It was a fine, sunny day of March 21 when we headed on to the airport for our afternoon flight. We ate lunch at a fast-food restaurant an hour before the departure. We immediately walked to the check-in counter and fell in line to board the bus going to the plane.
As I reached the seat near the window, I had mixed emotions - excited, because it was my first time to go to the city of gentle people. Sad, because of my idol, Sen. Grace Poe, went to Quezon and I missed a chance to meet her. Happy, because I'm with my mom and her former co-workers.
While we are seated and ready for the plane to take off, there's another personality seated near us. It was Sen. Nancy Binay, together with her husband, putting their bags to the overhead compartment. I took a quick shot of her before I set my phone to flight mode.
After almost an hour, we landed in Dumaguete. While the Binay couple were waiting for their luggage, we had a photo opportunity with the senator, the daughter of former vice-president Jejomar Binay. She gave us baller bracelets as a part of her re-election campaign.
After we walked out of the airport, there are two more people patiently waiting for us. The Zapanta couple, who are our companions during the Iloilo tour, was very happy to see us again. We rode a tricycle to the hotel near the boulevard. However, there's a problem - March is not only a month of summer but also a graduation season. We ended up staying in the hotel for a night.
While we are taking a short rest inside our room, something bad happened. My mom complained of chills, dizziness, and vomiting. We called the ambulance to bring her to the nearest hospital. While waiting for the result, my aunt and I bought food and took a short stroll on the boulevard. After that, it's my mom's former co-workers' turn. After a few hours, we learned that my mom was diagnosed with vertigo. We bought her prescribed medicines and took her back to our hotel after regained her strength.
The second day of the Dumaguete tour began with a short trip to the "painitan" or breakfast lane. We ate "budbud" or steamed rice filled with fruit or chocolate and drank hot chocolate. We bought some local delicacies to eat for our next destination: Manjuyod Sandbar.
We rode a bus to Bais City and went straight to the market to buy some fish, fruits, and vegetables there. We rode a tricycle to the pier and hopped on the boat. Before we reached the so-called Maldives of the Philippines, we saw some dolphins jumping out of the water. We grabbed our phones and captured them as we shouted with glee. Although these playful sea creatures spent a short time with us, it is our first time to see them in the wild.
Our boat sailed towards the Manjuyod Sandbar, where we had a sumptuous lunch while enjoying the picturesque view of the stilt houses. We swam in the sea after lunch but stung by jellyfishes that are smaller as a piece of Mentos. We moved to another location where we got the chance to witness a natural phenomenon - the water became shallow and the sand bar existed. We took tons of selfies while enjoying the relaxing view.
We headed back to town and transferred to another hotel, which is a short distance from the first one. We bought meals and had dinner while sharing the itinerary for the next day.
The third day of the tour started when we visited a church, a bell tower, the Dumaguete marker, and the Silliman University. These places are great, as well as they are jam-packed with history. We stopped by a mall to buy souvenirs and ate lunch at Jo's Chicken Inato before we went to Valencia.
The road to the Pulang Bato Falls is a kind of adventure. We rented three tricycles and passed by the Steaming Rocks before we cross a tiny bridge up to the mountain where we reached the entrance. We were able to see the majestic falls, but we also overcame our fear of heights by crossing a hanging bridge. Unfortunately, our visit there was cut short - we came at around 3 in the afternoon and we need to leave as early as possible because there are no available jeeps to ride back to Dumaguete at 5. We went to Sansrival Cakes and Pastries to buy silvanas and sansrival to satisfy our sweet cravings.
March 24 - a day before my mom turned 60 - is the day where we boarded the plane back to Manila. But our minds are looking forward to celebrating another day, which is my mom's special day.
The city of gentle people captivated my heart and mind - the breathtaking sceneries, the mouth-watering foods, and the warm smiles of its people. And this is the firsthand experience that I will never forget.
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