Get Scared Stiff at the Crown Regency (Cebu City)

You're either stoked with excitement. Or with fear. A little or a lot of both. Either way, there won't be any yawning involved. Adrenaline diminishes that possibility. This is the place.

They call it the Sky Extreme Adventure at the Crown Regency, one of Cebu's tallest buildings, with 40 stories of luxurious rooms. The adventure has several variants and "combos" to enjoy, but hanging and sliding down between buildings will give the most thrill. A visiting guest tried three, including the one on picture (above), the Sky Walk and the Edge Coaster (where you ride a coaster seat at the edge of the building and they tilt you). I went to accompany her. For a minimal fee (I think it was PhP250 as spectator), you don't have to do anything. I was happy to enjoy the view of Cebu and Fuente Osmena down below.

Sky Extreme Adventure has 4 combination rides, priced between PhP600 to PhP2,400 ($13.50 to $54). The place gets packed on weekends where rides start at 10 AM to 6 PM. Monday to Friday rides open at 2 PM, then there's the 12 midnight ride for the night view.

The Edge Coaster will have you sitting at the edge of the building, then this seat contraption tilts you hanging down. The Sky Walk will have you walking around at the edge of the building. Then there's the zip line, sliding you through from one tower to the other. And there's the Paramount Climbing said to be the world's first climbing wall placed atop a 40story building, placed 468 feet from the ground. This 32-foot climbing wall is designed to make you feel as though you're climbing a real mountain, with wind blowing by. The Paramount allows 7 climbers at a time.

Crown Regency Hotel is located along Jones (Osmena Boulevard) near Fuente Osmena Circle in Cebu City. For more information, call (6332) 418-7777. Visit their website @ http://www.skyexperienceadventure.com/.

I also realized belatedly that the place hosts what's touted as Cebu's first ever 6D Theater. It's open daily from 10AM to 10 PM. Six D? What the...?

This is the Eye in the Sky!

Sky Walk with scared Japanese guys.

Rail tracks of the Edge Coaster.

Tilting away

Hang down this line and get reeled in from one tower to the next.

Lobby of the Extreme Adventure rides.

Lobby of Sky Walk.

Sky Extreme Adventure's main lobby where you purchase tickets. There are 4 combination of adventures to choose from. For six hundred bucks, you can get your altitude adventure fix. Otherwise, sit it out for an awe-inspiring view of the whole Cebu City and beyond.

Fuente Osmena Circle - Heart of a Thriving Southern City (Cebu, Philippines)

Right in the heart of Cebu City stands Fuente Osmena Circle, oblivious to the constant vehicular hum going around the rotund. The fountain itself is built in 1912 in honor of Cebu's "Grand Old Man", Sergio Osmena, Sr. who was the second President of the Philippine Commonwealth. This is the epicenter of the Sinulog Festival and one of the city's green lung.

Curiously though, I couldn't find President Osmena's name written on the fountain structure. That, or I wasn't looking hard enough. At the lower tier of the fountain are names of other personalities during that era, including Governor General Cameron Forbes, a banker-turned-diplomat who went on to become Governor General of the Philippines from 1908 to 1913, during the administration of U.S. President William Howard Taft. After his 5-year stint in the country, He was appointed as U.S. Ambassador to Japan where he served for two years.

On a sunny day, Fuente Osmena circle looks like a neglected corner in this queen city, and probably needs a bit of sprucing up, compared to the more minor plazas found all over Cebu. The politicians are busy playing politics, of course. Political grandstanding and filibustering are difficult jobs, after all.

The circle has uneven benches all over the park, some under canopy of trees surrounding the perimeter. The park would benefit from a bit of sprucing up, that's for sure.

Despite its size, the park is mostly harmless though some people constantly warn against this place after sun down. Like most public parks, it turns into convenient homestead of the city's less favorable creatures; those who languish in the dark. But then many parks carry two faces. Yes, most public arena aren't what they seem - under dimly lit or under-populated conditions.

If I have to say this, the circle is a must-visit, if it's your first time in the city.

This is the Eye in the Sky!
 

Crown Regency has the Sky Adventure who loves their stratospheric fix. 

Rajah Park Hotel just across the park has a casino.