Homey Dumaguete!

Part III - Visayas series (8.11)

Dumaguete is the capital and largest city in the province of Negros Oriental and is just a few hours away from Negros Occidental's capital Bacolod. Travel time usually takes 5 to 6 hours depending on the route, coastal or inland. I traveled with my friend's family  in their SUV and honestly, I din't know which route we took. But we got there in just 3 or 4 hours. So maybe we took the inland route since it's said to be shorter.

I din't have any definite plans in Dumaguete, as usual. My friend and her dad are into diving and since they're  joining a dive safari in Apo Island and the surrounding area, I decided to tag along. The invitation was something I don't wanna pass up since I've been wanting to see this university town for so long.

the Boulevard

We arrived just a bit after lunch. Since I'd be in the city longer, 4 days to be exact, my friend and I thought of making a detour to Siquijor island for a day. So off we went to the Fastcraft ticketing office to check the schedules and ticket rates. Unfortunately, fate doesn't seem to agree with us. We were able to find an early morning schedule but the company office for it is closed for the day. The one that's open has a later schedule in the afternoon which isn't what we wanted. So I ended up paying for a single ticket... to Cebu on the fourth day.

taking pictures of the schedules & telephone numbers instead of writing them down

I've always imagined walking along the baywalk with the sea breeze caressing my face and cooling me off from the sun's scorching heat while locals I walk past smile, wave and call out a greeting. I tried duplicating that picture when I finally set foot in Dumaguete but the weather wasn't cooperating. Well, it doesn't matter much. Dumaguete is what I thought it was. Friendly. Welcoming. Homey. 

Just across the port's entrance and a few walks away is Siliman University. Since we don't have anything to do back at the house..nothing planned, we headed straight for the campus. 

Silman University is the most famous tertiary school in the region. It is the first Protestant university in the country and the first American private university in Asia. It can be said that the institution contributed so much to Dumaguete's fame. Students from Negros and the surrounding areas even as far as Mindanao flock to the city to attend the said school. 

the entrance to the campus

Siliman was founded in 1901 and we were lucky enough that it was their founding anniversary when we were in Dumaguete. There were a number of activities scheduled such as a parade, a pageant, a concert, environmental talks, motor show, and a fair.

some of the booths

my pal Meryl is a cottoncandy monster

tiny car

picturesque building in the campus