Destination Happy Place: Dumaguete City

“Why do you always choose Dumaguete?” This is what my friend Mae Ann asked me upon learning through my intagram post that I was spending the long weekend in Dumaguete. My response was quick and simple, it is my happy place.

My first trip to Dumaguete City was a little over three years ago, in June 2011 to be exact. My roommate Allison and I flew in from Manila for a quick weekend trip to celebrate Kokong’s birthday and I remember getting attached to the place even before the first day of the trip was over.  It has become my happy place since then and I would try to schedule a visit at least once a year.

It’s not surprising for me to fall in love with the place. Having been born and raised in a small town like Cotabato City, I am used to a laid-back lifestyle that offers fresh home-cooked meals at a cheap price and allows people to move from one place to another without having to endure hours of traffic. Both of these are present in Dumaguete City plus several other things that I consider “pre-requisites” hence this city would be my top pick when I’m ready to leave the corporate life behind. (ooh big words!) But seriously, I wouldn’t mind walking away from skyscrapers and condo-living to settle down in Dumaguete and here’s why-

1.       Hassle-Free Transportation- Riding a tricycle is the most common means of commuting. Because of the narrow roads, it’s also typical to see people riding scooters and small motorcycles to go around. Traffic is very minimal and even the airport is so close to the town proper that one can go there by taking a tricycle. 

2.       Quality Education- Dumaguete City is the home of Silliman University, the first American University that was established in Asia and continues to be one of the top ranking universities in the Philippines in spite of the fact that it’s not located in Metro Manila.

3.       Fresh Food- It’s a coastal city so residents have easy access to fresh seafood that’s quite cheap. In my recent trip, I had grilled squid and shrimps every single day for less than half of the price that people would normally pay  in Metro Manila.

4.       Peace and Order- It’s not nicknamed “City of Gentle People” for nothing. Kokong even shared with me that during his college days, he once fell asleep in one of the waiting sheds after a drinking spree. He was too drunk to realize that his wallet fell on the ground while he was sleeping and when he woke up, everything was still intact! No one even bothered to steal his wallet while he was sleeping. :)

Earlier this year, Kokong and I agreed to make Dumaguete as our destination for my MTA (mandatory time away) from work. August seemed like the perfect time to do it because of the long weekend and coincidentally, Silliman University’s founder’s week and their fraternity’s 50^th anniversary celebration is scheduled on the same week. We arrived in Dumaguete last Friday at around 8 a.m. and since the trip was expected to last for five days, we had sufficient time to visit all the tourist spots and restaurants within the city and even traveled to neighboring cities like Siquijor and Valencia. Here are some of the photos from the trip (mostly taken by Kokong because as much as I love taking photos, I sometimes fear that we forget to enjoy being in the actual moment by exerting too much effort to document it.)

 Bossing's Tempura

 Bahura Resort & Spa in Dauin

Silliman Chapel

  Suman at Tsokolate from the local public market

Graffiti Wall at Silliman University

Though we had an outline of things that we wanted to do on this trip, there were several spontaneous activities that we managed to squeeze in getting a couple massage in a newly opened spa and driving an ATV uphill to visit the Japanese shrine that has a breathtaking view of Cebu, Dumaguete and Siquijor islands. And due to the non-stop rainfall in Manila on the day that we were scheduled to fly back, our flight got cancelled so Allie and I got to stay for one more night. That was a cancellation that I definitely did not complain about at all. 

So, if you're looking for a weekend destination, I highly recommend Dumaguete City. It's just an hour away by plane from Manila. Both Cebu Pacific and PAL offer two flights everyday. I guarantee that it's a place you'd definitely want to go back to. :)