Having a big family that
travels has its perks and challenges. Travelling has been one of our traditions
but due to schedule constraints, we opt to travel during the long holiday
season after Christmas and before New Year.
Choosing a destination
that everyone (the young ones and young once) will enjoy is top priority. To
give you a better idea, the age range of our group is from 18-80 years old.
After doing our research online and several discussions, Dumaguete with a side
trip to Siquijor seemed to be the best fit for our needs.
Dumaguete, the capital
of Negros Oriental province, is dubbed as the "City of Gentle
People". The city and nearby towns offer both historical, natural and
culinary attractions. Not to mention its close proximity to the islands of
Siquijor and Cebu gives you pristine white sand beaches to visit.
The easiest way to get
to Dumaguete is via air on Cebu Pacific or Philippine Airlines flights. The Dumaguete
City Airport is very near (approx. 15mins away) from the town proper. Some of
my cousins went to Oslob,Cebu directly from the airport to swim with the whale
sharks or 'butanding'. The rest of the group rode the van pick up and checked in at
Hotel Essencia -- one of the newer hotels in the city.
After resting for a
while, we went to try the infamous Jo's Chicken Inato ('inato' is the local
term for grilled). We decided to walk back to our hotel since we were so full,
yummy! It was nice to see all the restaurants in the area, truly a foodie haven. Highlights of our city tour that day were the picturesque Siliman
University, Sta. Catalina Church and Belfry, Sidlakang Negros Village, Cataal
War Museum, and Forest Camp. For a quick snack, visit the Panda Ice Cream Haus
to try their fried Ice Cream in different flavors. As sundown came, we were
taken to Lab-as Seafood Restaurant for a sumptuous dinner. This restaurant had a homey feel and ideal for families like us.
(fried ice cream at Panda Ice Cream Haus)
The next day, our group
was split into two to visit the popular destinations in the nearby towns:
Apo Island and Lake Balanan. Apo Island gives you the opportunity to see and
swim with sea turtles while Lake Balanan is very laid back as you take a banca
ride and explore the nearby waterfall. Both groups met at the Negros Oriental
Arts and Heritage in Bacong where we marveled at how the locals create
handicraft and jewelry with various Philippine gemstones. We visited Rizal Boulevard for street food merienda and another
well known restaurant for dinner -- at Sans Rival Cakes and Pastries.
The interiors were very pretty! We highly recommend making a reservation since
seats are quite limited. Another local food spot is the two-storey Kitchen for
coffee and desserts.
(Siliman University in Dumaguete)
Our final tour was
supposedly a day trip to Siquijor Island also known as "The Island of
Fire". The skies were a bit cloudy that morning and the seas were rough. We were told that this is normal during Amihan season. Upon arrival, we proceeded to San Isidro Labrador
Church and Convent, Capilay Spring Park, the Century Old Balete (tried the free
"fish spa"), and finally had lunch at Salagdoong Beach. Our day trip ended up to be a two-night stay because of the Typhoon Seniang.
(the century old balete tree)
Fortunately, our tour
operator (Orientwind) already contacted an available accommodation for us.
After buying clothes and supplies in town, we checked in and then headed to the
beach! Since we won't be able to make our flights and the next day flights were
fully booked, our only option was to leave via Bacolod, Negros Occidental. Bacolod is an approx. 4-5hrs land trip drive through Mt. Kanlaon. We arrived very early at around 4am in the morning (read: freezing cold)
and we're one of the first ones lined outside the airport (a lot of tourists
were also affected by the typhoon). We got back in Manila in one piece and just
in time to catch some sleep before the New Year celebration.
TIP: Of course every
trip is not complete without pasalubong: buy Silvanas and/or Sans Rival in
Dumaguete, Banana and/or Gabi Chips in Siquijor and Barquillos and/or Piyaya in
Bacolod.