Before I left for Iloilo, Carcar City was my last and farthest destination in Cebu so far. Sitting between Simala and Cebu City, Carcar City was the most practical destination for me to visit within my budget. Getting there is fairly simple: go to the South Bus Terminal within Cebu City and buy a ticket going to Carcar. The buses you will ride will be the same ones going to Simala. My bus left the terminal at 9:45 AM and arrived in Carcar City at 11:15 AM. I rode an air-conditioned bus; the seats were a bit uncomfortable throughout the ride. Annoying, yes, as I felt a bit of pain in my rear after standing.
After dropping off near the Carcar Rotunda, I went straight to their church: the Archdiocesan Shrine of St. Catherine of Alexandria, to pray and light candles. The saints inside are all women, which reminds me of the Santa Ana Parish Church in Molo, Iloilo City. Surrounding the church are buildings that reflect Spanish-era architecture. Two museums sit beside it and the city hall is just steps away. There is even a school nearby named “Upland Elementary School”, constructed by the Americans in the early 1900s. All of them sit on a hill, marking the highest point of the city proper.
From the church, I walked to the commercial center to have lechon as lunch. I passed by the Carcar Rotunda, which was busy with vehicles going South (to Simala) and West (to Barili). The stalls that sell lechon and chicharon are further away from the Rotunda. The chicharon costs around 900 per kilo, although they said you can get it much cheaper at 600 per kilo at the New Carcar City Public Market. After the chicharon stalls, on the next block, you can buy and eat lechon for lunch. The lechon I ate was savory and spicy, which was intentional, and I much enjoyed it with "puso". I unfortunately didn't manage to taste “tuslob buwa” as it was out of my budget. Maybe next time, when I come back.
Being satisfied with lunch, I proceeded to travel to Guadalupe Mabugnao Mainit Hot Spring. It's far from the city proper: I had to hire a tricycle to get there. The roads were definitely bumpy. The last portion of the road before the entrance was damaged by the earthquake in September 2025. When I arrived, I paid the entrance fee promptly and went straight to the spring. Despite being fairly small, plenty of people were swimming at the time. I did swim too. If you brought a large party with you, you can buy a cottage which costs around 200 pesos and have a feast. Strange that it's called a "hot spring" when the water was actually cold.
When it's time to go, I rode a "habal-habal" going back to the intersection that meets the highway. From there, I hitched a bus to Cebu City. The experience was very fun, spontaneous, and enlightening. I actually invited someone to travel with me throughout the trip. There were hipcups and I forgot to bring a few things, such as towels and extra clothes; however, I managed to be flexible enough not to rely on them at the time. I will definitely go back to Carcar again with family and friends.