A Date in Dumaguete - Part 1 of 2 | Travel Chronicles 5

It is our thirty-fourth wedding anniversary. I feel a bit guilty for being so ridiculously non-rich as not having the money to splurge on my wife. And all these self-talk about it being okay is clearly not working. My wife, though, is a pretty reasonable woman. She wants a break from her daily routine and go to Dumaguete City. Why? She wants to go there because we've never been there and she has heard good things about it. Also, it's near Cebu, so why not? Indeed, why not? I've never been there myself. And my friend Jay lives there. It's comforting to have someone to call whenever you need to.

Our four kids are grown up now, and they are paying for the trip as an anniversary gift. I don't know if I feel embarrassed, but I'm sure I am thankful and happy. Inday jumps and shouts for joy. That's how she is.

Another dawn taxi ride. This time to the Cebu South Bus Terminal. We take the bus to Liloan Port in the town of Santander. A necessary rest room and food stop in Dalaguete, and we are southbound again.

On the bus to Santander

It must have been four hours on the bus, and we finally arrive in the port of Liloan, Santander. Inday and I, we are travelling light. We got one bag each for clothes and another for junk food. Being a good cook, Inday is hard to please when it comes to food. She eats because she's hungry although there are times when even a small canteen would surprise her.

The fast craft that will take us to Sibulan, Negros Oriental

On our way to the fast craft

One more picture of the Liloan Port before stepping on the gangplank

In less than an hour, we arrive in Sibulan. Clear sky. Fresh air. The noise level is so low you'd think it's silent here. But the place is buzzing with business. It is a quick jeepney ride to Dumaguete City from the town of Sibulan. No traffic.

The sign on the distant building means Welcome to Sibulan. Inday takes it personally. Look at that smile.

I call the hotel to inform of our early arrival, but there must be a large occupancy today because they made us wait till check-out time. No vacant room before then.

It is only later that I learned we have arrived on the final day of the Buglasan Festival, the annual fiesta of the province of Negros Oriental, of which Dumaguete City is the capital. Now the banderitas make sense.

So instead of heading to the hotel, we decide to have lunch. Sometimes, Inday likes fast food, especially sweet spaghetti and crispy fried chicken, but I think it's mostly because she's on the customer side of the kitchen.

After lunch, we walk to the famous Sans Rival Cakes and Pastries for some silvanas to take home. What? We just got here, and now we're thinking of pasalubong. Well, I think that happens in quick trips like this, but I still can't seem to get used to it.

While waiting to buy some silvanas, the famous sweet cakes of Dumaguete

At 11:30 AM, we finally get our room at the hotel. A few minutes of rest and we're off to roam the city.

There is an abundance of all kinds of fruits here. Is this the usual, or is it because of the festival? And the price of the large sweet lanzones is so cheap. Inday buys a kilo, and we walk the city streets, eating the juicy lanzones in the brown paper bag. The streets are so clean. Not one piece of garbage around so we keep our peels and seeds in the paper bag to dispose of properly later.

Old trees inside the Silliman University campus

Taking souvenir photos with the Silliman signage

I love looking at the trees in Silliman

This is most probably an American era building in Silliman University

Inday relaxing on the sea wall at the promenade

Inday can't stand rock concert crowd so we take a selfie of the set up instead

The Duma GeT mE signage

Inside the St. Catherine of Alexandria Cathedral Parish

Kalachuchi trees line the side of the church.

The famous bell tower looks so far away from the main church building.

From the church, we cross the street to Quezon Park. I know I'm not getting any younger. I feel the hours of walking in my calves and knees. It's a relief to be sitting down on a bench inside the park and just relax our legs. And, of course, finish the rest of the sweet and juicy lanzones. Inday is okay with the walk. This is nothing compared to her twelve-kilometer-a-day walk when she was in high school. But, of course, she couldn't be that strong now. She's just not complaining. God, I love this woman.

No usual fast food for dinner this time. We both decide a Chinese restaurant would be the best. And there is a great Chinese restaurant a couple of blocks from the park. The best dinner we've had in days. Even Inday agrees.

At the Chinese restaurant, the waiter may not be great at taking pictures, but the cook sure knows what he is doing. Great delicious food.

Before going back to the hotel, I tell Inday I would like to get near the church one more time to take a picture of the bell tower. It is getting dark now, but I take one shot anyway.

The bell tower of the St. Catherine of Alexandria Cathedral, Dumaguete City

An hour of massage from blind masseurs and masseuses really takes away the tiredness from our body. I feel recharged. I ask Inday how she feels. No answer. Is she snoring lightly? I wait until her massage is done, and she wakes up. Satisfying, I see.

Don't miss the second part of this story.

You may get to know me more and read my intro blog article.

And if you still have time, please feel free to read other travelogues I've written:

• The Rocks of El Nido
• Maya, Daanbantayan - Gig and Dip
• From the Other Side of Malapascua
• Enticing Bantayan

Thank you so much for dropping by, and hope to see you in my next post.