Thursday, January 30, 2014

Dumaguete, the City of Gentle People

Dahil may Piso Fare ang Cebu Pacific, I tried to find any Philippine destination that I haven't been to... Aside from Bacolod, Surigao, Ozamiz,  Pagadian, Tacloban, Tawi Tawi and  Dipolog City destinations, Dumaguete City is  also on my bucket list.  I hope may mag sponsor naman ng plane ticket, libre blog po, hahaha =)

We got out tickets at Php 1,161/person roundtrip inclusive of terminal fee from Manila to Dumaguete. Okay na di ba? Before traveling, do some research on which interesting places are close to your destination.  And by touring Dumaguete... Siquijor and Oslob in Cebu can easily be reached just by one ferry ride.  We toured these places by just spending Php3,500 each good for 4 nights and 5 days, with Siquijor and swimming with the whale sharks adventure. Impossible? It's possible pag sumama ka sa amin, hehehe =)

Arrived so early at terminal 3


while waiting ...


boarding finally...

and... our flight was cancelled because of zero visibility in Dumaguete!!! ameyzing!!!

overnight sa terminal 3


Thinking if we will be sleeping for a night at a friend's house or will just stay at the airport.... Hmmmmm... food overload na lang tapos matulog sa airport, okay na.... Sa bundok nga sa lupa lang natutulog tapos may limatik pa... Okay na dito, centralized aircon, with CR, with unlimited drinking water at katabi lang ng 7-11, okay na =)

Finally arrived in Dumaguete =)


The City of Dumaguete is a city in the Philippine province of Negros Oriental.  It is the capital, principal seaport, and largest city in the province.  According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 120,883 people.  The city is nicknamed The City of Gentle People.

Dumaguete is referred to as a university town because of the presence of four universities and a number of other colleges where students of the province converge to enroll for tertiary education. The city is also a popular educational destination for students of surrounding provinces and cities in Visayas  and Mindanao. The city is best known for Silliman University, the country's first Protestant university and the first American university in Asia. There are also 12 elementary schools and 9 high schools. The city's student population is estimated at 30,000.

The city attracts a considerable number of foreign tourists, particularly Europeans, because of easy ferry access from Cebu City, the availability of beach resorts and dive sites, and the attraction of dolphin and whale watching in nearby Bais City.

The power source of the city comes from the geothermal power plant in Palinpinon, Valencia. The city has redundant fiber optic lines and is a focal point for telecommunications. It is the landing point for fiber optic cables linking it to Manila, the capital of the Philippines, the cities south of Luzon, as well as to other major cities in southern Philippines.
(Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dumaguete_City)


inside Silliman University




Dumaguete has earned the distinction of being known as "The center of learning in the South," or a "University town" due to the presence of universities that have made their mark nationally and abroad. The city is a melting pot of students, professionals, artists, scholars and the literati coming from different parts of the country and the world.

Silliman University is the dominant institution of higher learning in Dumaguete, providing the city with a distinct university town atmosphere. It is the first Protestant university in the country and the first American university in Asia. The 610,000 m² campus is adjacent to and intermixed with the city's downtown district. It is ranked among the top 150 universities in Asia in International Students' Review by the QS Quacquarelli Symonds, an institution that ranks the world's top universities. Some of its buildings have likewise been recognized as landmarks. These buildings include the Silliman Hall, Katipunan Hall, the Luce Auditorium, and the Silliman Main Library (considered as one of the biggest libraries in the Philippines)

Other universities located in the city are Foundation University, a private non-sectarian university, it does not only offer college education but it also offers kindergarten, grade school, and high school education. Negros Oriental State University (or NORSU, with two main campuses: NORSU main 1 and 2), and St. Paul University Dumaguete (1904), which is the first Saint Paul educational institution to be established in the Philippines by the Sisters of Saint Paul of Chartres (SPC) from France.SPUD is known for academic courses like Nursing , Tourism, HRM ,History and Mass Communication. With the exception of NORSU, these universities also have grade schools and high schools.

(Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dumaguete_City)

I Love Dumaguete City

eateries at Rizal Boulevard selling tempura and  balut

tasty tempura sold at 4pesos each at Rizal Boulevard



Before coming to Dumaguete I was often-told that I really have to try the Sans Rival of Dumaguete.  We really looked for the store.  It is exactly located at No. 3 San Jose Street in Dumaguete City.  The store is near the city's Rizal Boulevard. True enough it's really delicious and it's not nakakasawa. The sweetness is just right and the mixture of chopped nuts and butter is so irrisistible. Ang sarapppppp!!! I love it!!!





the city

entering Silliman University

in front of Silliman University

Harold's Mansion popular to backpackers

We also found this in front of our rented place, BONELESS lechon sold at Php440 per kilo


What we discovered in Dumaguete that nobody told us about is the NEVA's Pizza, Pasta atbp food store... They are famous for their "kuripot" pizzas.  I asked what's the difference between the special and the kuripot pizzas.  Kuya said that they are using mozzarella cheese for the special pizza and using cheddar cheese for "kuripot" pizzas.  Pero yung kuripot pizza pa lang sobra na sa sarap!!! Ano pa kaya yung lasa ng special.  The dough is yummier than the commercialized and known pizzas, it is still delicious even if it is already cold.

other meals sold at NEVA's
our fav fish fillet at Neva's
NEVA's Pizza, Pasta atbp can be found at Hibbard Ave, cor. Quezon St., Dumaguete City.

Pizza cooked inside the pugon.... Hmmmm kaya masarap yung dough

the super yummy kuripot pizza sold starting at Php93
di na inabot sa lamesa, attack na agad!!!

a peek at the Christmas House


The Christmas House is a one-of-a-kind legacy initiated by Dr. Rico Absin, an anesthesiologist in the city. For the past 18 years, visiting the Christmas House has become a tradition for all Dumagueteños. 

Each year for the past 18 years all the young and the young-at-heart flock to the bedecked Spanish mansion of one Dr. Rico Absin, a practicing anesthesiologist in his early 50s, who has successfully created an institution out of a genuine passion for art and decoration. 

True to its name, Dumaguete is really a place of gentle people.  No wonder there are more foreign tourists here than in any other places in the Philippines.  It is also a place where we really enjoyed eating...delicious yet affordable foods.  There are also a lot of nearby places to explore.  If time allowed we can also explore Dapitan in Zamboanga del Norte, only 3 hours ferry ride from Dumaguete, Bacolod and Bohol.  Time only allowed us to explore 3 provinces in just one tour.  Hope to be back here soon because we were not able to swim in Apo Island, one of the top 10 dive sites in the world!!!


inside Dumaguete airport

ending our 6 days vacation =)
Check my previous blog for cheaper room accommodations at http://www.bantogbackpackers.blogspot.com/2014/01/pamela-pension-house-in-dumaguete.html

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1 comment:

  1. Good post, lots of beautiful places near Dumaguete, if you want to visit Dumaguete and other parts of Negros, try visiting dumagueteneo.com. You can book tours there and find restaurants, it's cheaper and easier for the people to get around. Thanks for sharing!!

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