Located in the Beverly Hills neighbourhood, the Taoist Temple overlooks downtown Cebu City’s high rise buildings. The temple was built in 1972 by the city’s Chinese community to cater to its Taoist worshippers but they also allow tourists to visit at no cost – they just request that the inside of the temples be respected and not photographed.
I had to get a taxi up the hills to the temple, which meant having it wait for me to bring me back. The hotel concierge negotiated a price for me with the driver – meter rate going up and down the hill plus a 200 peso waiting fee (up to 30 minutes). The concierge assured me that this was a good rate, although it would have proven cheaper to have the driver just leave the meter running (he did anyway)! Anyway, the total cost of the taxi, including tip, was 400 pesos ($8.28), so not expensive. And I only required 20 minutes to look around the complex and take some photos.
There are several temples within the complex for worshippers to visit, each with its own altar. One of the most interesting aspects of my visit was this sign, in English, that explains how to pray for guidance in the temple to enlighten your particular problems, wishes. There were no worshippers present during my visit, so I didn’t get to see these wooden blocks in use.
The temple was an interesting place for a short visit, but requires a special journey to get there. Trip Advisor has it ranked as the #4 thing to do in Cebu City.
