NEGROS ORIENTAL: Walking Tour at Dumaguete City

 

It was a fine Sunday morning when I arrived at the port from Siquijor. I walked by the bay passing the good old Silliman University, city’s largest university that occupies the northern part.

Silliman University seen from Dumaguete Bay

Silliman Gate Markers at Hibbard Avenue

Silliman Chapel

You can see the oldest building within it near the port: Silliman Hall or officially known as Silliman Anthropology Museum. It has an exhibit of artifacts and archaeological findings, some dating 2,000 years and an ethnographic collection from minority tribes in the Philippines. Silliman Hall is in itself a cultural relic of old America.

Next stop is the Rizal Boulevard named after our national hero, who came from exile in Dapitan, had a stopover here to operate the eye of former head of Negros Occidental.

A landmark at one part of the boulevard is the marker where Sisters of Saint Paul of Chartres landed at the bay to establish the first educational and medical institutions in the city.

Walking towards the cathedral is the Quezon Park celebrating its centennial, graced by Rizal monument.

Nearby is the city hall flanked by central schools, which has a colonial stone house motif.


Across the Quezon Park are the two famous landmarks of the city:

The Saint Catherine of Alexandria Parish known as Dumaguete Cathedral is the flagship Catholic church within the city. Regarded as the oldest stone church in Negros, it was originally built in 1754 with coral stones like in Siquijor churches. The reconstruction started in 1585 up to 1936. Nowadays, many modern renovations have been incorporated in the interior and exterior of the church.

The most famous landmark is the Campanario de Dumaguete or simply the bell tower located a few meters away from the cathedral. It was initially built in 1811 as a lookout to forewarn locals of any incoming danger brought about by Muslim pirates. This is the oldest bell tower in the Visayas. Hence, its name was derived from Cebuano word dumagit meaning "to snatch".

Famished after the day’s walk, I took at hot cup of milk at a painitan (breakfast stall) within the public market and bought some budbod kabog (rolled millet rice cakes), a famous delicacy from Tanjay City.

Before leaving Dumaguete, my trip won’t be complete without tasting their famous desserts: sans rival and silvana served at Sans Rival Bistro. The café is already packed with patrons lining up to take home these sweet treats.

I took a quick lunch from the main branch of Jo’s Chicken Inato, a famous chicken barbecue chain that originated here in Dumaguete.

'Til next time Dumaguete! (n_n)

NEXT: NEGROS ORIENTAL: Foodtrip and Pasalubong