toilet seat made it in one piece, and Micke seemed happy about this. Time to stow everything on Dotche II!

Return journey to Malapascua with Dotche II

The return journey to Malapascua was really nice. A few extra relatives had joined us to get a lift over to the island and we had a great time. lots of stuff, but it was still no problem to fit in.

The evening was incredibly calm and beautiful, with a light pink colour in the sky.

We could even see the sun setting in the sea. So amazingly beautiful!

More to see and do near Bogo

If you're visiting Bogo, you might also want to experience the larger city Cebu City. In addition, you will want to visit the beautiful island of Malapascua with the most famous beach Bounty Beach. For even more tips and inspiration, visit our Philippines page by clicking on the image below.

Facts about Bogo in the Philippines

Country: Philippines
Region: Central Visayas
Provins: Cebu
Name: Officially City of Bogo (Cebuano: Dakbayan sa Bogo, Filipino: Lungsod ng Bogo)
Established: 1850
Population: Around 88 000 (2020)

5 Comments

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Lena+in+Wales+and+Spain says:

A very different everyday life with many exotic elements.
It's funny how there are different modes of transport in different countries.
Take care!

22 February 2023 - 9:08

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  The means of transport in the Philippines are a bit different, and we managed a whole bunch in the same day 😉.
  
  22 February 2023 - 23:56
  
BP says:

Talk about a culture clash here compared to "just" going to the nearest shopping centre in some Stockholm suburb in your own car, for example.
The tricycles are so incredibly charming and they seem to be quite spacious too considering all the things you transported - hahaha!
Why is it you, Micke and Julia who have to buy all these things. Shouldn't the boat owner have all these "amenities" while you pay a certain rent for the boat under the hood...?

22 February 2023 - 19:10

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Yes, going shopping was an experience 😉 The tricycles are charming, but spacious I don't know, haha. The ones we travelled with had room for 5 passengers which is impressive iofs, but it's definitely not spacious in there 😉 And, well, both us and the family were in town shopping. We did not pay for everything (they bought a lot for the boat itself and for their bar) but we paid for things that we want for our boat trip and that they would not have bought otherwise and will not use for other boat trips, such as our sleeping mats and pillows. Then, as you say, we have to pay a fee that includes the boat and salaries for the crew (who have to be away from their regular jobs).
  
  23 February 2023 - 0:02
  
Lena - good for the soul says:

Haha, jisses what you shopped! Now you will manage 🙂

Hug Lena

24 February 2023 - 11:35

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Snorkelling at Malapascua in the Philippines - a great trip | FREEDOMtravel

Bogo on Cebu Island in the Philippines - a shopping trip

From Malapascua to Maya on the island of Cebu

From Maya to Bogo

Lunch at the Mang Inasal fast food restaurant

Bogo - a city of tricycles

Shopping in Bogo

Return journey to Maya

Return journey to Malapascua with Dotche II

More to see and do near Bogo

Facts about Bogo in the Philippines

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5 Comments

Lena+in+Wales+and+Spain says:

Helena says:

BP says:

Helena says:

Lena - good for the soul says:

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