One Day Guide to Dumaguete City

Dumaguete is hip, cool, and laid back. The city’s boulevard is my favorite college professor’s favorite strolling place. To me, Dumaguete is not just the hip university city that it is, it is also an extension of Siquijor because my grandpa used to work here and we would come here to visit him when school was off. It is easy to explore the small city in a day and hop on to another destination after the sun sets. If you only have one day in Dumaguete, then read on for my recommendations.

Where to Eat in Cebu: Backstory Kitchen

After getting married, my husband and I vowed not to eat out as much in order to not just save money, but also to stay healthier. We also agreed that if we do eat out, we would eat out “responsibly.” This to us subconsciously meant that we would eat out at local eateries/restaurants. It is not difficult to find local eateries/restaurants here in Cebu City. In fact, what is difficult is choosing where to eat. Cebuanos do not just love food, they also love businesses. And the small restaurants/holes-in-the-walls popping in the city are proof to that. Anyway, we chanced upon Backstory Kitchen on our drive to our family weekly lunch.

Capilay, San Juan Spring Park

I am genuinely happy with the re-discovery of the Capilay Spring Park. This spring is what I would consider one of the many gifts Mother Nature has bestowed upon Siquijor that it is a shame that none of us were protecting it, cleaning it, taking care of it. For most of my childhood, the spring was sad and lonely and the waters were covered with leaves. I thought it was a scary sight that I only asked to visit the spring once even when I can see it all the time because it is located at the main highway.

St. Isidore the Farmer Parish Church and the Largest Convent in Asia

 

I come from the town of Lazi, Siquijor, and one of our pride is our convent, which is considered the largest convent in Asia. Growing up, I was very, very proud of this fact. Until the time I was able to study Southeast Asia history and ventured outside of the country that I realized that,

The Story of Lilibeth and the Pan Bisaya

On the way to our destinations during our Visita Iglesia, we stopped at a shanty alongside the road in Talingting (formally called Enrique Villanueva) to have snacks. The smell of freshly baked bread enticed us to jump out of the mini van. We were greeted by Lilibeth, the owner of the humble bakery, and we spied her husband and daughter kneading dough behind the glass display counter. There were no other tourists when we visited so we took a break and spent time talking with Lilibeth and her family. And this is her story.