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TRAVEL
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June14
The highlight of the in-house spa is
the
hilot
, a traditional healing practice
re-interpreted into a unique massage
therapy. The best bit is the application of
warm, soothing coconut oil on the back,
upon which the therapist lays strips of
banana leaf, apparently to draw out the
knots. I’m not sure about that, but the
60-minutes passed in a blissful flash.
Go soon, and tell them I sent you.
Make it happen
Numerous airlines ply the 3.5-hour route
to Cebu, and the resort will arrange
hassle-free transfers to Alegre.
alegrebeachresort.com
Island of contrasts
This year, Cebu rated eighth in the world’s top ten
cities for outsourced manufacturing and production.
Big employers include numerous call centres, a Mitsumi
electrical components plant and a Timex watch factory.
In contrast, travelling in the far north of the island around
Bogo city, economic inequality is plain to see. Farmers scratch
a living from small plots of land in the hills, living in simple, corrugated iron
houses. These people were hardest hit by the November 2013 typhoon
that carved a path of destruction through the island’s northern half and
left the south largely untouched.
When we visited at the beginning of this year, relief centres were still
handing out food parcels and distributing corrugated iron sheets and
nails for house-rebuilding. Independent of NGOs, Alegre staff delivered
relief goods to 1,000 households and supplied building materials for
226 homes.
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