Moalboal by Bus 🚌➡️🏝️ 💨 Escaping Cebu’s Traffic for Coastal Paradise

Moalboal by Bus 🚌➡️🏝️ 💨 Escaping Cebu’s Traffic for Coastal Paradise

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Our Philippines escapade, a rather ambitious twenty-day undertaking, kicked off in the glorious chaos that is Cebu City.

Now, whilst we appreciate a good urban sprawl as much as any hapless itinerant, our intentions were never to linger. No, our sights were firmly set on escaping the metropolitan embrace for the gentle caress of a more relaxed locale. And so, Moalboal, a mere three-hour bus journey away with promises of snorkelling and diving, became our immediate objective.

Little did we know, “mere” was a rather optimistic aspiration.

Highlights

• Cebu City’s Tangled Web
• South Terminal: A Bottleneck Begins
• Sardine-Can Express
• Arrival in Moalboal
• Snorkeling in Moalboal Cebu 🐢
• Book T-Breeze Resort, Moalboal
• Mangoes in Moalboal, Cebu 🥭
• Philippines Beach Destinations 🥂🌊
• All Hotel Deals in Moalboal
• A Complete Philippines Itinerary

Cebu City’s Tangled Web

Cebu City is less a city and more a sprawling, congested organism, perpetually on the verge of a full-blown existential traffic crisis.

Getting anywhere felt less like commuting and more like a competitive sport against the clock, played out on a chessboard of stationary vehicles. You could, in theory, walk faster, though perhaps at the peril of your limbs, given the enthusiastic approach to driving many locals seemed to adopt.

Thus, after a solitary night amidst the cacophony, we were practically champing at the bit for our bus trip from Cebu City to Moalboal. A journey, as it transpired, that would stretch the very fabric of time.

Cebu City to Moalboal

The South Terminal: A Bottleneck Begins

Breakfast dispatched, we hailed a taxi – a rather frugal 86 pesos, which seems a bargain until you understand it was merely depositing us at the starting line of our next endurance test: the Cebu City South Terminal Bus Station.

From there, we boarded a non-air-conditioned bus, bound for the south and the promise of Moalboal. At 108 pesos per person, “Bargain!” I thought, with the naivety of a freshly peeled potato.

Cebu City – South Terminal Bus Station

These buses, a staple of Filipino public transport, run with a frequency that borders on relentless, pausing at every conceivable point to disgorge and ingest passengers with a casual indifference. Our journey, ostensibly “just over three hours,” took a full hour simply to extract ourselves from the gravitational pull of Cebu City.

One hour! Imagine.

The prevailing wisdom suggests that traffic in Cebu is somehow better than in Manila. Having experienced both, I’d suggest this is either a cruel joke or a testament to the truly apocalyptic nature of Manila’s congestion.

The official line blames increasing vehicle numbers, government inability to expand road networks (or, indeed, widen the existing ones), and a general, shall we say, enthusiasm for undisciplined driving.

The traffic jam starts from the bus station

Sardine-Can Express

As we trundled onwards, the bus, much like a rapidly inflating balloon, became progressively fuller. We were, quite literally, squeezed in like sardines. Not the tinned variety, mind you, but the rather more fragrant, live ones.

The music playing through the sound system, a rather eclectic mix of what one might call “retro tracks,” provided a peculiar, (almost) soothing, backdrop to an increasingly intimate journey.

Sardine-Can Express

One chap even had his arm casually draped across my shoulder for a good twenty minutes, a silent acknowledgment of our shared plight. Perhaps it was a gesture of camaraderie, or perhaps he just needed somewhere to rest his elbow. One can only speculate.

A moment of genuine insight struck us then: given we’d be retracing our steps in a few days, a return journey on an air-conditioned bus seemed less a luxury and more a vital survival strategy. The price difference, we noted, was hardly extortionate, and the prospect of a smidgen more legroom felt like winning the lottery.

Cebu City to Moalboal

Arrival in Moalboal

Finally, with a sigh of what felt like collective relief, the bus deposited us in Moalboal. It was, immediately, a stark contrast to the urban sprawl we’d escaped. A small, animated town, it exuded an immediate sense of ease.

We haggled for a trike – a spirited debate that ended at 150 pesos – which whisked us away to our coastal sanctuary, the T-Breeze Seaside Resort. The twenty-minute ride was indeed a gentle breeze after our vehicular marathon.

Moalboal Bus Stop

Upon arrival, the priorities were clear: several sorely-needed cold drinks, followed by a refreshing dip in the sea.

Our three-night sojourn at this rather secluded haven was dedicated to the noble pursuits of relaxation, culinary exploration, and, naturally, extensive swimming and snorkeling around the local reef. The thought of strapping on a mask and flippers, of simply floating in the ocean, felt like the ultimate reward for enduring the sardine-can express.

Hotel Deals in Moalboal

After this idyllic interlude, it would be back to Cebu city. Not for another protracted urban dance, mind you, but merely as a stepping stone.

Our next adventure, beckoning from across the straits, involved a ferry to Bohol, and a whole new set of delightful (and no doubt, mildly chaotic) experiences.

One can hardly wait.

If you enjoyed Cebu City to Moalboal by Bus, check out our Philippines Central Visayas trip. You may also like:

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