For me, I want both but I have to choose only one since we have a tight budget and I'm still upon my first months at my first professional work.
I can't decide the destination so I borrowed my brother's 1 peso coin. Jose Rizal's face is for Dumaguete and the Philippine Flag is for General Santos. May the best side win.
The result? Jose Rizal's handsome face.
I replied "Ok. Let's go to Dumaguete!". This trip started it all, my itchiness to wander.
Dumaguete City, known to be the place of gentle people, is the capital city of Negros Oriental.
It is known as the place of Gentle People. Yes, at some point I had to agree with it since I found this place very gentle for both local and international tourists (A surprise to see so many foreign backpackers when we were here).
I was so excited back then to have an adventure far away from home because there were many first time experiences that ive encountered in this trip like, not only it's my first time visting a province in the Visayas region but also my first time riding an airplane. Furthermore, this trip really stared my passion to travel a lot.
Let me share what we've experienced when we toured around the city.
Airport
Their airport is located in area of Sibulan and it's known as Sibulan Airport or Dumaguete Airport. Our carrier that time is Cebu Pacific, which is one of the two airlines that can only land here (the other one is Philippine Airlines).
Budget friendly guest houses
There are accommodations here in Dumaguete City that suites every travelers budget. We rented a tricycle to go to the city proper and asked our driver to take us to Harold's Mansion, a popular place for budget travelers. Unfortunately for us, there were no rooms available so we searched for another place to stay. We walked towards the road and found this equally cheap and accessible place called World View Pension Plaza. I find the location of it strategically great because it is near the tourist landmarks and Siliman University.
It's not a big city
Going around, I noticed that the city itself was quite small and much of it could be reached patiently just
by walking.
University Town - Due to the development of school institutions, the city was called as the center of learning in Southern Philippines. The most popular University here is Siliman University (oldest university). There were many students wandering around that time we got there.
Landmarks
Here are some of the popular landmarks that we visited:
- Dumaguete Belfry - Locals say that this tower was then built to warn the them of any incoming danger. It remains to be the oldest bell tower in the Visayas and is a very famous architectural landmark in the city.
- St. Catherine of Alexandria Church - It is the largest church and one of the historical structures in the city. I was quite amazed in the architecture, very European.
- Quezon Park - I'll compare this one to the Burnham Park in Baguio where people go to relax or kill time.
- Rizal Boulevard - One cannot simply miss the Boulevard. Along the way, there are many shops and restaurants.
- Sans Rival Cakes & Pastries - It's a must to eat in this cake shop whenever in town and try their Sans Rival and Silvanas. Trust me, its delicious.
Overall, my adventure in this place is great. Dumaguete City is the place to go if you are looking for an inexpensive escapade because not only the place has a low cost of living but also the people are friendly too. I've seen so many expats roaming around the city and they seem to love it here. I'd love go back and explore the other parts of Dumaguete.
FYI:
Expatriate/Expat (a noun) - meaning a person who is living and working outside their country of citizenship
