The long wait is finally over. This little trip was already planned and talked about for a year by me & my friend Mel, hehe.. We divide & conquer the planning stage of our trip. So the game plan was: two girls (originally three girls, huhuhu), one long weekend, P5,000 travel budget, our “researched’ itinerary in our hands and off to the place where our National Hero, Dr. Jose Rizal coined “The City of Gentle People”— Dumaguete City and and a little side trip to Bais City for a little dophin-watching. How timely it is that we got this opportunity to chillax  because work gotten to be a bit crazy & stressful lately that a much needed &  de-stressing is in order. And it so happen that luck was on our side that we got promos for our ferry trip to Bacolod. Yey!

I made my “famous” tuna sandwiches and packed some healthy snackies for our breakfast. We left early for our ferry to Bacolod and from there we got a bus to Dumagute City. We had hoped for an air-conditioned bus but those buses are scarce. Shucks! So we hulled our lazy butt up on a non-air-conditioned bus and enjoyed the ride. And we really did! The breeze was cool & soothing, that half of the trip, it rocked us to sleep and half of the time, my eyes was on a visual adventure as I admire the cute quirky houses & chapels especially nearing Dumaguete City.  It was approximately 5-6 hours drive. Without the customary stops, you could make it there from Bacolod in 4 hours. I contacted our hotel which provides free shuttle services, to come fetch us. They were there 1 hour before our arrival in a colourful van with Hotel Palwa written all over it. The hotel was sort of hidden amidst the little city. But their hospitality is two-thumbs up! The personnel from the receptionist to the guard and the cleaning lady would greet you “Good day!” with a warm smile.

Dumaguete is a university city. The city has four universities but the Silliman University was definitely the big man on campus, dominating the little city. Hip college students roam the streets with their casual cool get-ups by foot or on a motorcycle.   Dumaguete is also a coastal city. When we arrived there, we were greeted by the fresh breeze from the sea. The quaint cafes & restos and hotel were by the seaport. Half of the population were locals & college students while a surprisingly almost half of the population in the city were foreigners. We pass by a café called Casablanca and all customers were foreigners. I thought I was in Boracay or somewhere very far from the Philippines. Mel & I had a super late lunch in Lab-as. We ate Lumpiang Bangus (which is my fave among the two) and Dumaguete Express (It has coconut meat?!- go figure.). Mel unapologetically jug down her green mango shake in less than 5 minutes. Man, that girl was thristy, hehe. After the recharging lunch, we went to do some camwhoring inside Silliman University. We visited their church, the grounds, outside the anthropology museum and student’s portal. The museum was closed that day but that didn’t stop us from having a blast. We were kolehiyala for that day. We had a lot of pictures taken (Thank God for 10sec delay click & a trusty stand), a lot jumping shots (which we failed horribly by the way) and a lot of girly silliness that some seemly macho men might cringed at. Hehe..

In the evening, we strolled the famous Rizal Boulevard, the heart of the city where all the cafes and restos you’re looking for all there. It is the Baywalk version of Dumaguete. Its quite nippy in the evening so better bring a light jacket or shawl went you are here. And carefully walking along side the coast side because you might be drenched by the waves that sometimes splashes through (I got my foot soaked- lesson learned).  Rizal Boulevard comes alive at night with live bands, lotsa lotsa people just chilling by the coast and a number of kiosks of tempura & balut  vendors. We couldn’t resist trying their tempura ‘coz I’m personally such a street-food fiend.

We headed to Mamias to try their seafood pasta & frozen cappuccino. And believe me, they didn’t dissappont. Hehe..