Saturday Morning Jog

In our experience in Cebu we have found no place outdoors that is even close to being appropriate for either of us to exercise. Andrey really enjoys running and he's been excited about a potential area in which to run on the weekends. Previously we noted a stretch of road on the outskirts of Cebu called the SRP (South Road Properties) that is probably the nicest "highway" in Cebu with very little traffic, right next to the ocean, and with nice wide sidewalks. In fact it's the only thing we've seen so far of its kind. This morning we thought we'd give it a try. We parked, Andrey ran, I walked. Aside from the usual stares, smiles, honking, and waving of people in cars as they passed, both of us were approached individually by someone who told us we were not allowed to jog on the road without a jogging permit that must be obtained from city hall. Andrey was approached by two different people and I was approached by one. As I reached the area where our truck was parked I was met by a police officer in a special "SRP police" car who informed me I was parked in a restricted area. Well we got the message and left once Andrey returned. There were no other joggers there this morning. I guess no one is interested in a jogging permit or it may just be that there really are few if any people who enjoy jogging or exercising outdoors. Hmm. I guess that option is out of the question for now or until we decide to get jogging permits. (We learned elsewhere that the SRP is actually owned by a Japanese development company that plans to build there someday. That explains why the road is so nice, why there exists adequate staff to enforce the rules, and why nothing like it exists anywhere else in Cebu.)