THIS IS HOW YOU NIGHT OUT: OUR GABII SA KABILIN ADVENTURE

There's two things I love most in this world: cool night drives and Cebu's rich culture.
Last Friday night I got a proper dose of both as me and my friends finally got to experience

Gabii sa Kabilin!

I've been dying to participate in Gabii sa Kabilin since its inception 10 years ago.

According to RAFI's official website, Gabii sa Kabilin was inspired by Germany's The Long Night of Museums and aims to show everyone just how rich our culture is.

I just love the fact that I get to go around these beautiful historical sites all night, walk the streets and enjoy the various sights and sounds and food. This is my idea of a perfect night out.

Once we secured our tickets from the Mandaue Presidencia, my friends and I headed out to our first destination:

Museo Sugbo

I've never been inside Museo Sugbo before. I know, I'm a fraud. Like most of commuters in the city, I often pass it by when taking the 01K but I've never really stepped inside the former Spanish cartel.

What welcomed us was this:

the beautiful courtyard set-up with a stage that featured spoken word poetry...

and exhibits of Cebu's various historical artifacts, ranging from pre-Spanish relics like these miniature pottery (which were just about the cutest things I've seen that night)...

...all the way to the Japanese era

Dale suggested we only spend around 20 minutes on a certain site, so we could get the most out of the tour.

So away we went and checked the rest of the items on our map.

Up next was

Casa Gorordo

I've very fond memories of coming here as a kid during field trips. It's always been that one museum that I can clearly remember from my childhood. This private residence has been standing since the 1850s and is one of the most well-preserved houses in downtown Cebu.

My favorite memory of Casa Gorodo? Their wooden toilets, of course!

Tonight, the old ancestral house was alive with music, art and food. Also they have a cafe inside the museum now?

We ended up walking around the old Parian district. I love being able to roam around at this time of night to relive the old Cebu.

The Yap-San Diego Ancestral House

This house has been standing since the late 17th century. It's also full of relics and antiques.

Parian

Parian district was once Cebu's center for trade and commerce. It was the hot-spot back in the day and tonight, we were lucky enough to get a glimpse of it's former glory.

We also drove to

Fort San Pedro

...and went to lots more places like the Cebu City Library where we saw the planet Saturn (IRL! It really had rings! How cool is that!) and UP Cebu.

We also stopped by the Museum of Naive Art--- which is right down West Gorordo Hotel. Who knew?

Fay had an impromptu ukelele lesson!

My favorite trip of the night was

Fo Guang Chan Shu Un Buddhist temple in Guadalupe

I had so much fun in this temple that I think it deserves a post of its own, so stay tuned for that!

Too soon, the night was over. We capped it off with some roadside siomai and chicken somewhere around Mandaue, going back to where we started.

My very first Gabii sa Kabilin was a certified blast. I got to go on a cool night drive with friends and had an awesome time touring the city's historic spots.

You gotta give it to RAFI for organizing events like this. In this world of hashtags and smartphones, it's so easy to forget where we came from; so easy to ignore the history right under our noses.

I'm glad that this event draws people from all walks of life--- from little children to college kids to parents--- and that it's a way for them to make beautiful memories of Cebu, especially downtown.

Often, we overlook these places in our everyday lives. It's easy to associate downtown with danger and dirt and hassle. I never even stepped foot into Museo Sugbo until tonight! Gabii sa Kabilin transforms these places right before our eyes and brings the old Cebu back to it's former glory, and I'm glad for it.

Thank you to everyone who organized this. It was so much fun.

I'm lucky to call myself a Cebuana.

Stay tuned for more stuff from this adventure!

And let us know how your own Gabii sa Kabilin went!

Til the next post,

K x