City of Gentle People
11:00 PM
When one of the teams in the office decided to have a trip to Siquijor over the weekend, me and my friends Jenn and Cito decided to join.
It's my first time to travel to those places and since it's a group activity, the budget for the trip would be less costly.
We met up with the rest of the team of Janet in Citilink Terminal. We took a v-hire going to Lilo-an Port. When we got there, we bought tickets for our fastcraft going to Negros.
We arrived at the Sibulan port and then took a jeepney going to Mommy Dy's sisters place.
When we arrived there, we were already in Dumaguete.
Dumaguete is also known as the "City of Gentle People". The name comes from the Visayan word, "daggit" meaning to snatch people. They have a way to attract visitors and make them stay.
When we arrived at Mommy Dy's sisters place, we had our late lunch. When we became full, we then decided to go to Robinsons Place Dumaguete to stroll around while waiting for the trip to Siquijor. Our trip would still be at night time.
I then contacted my friend Kenneth who used to be a co-worker, that we have arrived in Dumaguete. He used to tell us that once we are in Dumaguete, he could give us a tour of the place.
He fetched us from Robinsons and we went to his house. We then headed back near the port. At the time that we went there, there was also an occasion. It was their Kabulakan festival. It was so nice because the security is not that tight. We were at the center of the streets taking pictures and no one bothered to let us move away. We really felt like we were tourists. We even saw artists up close.
After seeing the different floats and artists, we took a look at the St. Catherine of Alexandria Cathedral. Beside the cathedral, we paused and prayed at the Lady of Lourdes grotto.
Beside the grotto was the old Belfry. It is the oldest bell tower in the Visayas. The belfry used to be a watchtower but now its used to inform about the different masses being held in the Cathedral.
We then had our snacks in one of the restaurants near the area. We chose Ka Waway restaurant. Based on forums I have read, Ka Waway has the best halo-halo in Dumaguete. When I tried it, I was not amazed and was not convinced by what people were saying in the forum. The taste was just okay. There is nothing more that I can say.
We then headed to the Port to prepare for our trip to Siquijor.
After our 1 day trip in Siquijor, we decided to go to Dumaguete early to see some tourist spots there. We took the boat that leaves at 6 AM. We decided to meet up with our friend Kenneth and have a short tour in Dumaguete.
When we arrive in Dumaguete, our friend fetched us. We don't have to worry with our transportation since Kenneth has a car and he could take us anywhere in Dumaguete. Since an early morning trip would make you hungry, we decided to have breakfast in one of the Resto in the city called Sta. Teresa. We all had breakfast meal at a very affordable price.
We then headed to The Forest Camp. It is located in Valencia, Negros Oriental. The Forest Camp is where family could have picnics and gather. There are huts, function halls, garden and a waterfall.
The entrance fee would be P 80.00 for both adults and kids.
The next place that we went to was the Casaroro Falls. It's not quite far from the Forest Camp
It's a rough road going to the area and Ken's car was able to make it. There are big stones surrounding the road so you have to be careful when you pass by it.
When we arrived on the area, there was no one managing the area where you are going to buy a ticket to get in. The entrance fee was supposed to be P10.00. We then just walked the stairway going to the falls. It's quite far from where we left off. We have to walk the stairs and then pass by creeks and a bridge.
Once you see the falls, you would really be astounded. You would like to come near it to see a better view. Since we wanted to get a picture which is closer to the falls, we passed through rocks and even slipped to see the beauty of the falls. The water is so cold and it was really nice to take a bath.
Since we were just there to take a picture, we then left after it. It was easy going to the water falls but its going back that is so tiring. Your feet would hurt and you would be out of breath since you have to pass a lot of staircase.
I was the first one to reach the top but while I was trying to go up, I was praying so hard that I wouldn't faint. It's so tiring. You would really lose weight if you go there everyday.
We rested for awhile when we were back where we started.
The next stop would be the Siliman University. We were able to gain access to the University since Ken used to study there. We toured around the university and got to see how big it really is. Just like University of the Philippines, they have dorms, special buildings for different departments and a large field.
I remembered my lolo when I went there since that's where he used to study.
Our last stop before leaving Dumaguete would be their delicacies. We will be bringing it back home as gifts for our families and friends.
The Sans Rival Cake and Pastries is famous in Dumaguete. Aside from the Bongbong's Piaya, we brought home silvanas.
Silvanas is a frozen cookie made with butter cream and meringue wafers. Aside from silvanas, they also have other desserts.
Near the Sans Rival Cakes and Pastry store is the Rizal Boulevard. This is one of the famous places in Dumaguete. During night time, there are a lot of people here who would just relax and enjoy the scene. There are a lot of street foods also at that time.
After strolling through the Boulevard, we had our lunch at Food Net. There are a lot of students, teachers and ordinary people waiting in line to eat their food. They have a lot of foods you can choose from at an affordable price.
After having our lunch, we then headed to Robinson Mall to purchase other 'pasalubongs'.
We then headed to the bus terminal to go back to Cebu.
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