City of Gentle People

Dumaguete won't be referred to as the City of Gentle People for nothing.

We took a Cebu Pacific Air flight from Manila to get to Dumaguete City, the fare was fairly cheap since we got it three months ahead of time. When you arrive in the city, there are pedicabs (tricycles) parked right outside the airport that you could hire to drive you around the city.

The city is very small, which is probably why I didn't notice a lot of cabs in the area. The locals are really nice and friendly. They're always smiling. It's also quite handy if you know a bit of Bisaya. I can't speak fluent Bisaya but I do understand the language fairly well. And I know just enough phrases to tease the pedicab drivers to let us take some photos of ourselves on their tricycles.

My friends and I were fetched by the Diputados, so we didn't really get to experience commuting in the area. Our first stop was the Silliman University. It's very similar to U.P.D. except that it's much, much smaller.

I especially loved the sculpted figures that scatter around the campus. You'll also notice the beauty and uniqueness of the architectures. It's like you've been transported back in time and somewhere in the States. Also, when in Silliman, don't forget to catch the dusk right in front of the Presbyterian church. You'll catch a glimpse of a majestic view.

There's a lot of good places to chill at within the area especially if you're after some booze, a good view, fresh air, and some live music. I'd recommend going to Hayahay, it's by the bay -- think Roxas Boulevard but with nicer and friendlier people and much, much lesser pollution.

The day after we went for some nature adventure. We went to both the Forest Camp and the Pulang Bato. The Forest Camp is a public resort in the middle of a forest. The pools are free-flowing with water coming from the river.

The Pulang Bato is another public spot that you might want to go see. It has two waterfalls; the other one looks pretty unique and amazing because of its color.


Unfortunately, we didn't have ample time to explore more of Dumaguete. The locals told us that there are still a lot of tourist spots that we missed that we should've visited. Looking at the bright side, I still have a lot of reasons to go back to Dumaguete! :-)