Some of the 400 guests who joined the southern heritage trail of the Suroy-Suroy sa Sugbo experienced a breathtaking swim with the whale sharks in Barangay Tan-awa, Oslob town, on Friday.

Gangwon province Vice Governor Jeong Kwang Yeol led other Korean delegates on a spectacular adventure with giant sea creatures, along with other tourism caravan delegates and regular tourists in the area.

“They are really big, and I had a good chance to look at them from a very close distance. I was amazed,” Yeol said.

Visitors were given an orientation before their close encounter with Oslob’s gentle giants.

More or less 1,000 foreign and local tourists visit the town every day for whale-watching activities.

Whale-watching was Friday’s opening activity, the second of the three-day Suroy-Suroy sa Sugbo event before going to century-old Roman Catholic churches in different southern towns.

The three-day exploration of Cebu’s southern heritage, culture, and culinary specialties kicked off Thursday in Minglanilla where Mayor Rajiv Enad hosted a banquet for the guests led by Governor Gwendolyn Garcia at the town’s entertainment center in Anjo World Theme Park.

Enad introduced pusoyap or a hanging rice filled with uyap (shrimp paste and chorizo) which becomes a perfect pair for lechon de Cebu.

While enjoying breakfast, the guests were entertained with Visayasn socio-cultural performances, highlighting the town’s Sugat-Kabanhawan (Easter Sunday) festival dancers.

From Minglanilla, the visitors were brought to San Fernando where they explored the century-old San Isidro Labrador church.

Minjeong Lee, tourism policy department manager of Gangwon province, said they were fascinated with Cebuano’s hospitality, food, and presentations.

The guests were also brought to Sibonga’s century-old Nuestra Señora del Pilar de Zaragoza church, which is known for its beautiful interior artwork, particularly the mural on the ceiling.

The guests also enjoyed a quick view of the old Saint Miguel Parish Church and Museum of Argao, as well as a taste of torta and sikwate (cake and chocolate drink) before proceeding to the fifth stop in Dalaguete, the southern town in Cebu known as “vegetable basket” in Cebu.

The delegates will visit more towns as the capitol’s tourism office targets to finish the escapade in all 22 southern localities. (PNA)