First-time in Negros Oriental: A Paradise in the Philippines

To tourists and travelers, Negros Oriental is the eastern part of the two-province-one-island Negros, which is located in the Visayas area of the Philippines. To me, it’s the other side of the island where I was born. Dumaguete City, its capital, has played an important role in my teenage years and after 15 years of that juvenile adventure, I’m back to this city.

In 1993, my friends and I decided to do a science research project in Silliman University.  We were all high school students, so my best friend’s mom decided to join us. For my other friends, it was their first time to travel without their parents or guardian. For me, it was an adventure. We braved the narrow streets of Dumaguete after an exhausting six-hour bus trip from Bacolod City.  Although we had an adult companion, it was my uncanny way of taking to memory names of streets, establishments and the turns we took around the motorcycle crazy city that got us to our points of destination.

After that first trip, little has changed in Dumaguete but I was here again as a first-time traveler, taking every detail my eyes could see so as not to get lost along the way.  What’s more, we extended our trip down south to Apo Island and up north to Bais City.

My recent Dumaguete trip was really a fun-filled vacation. Imagine, 17 people composed of two families and eight individuals joined this journey. Half of the contingent went two days ahead for a Bohol-Siquijor trip. I joined the second batch to Dumaguete where we all met up.

Malatapay Beach Resort and Apo Island, Negros Oriental

Upon arrival, two vans took us to a 30-minute ride to Malatapay beach resort in Zamboangita, south of Dumaguete. It’s the birthplace of my cousin-friend, Corr, who hosted us in this leg of the journey. It was an enjoyable and sumptuous dinner buffet of grilled fish, chop suey, soup and liempo. There we met German vacationer Andrea who came from London.

Our cottages were just in the beachfront and the sound of the waves lulled us all to sleep after an exhaustive journey—the first batch who took a ferry ride from Siquijor and the second batch who endured an hour flight delay from Manila.

We woke up early morning only to be greeted by rainy weather. While I partook on my tuna baguette for breakfast, the rain gradually dwindled into a drizzle. Still, it didn’t stop us for a trip to the magnificent Apo Island. We were told it was called as such because it was an offshoot from beneath the sea of Mt. Apo in Davao City.

Apo Island is only 72 hectares and sill a part of the town of Dauin. Watching the island from our cottage, Apo looked like a sleeping crocodile. From Malatapay, it took us about 45 minutes by boat to Apo Island. We docked at the other side which was the marine sanctuary which divers frequent. Before jumping into the coral gardens, we went through the small village within the island to the front part where the famous Baluarte Rocks were located. The rocks looked like a head of a man.

After arranging for our snorkelling gears and lunch, we took a dip into the marine sanctuary where various corals and fishes were waiting for us. Yes, we found hundreds of Nemos (clownfishes) there as well as thousands of colourful fishes like Angel Fish, Tropical Fish, Butterfly Fish, as well as Sea Snakes. The Apo Island sanctuary was much better than the one I’ve seen in Puerto Princesa, Camiguin, Bonito Island in Batangas, and Balicasag Island in Bohol. Personally, I find the coral reefs in Anilao, Batangas the best that I’ve ever visited.

Lunch was very delectable as we feasted on grilled fishes, humba, beef soup with kadios beans, and kinilaw (raw fish in vinegar), which is my favourite Visayan dish.

Although the island has a village, the part in the marine sanctuary lacked basic facilities like running water and shower rooms although there were toilets available. The sanctuary was well-guarded by the coast guard with specific spots where divers and swimmers can enter and exit so as to avoid stepping on the corals.

Campanario de Dumaguete and Jo’s Inato

Mid-afternoon, the sun was starting to come out but it was time for us to go back to Malatapay. Then, we set out to Dumaguete for the next leg of our journey. There we heard the anticipated mass at the Dumaguete Church. The church is also famous for the Campanario de Dumaguete or the old bell tower. The label said that “The Campanario de Dumaguete was built upon one of the four original massive watchtowers that parish priest Don Jose Manuel Fernandez de Septien built in the 1760s to discourage Moros from pillaging the town. The two layers which are now known as the bell tower or the campanario were added during the administration of Fray Juan Felix de la Encarnacion in 1867.”

Dinner was at the famous Jo’s Inato Chicken House, which originated in Dumaguete. Our friend Emmans hosted us in this leg of the vacation as the president of the company where he’s working offered us the free use of his Dumaguete home and his Bais villa.

Dolphin watching and the sand bar in Bais, Negros Oriental

The third day was time for dolphin watching at Bais City. It was about an hour land trip to the north of Dumaguete, passing through Sibulan and Tanjay. We stopped by the satellite market to buy some stuff to take to the sand bar. I opted to stay in the van, which I realized wasn’t a good idea, since I was the one who knew more of the “market language” in the Visayas.

Case in point, “patis” in Tagalog is the fish sauce while “patis” in Visaya is a term referring to soy sauce (or “toyo” in Tagalog). If you are looking for fish sauce, then you should specifically ask for Rufina Patis. Again, “kalamay” or the sticky sweet delicacy placed inside a coconut shell is called “kalamay hati” in Visaya because if you ask for “kalamay” they’ll give you sugar. I only learned their difficulty after they purchased the goods in the market.

The peak of Mt. Tanilis (Visayan for “pointed”) welcomed us at the dolphin watching port. Our guide, Art, showed us the ways of the dolphins, the background of the place and several facts and trivia that we need to know about Bais.

We circled Bais Bay and Tañon Strait, which separates Negros from Cebu. The dolphins didn’t fail us. They did a wonderful show as they swam with us and did exhibitions while we cheered for them. It’s beautiful to watch how happy these animals are interacting with humans in their natural habitat. After a while, it was time for us to do our own swimming as we headed to the sand bar of Bais Bay.

From afar, the Manjuyod Sand Bar, submerged in the waters, gave a green glow in the blue sea while four villas on stilts slowly came into vision. The sea looked so inviting and the scenery was the closest I get to my Maldives dream.

Small fishes swam with us in the shallow waters while a blowfish and a starfish entertained us. Emmans showed us how amazing starfishes are. When they are placed upside down in the seabed, they let out their tentacles and contort themselves to gradually get to their upright position. Never had I witnessed such a beautiful act of nature.

Another buffet lunch of grilled fishes, stewed shrimps and crabs, sour soup with shrimp, seaweeds and roasted pig or lechon from Cebu. It’s a delight to feast atop the splashing waters while the green sea surrounded our cottage.

As the sun started to set towards the West, the tide slowly lowered and the sand bar finally emerged. The shallow waters signalled us for the time to go back to Dumaguete. We boarded our medium-sized boat saying goodbye to the sandbar and the beauty around it. Dark clouds loomed ahead as part of Bais was under the rain. The wind started to blow fiercely and large waves tossed us on our way back to the port.

Since many of us were still tired from swimming, some were suffering the effects of sunburn, and a lot were already feeling the effects of rising early, we decided to have a quiet dinner of lechon paksiw, soup with seashells, and okra and eggplant salad at the Sy residence where we were staying in Dumaguete.

Silliman University and Rizal Boulevard

It’s the last day of our vacation and we decided to rise a bit late than our usual waking hours the past two days. Certainly, this time was no rush as we toured around Dumaguete. We passed by Freedom Park and the provincial capitol building.

We stopped at the famous Silliman University, which was founded in 1901. It was in Silliman where we did our research for our investigatory project because of the vast materials they have in their library. It was also where my best friend went to college as well as where my paternal grandfather graduated.

We visited the Anthropology Museum where artifacts and archeological findings were kept. The building is the second oldest building on the campus. It used to be a school building, a dormitory, and then an office before it became a museum. For PhP20 (or US$0.50) we were able to gain entrance in the museum.

We stopped by the famed Rizal Boulevard which was the inspiration behind the song “Boulevard” especially in the statue of the St. Paul sisters. It was in Dumaguete where the first St. Paul school was built.

We again ate at Jo’s Inato (yes, we never tire of the barbecued chicken) for lunch and desserts at the Sans Rival Place, which was a few blocks away. The Sans Rival Place sold mouth-watering cakes and pastries and I helped myself with two pieces of my favorite Silvanas. The coffee and pastry shop has been making cakes and sweet delicacies since 1977.

Last stop was the Orient Gifts for special souvenirs to be brought home to family and friends. The shop sold various native products of Dumaguete City and of Negros Oriental. We rushed to the airport only to find out that our flight was delayed (again!) for over an hour. While waiting for our flight, we stayed at the Le Travellers Café at the airport where some of us cooled off and had a foot spa.

It seemed to be the longest four days for all of us. But we all had our fill. Negros Oriental swept us all from our feet. And it was even a second time for me.