During the research or planning phase of our trip, I was already excited to begin our tour. There is so much to see and do, it looks like our 4-day trip wouldn't be enough.
It was a tough planning.
We booked our stay at Dastraum. When we got there, we just dropped our bags and started our tour. As I have said there's so much to do in just a little time we had. As much as possible we wanted to maximize our trip. We wanted to check all the must visits and must tries. So we didn't waste time the moment we landed.
First things first.. FOOD. Here's the list of all the foods we tried.
A. Chicken Inato
Not a typical chicken barbeque or inasal, it is glazed with sweet sauce. The famous restaurant that serves this food is at Jo's Chicken Inato. During my research, it was said that it is usually jampacked with locals and tourists who come to Dumaguete to try it but we were so lucky that during our visit we didn't wait long. The chicken comes with unlimited rice!
Super yummy!
B. Chicharon
That crunchy fried pork skin so sinfully delicious (Now I'm craving for one). We saw it displayed on a glass container just before we entered the restaurant. We bought one to try it. It was so good, I wanted to take home a box full of chicharon.
C. Panda Ice Cream
Of course everyone has tried an ice cream, but this is not an ordinary ice cream. The sign of the store says Fried Ice Cream. How can you fry an ice cream? Well, we didn't prolong our curiosity. We went inside and ordered various flavors they offered. My personal favorite is the vanilla flavor. When our orders arrived, we found out that it's not the ice cream being fried but the coating. It's a dough with ice cream inside it. It's worth a try.
D. Budbud
A Visayan term for suman, a glutinous sticky rice that is eaten during breakfast that is perfect for coffee or hot chocolate. It was the original breakfast plan. We scoured every corner of the public market but failed to find one. So we settled for whatever's in the carinderia. So on our last day, we asked the locals around on where we could find one. We we're on the wrong public market. When we got there, a stretch on vendors were selling the famous suman. We bought some for consumption and also for pasalubong (take home). It was delicious! Too bad we didn't find a coffee or chocolate to pair it up.
(Photo not mine)
E. Sans rival and Silvanas
The main reason why I booked this trip. It was just a few minutes walk from the boulevard. Not only locals were hooked to this heavenly desserts but also tourists. There are lots of boxes ready for pick up when we got there. We placed our take out and also ordered a few cakes for dessert. The silvanas is so smooth it melts in your mouth. The sans rival is a delight for the sweet tooth. I took home 2 boxes of silvanas, chocolate flavored and butter flavored. My personal favorite is the buttercream.
Assorted cakes we ordered
Selections of desserts
F. Streetfoods
Locals and tourists flock the Rizal boulevard during sunsets till midnight. The cool ocean breeze and the chill vibe of the area is a good spot for relaxing and doing exercise. It's a good spot for picnic with families and friends. As the sun sets, the boulevard became busy and full of life. At the end of the stretch, vendors were setting up small tables and chairs for their customers. They sell different kinds of streetfoods like fishballs, chicken balls, kikiam, hotdogs and balut (my favorite). We tried everything! It's cheap but delicious.
After stuffing our tummies with local foods, we went on a walking tour around the city. Here are the few places to visit in the City of Gentle People.
RIZAL BOULEVARD
During our 4-day stay in the city, we see to it that we hang out at the boulevard. We also bought here our pasalubong for our officemates and families like pens with personal name on it and also ref magnets. I collect ref magnets whenever I travel, it's my souveneir for all the places I've been to.
SILIMAN HALL
It's a museum that housed the artifacts from the indigenous group during 200 BC.
QUEZON PARK
Just across the Church we visited the day we arrived in Dumaguete. A park good for strolling and picnic with family and friends.
DUMAGUETE BELFRY
One of the oldest Belfry in the Visayas. It was used as a watchtower during the 18th century.
SILIMAN UNIVERSITY
The first American university in the Philippines. There is a church inside the university and the Hibbard Hall where the Anthropology Museum is located.
That's all for now. My next post will be dedicated for the adventure trips in Dauin, Manjuyod and
our day trip to Siquijor.