Dumaguete "The City of Gentle People"

     We flew out of Manila in a gloomy weather but as we landed in Dumaguete the weather was perfectly sunny.  We were greeted by Bethel Guest House free car transfer.  As we arrived in our hotel, we were so happy to know that our hotel is fronting the Rizal Blvd. and the view is perfect for sunrise.

City Tour

     In the afternoon, we explored the city of Dumaguete.  We walked through the Dumaguete Town Plaza where we saw Jose Rizal statue and some old canons.

Dumaguete Town Plaza

     A few more steps, was the Dumaguete Cathedral Church or St. Catherine of Alexandria Church.  It is the oldest stone church in Negros originally built in 1754-1776, reconstructed in 1885, and extended with present façade in 1936.

Dumaguete Cathedral

Dumaguete Belfry

     Just beside the Dumaguete Cathedral is the Campanerio or the Dumaguete Belfry.  It was erected in 1811 as the bell tower of Dumaguete Cathedral and as a watch tower to forewarn the fishing village of impending attacks by marauding pirates.  These kidnappings were so rampant that they came to be known as “Dagit” or “Dumagit” which the Spanish later changed to “Dumaguete. “

Silliman University

     It was on our third day that we visited the famous Silliman University.  The first American private school to be founded in the Philippines, established in 1901 as Silliman Institute by the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions.  It was named after Dr. Horace Brinsmade Silliman who gave the initial sum of $10,000 to start the school.  Originally started an elementary school for boys that later expanded to become a college in 1910 and acquired the university status in 1938.

Apo Island

     On the second day we went to Apo Island.  We asked the tricycle driver to take us to jeep terminal route to Malatapay.  Then, instructed the jeepney driver to drop us to Malatapay Tabo Market.  From there, we walked going to port area where you can rent a boat to Apo Island.

     A small boat only cost Php 2000 and a big boat for Php 3000.  We rented a small boat since it was just the three of us.  Travel time from Malatapay port to Apo Island is 45 minutes only.

     Apo Island has rich marine life which they preserved for 20 years. We snorkeled the 15 hectares Marine Sanctuary Zone.  The corals are so abundant and big.  It comes in different kinds and colors.  I saw brain corals, table corals, etc.  I started counting the different types of fishes but I stopped after ten because they were so many of them.  There were blue star fishes, sea cucumbers, sea urchins, and clown fishes in different colors and sizes.  We enjoyed so much that we got sunburn!

     After we snorkeled, we took a bath at a nearby well in the middle of the village.  They don’t have water faucet, so we just enjoyed the experience.  Good thing there is a public comfort room where you can change your clothes.

     We went back to the main island at 4pm, because according to them the sea is rough by 5pm onwards.  A priest joined us in our boat and gave us a free ride going to Bacong near to Dumaguete City.  We were able to save transportation fare.

Food

     Restaurants lined the Rizal Blvd and there are so many to choose from.

     On our first day, we had our lunch at Jo's Chicken Inato.  The food is cheap but the service is terrible.  They served us the food without spoon and fork.  I even stand up and went to their counter just to ask for utensils and table napkins.  Since the service was not good, we didn’t give a tip.

Moon Cafe

     Then we had our dinner at Moon Café, a Mexican inspired restaurant.  The ambiance is nice and the interior is beautiful indeed.  But there is nothing special about the food.  The taste is common, comparable to fast food chain.  Though their service is very good.

     The next night, we dined at Blue Monkey Grill, an open restaurant good for drinking.  The foods are just fine but nothing special.

Sans Rival

     The day before our flight back to Manila, we bought our presents at Sans Rival.  It is the best bakery and restaurant in town!  I love their sansrival cake and silvannas.  So tasty!

     The best among all for dining is the Café Antonio.  The ambiance is in Filipino style interior.  The food is delicious and they have the best coffee, a bit cheaper and bigger in size than the Starbucks.

Hoy Lugaw

     And to try something unique, we tried to have our breakfast at Hoy Lugaw.  It surprised us that this simple eatery is tasty and cheap.  Even the people sporting a nice car are buying a congee here.  We also like the chairs made of pot.

Travel Dates: December 10-13, 2011