Three days after the 6.2 magnitude earthquake that devastated the northern part of Negros Oriental, we saw ourselves landing at the humble Sibulan Airport in Dumaguete City. I know my mom was so worried but we pushed through anyway. Sayang ang miles! (kidding…)
Let me express my deepest sympathy for the demise of our beloved kababayans in Negros Oriental. The day we landed at the airport, we saw this rescue team preparing for their search and retrieval operations. My heart was struck indeed. I wish I could do something.
On a lighter note, after we claimed our baggage, I already saw my name on a big cardboard. The airport transfers courtesy of Hotel Nicanor was so punctual! On the way to the hotel, I asked the driver if we can buy tickets already for our Siquijor trip the next day and he agreed. We bought tickets for the 9:00am trip (Delta Fast Ferries), each costs Php 160. My daughter, who is 2 years old, is free of charge.
Since according to Hotel Nicanor, our room isn’t ready yet, and that it will be ready by 12:00 nn, we decided to deposit our bags first and roam around Dumaguete City.
Dumaguete City is just a small city that you can actually walk around to its tourists spots. Our first stop was the baywalk in Rizal Boulevard. It is like the baywalk we have in Roxas Boulevard, only cleaner. It was a breathe of fresh air to just sit here and stare at the sea. At night, you will find stalls here called “Tempurahan”, which usually serves street food.
Towards the end of the baywalk, we saw this sunken ship. It’s a bit creepy, thinking that we will board a ferry the next day. Panic much.
After savoring fresh air at the baywalk, we went to the local tourism office and asked for a map. Ria, the Tourism Officer, was so accommodating and answered all my where-to queries. Generally, I think people in Dumaguete are warm. And by the way, Dumaguete is one of the stamp sites of the Department of Tourism’s Lakbay Jose Rizal @ 150, where passport holders can win amazing prizes once they completed required stamps.
Just a few steps from the tourism office, you will find this Rizal monument.
And just a few more steps away is the St. Catherine of Alexandria Cathedral, a structure dating from the 17th century, the oldest stone church in the city.
St. Catherine of Alexandria’s image was the one on the right.
Beside the cathedral is the Dumaguete Belfry that dates back to 1811, and serves as a watch tower to monitor incoming aggressors.
After the quick city tour, we went back to Hotel Nicanor to check if the room is already available. The quick tour lasted for about 3 hours, by foot.
Travelogues by Matet Garcia-Reyes 