Dumaguete, Negros
Trip Start
Mar 29, 2008
1
6
9
Trip End
Apr 08, 2008
Dumaguete,
Visayas,
Philippines
Monday, April 21, 2008
Paastiin viimein lahtemaan IloIlosta eteenpain Negrosille. IloIlosta Bacolodiin kesti noin tunnin verran pienella nopeella lautalla. Ja se kyyti olikin aika tuskanen. Ma luulin et me kuollaan niihin aaltoihin ja siihen vauhtiin ja Raffi oli viel vahan heikkona flunssan jalkeen ja se heiluminen ilmeisesti lisas huonoa oloa. Oltiin siis ihan kypsia sen tunnin jalkeen lauttamatkoihin. ;)
Bacolodista jatkettiin bussilla Dumagueteen, joka kesti viitisen tuntia. Se oli kans aika uuvuttava bussimatka mut paastiin lopulta perille. Ja ma sain junttirajan toiseen kasivarteen t-paidasta kun roikutin katta ulkona koko matkan..hahah ;) Bacolodin bussiasemalla ehin kayda vessassa ja tricycle-kuski oli jo ehtiny huiputtaa Raffia maksamaan ihan liikaa kilsan-parin matkasta keskustaan hotelliin. Sovittiin et ens kerralla odotetaan et tinkimisen mestari on paikalla, eli mina. No eihan se hinta paha oo meian hintatasossa mut turisteja kyl hoykytetaan 6-0 ja se on arsyttavaa, varsinkin kun meillakin on budjetti kehissa
Scenery seen from the bus to Dumaguete
. Joka tapauksessa paastiin Worldview Pension Plaza hotelliin mika oli oikeen mukava yllatys. Ja huone makso vaan 850pesoa eli 13euroa, aamupalalla, tv:lla, kuumalla vedella. Jei.
Dumaguete olikin mukava yllatys kaupungiks. Sellanen lunkki merenrantakylanen. Ja loydettiin Le Chalet-niminen sveitsilaisravintola missa viihdyttiinkin yllattavan usein. Schnitzelit ja rostit maistu kummasti pitkasta aikaa ja vihanneksia, ah, oli niin paljon tarjolla annoksissa verrattuna filippiinien lihapitosiin ruokiin :)
Meian oli alunperin tarkotus jatkaa Siquijor-saarelle muutamaks paivaks ennen kun treffattais Raffin sisko mutta Raffi kavi laakarissa varmistamassa ettei sen hyonteisen (?) pistot ja flunssa liittyny mitenkaan yhteen ja paatettiin et on turha ees menna sille saarelle. Niin ja ettette huolestu siella paassa niin pistot oli laakarin mukaan polypunkkien tai vastaavien ja ne lahti pian sen jalkeen kun allergialaakkeet oli syoty.
Dumaguetessa ei oikeestaan ollu paljon tekemista. Me ois buukattu snorklausretki ja retki laheisille jarville mut hinnat oli liian huimat. Paatettiin et mennan omin nokkinemme etelakarkeen lomaresorteille paivaks nauttimaan auringosta mut laiskoteltiin ja mentiin ettimaan viereista Silaman rantaa
Bacolod-Dumaguete bustrip and landscape
. Se ranta oli kuitenkin meren peitossa ja se paiva meni siis hengailun parissa. Raffi tosin maisto Kinalaw-nimista fisusalaattia (makin Boracaylla) mika on hyva tomaatti-sipuli-viinietikka salaatti mis on raa'an fisun palasia. Tosin mun Boracayn annoksessa ne fisupalat tuntu ja maistu ihan kypsalta ja siks pystyin sen syomaankin, heh. Joten Dumaguetesta tykattiin enemman kuin muista kaupungeista missa ollaan taha asti Filippiineilla oltu.
Perjantai-aamuna mentiin Raffin siskoa, Nadinea, vastaan Dumagueten lentokentalle ja lahettiin minivanilla yhessa kohti Sipalayta ja Sugar Beachia.
Norsuli
English:
Hell-o.
Greetz from the Philippines once again. We finally made it from Ilo Ilo to Negros island. The speed ferry took about an hour to Bacolod in the east coast of Negros and boy was that ride something. I honestly thought we're gonna die, the boat's gonna collapse in those waves and with that speed and Raffi was still bit weak from the feverish flu he had had
Dumaguete seashore boulevard
. So we pretty much had enough of ferry rides at that point. But we made it and took a bus from Bacolod to Dumaguete which took five more hours. Rather exhausting but I was glad to move on. Plus I got this nice 'jerk' tan (as they call it back home..) to my other arm as it hung out from the window the whole ride. hah. ;)
In Bacolod bus station nature called before we continued and by the time I was finished (which was few mins!) a tricycle driver had managed Raffi to agree on a price to the centre.Which was way too much for 1-2km trip! But we agreed next time Raffi'll have to wait until the haggling meister is back..haha. It isnt much money in our scale but the principle of tourists paying way too much more than locals is just rude. I mean, it's okay to pay a bit more than locals naturally but we have our budget too!
Anyway, we got to Worldview Pension Plaza hotel which was very nice surprise. Nice clean rooms with telly, breakfast, air con and warm shower. And it cost 850pesos, 13euros that is.
Dumaguete was also a pleasant surprise as city. Very laid pack place with sea boulevard. We found a Swiss resto Le Chalet in the town and mmm the food was good for a change
At Le Chalet and a content Swiss
. We had plans to continue to Siquijor island for a few days from there before we'd meet Raffi's sis but since Raffi went to a doc the first day and since it looked like we could probably do good trips from Dumaguete we decided to stay there. Well Raffi's insect bites and flu was nothing serious in the end, after allergy meds the dustmite bites were gone and life was normal...or was it the Swiss food after all? ;D
There was nothing much to do in Dumaguete and we would've booked a snorkkeling trip or trip to the Twin Lakes in case they were not so damn expensive. We agreed on going to the southern tip of Negros by ourselves and spend a day on the beach there. We got lazy, who can blame us after travelling for 7months, and just decided to look for the Silaman Beach 1km north of Dumaguete. Nothing much there as see was reaching the wall already so that's it for the beach. We ended up in a resto nearby Raffi having a taste of pilipino food, kinilaw- raw fish salad.
So Dumaguete wasnt bad at all. On Friday morning we met Raffi's sis, Nadine, at the Dumaguete airport and continued to Sugar Beach with minivan.
Nora
