Last Day in Negros Oriental (in Pictures)

We started the day early.

Our first stop was the fruit market.

We then bought some food and drinks at the Public market.

We headed to Dauin and met my dad's friend and his family.

We stayed in this hut while waiting for lunch.

We then went for a swim.

Took a quick shower here before heading back..

My family left me at the sea port in Sibulan..

On the way to the boat.

Santander Express @ 62 PHP per head. This ferry travels several times a day from Santander to Sibulan and vice versa.

There were only a handful of passengers on board.

I arrived in Liloan, Santander (Cebu) after20 minutes. From the port, I took a motorcycle to go to the highway. I then hopped on a Ceres bus (130 PHP) to Cebu City. The bus traveled for 108 kms and took about 3.5 hours.

Bethel Guesthouse

Bethel Guesthouse

Okay, here is a little story:

When we got to Dumaguete, we went straight to Bethel Guesthouse. We didn’t have any reservations. And, according to one of the receptionists, they were almost fully booked. They only had one twin room (1,200PHP/ 2 pax) and a villa suite (4,000 PHP/ 2 pax) available. To get both rooms plus paying for extra beds would be quite expensive, considering that we arrived late in the afternoon and will be leaving early the next day. We asked her to check again. She said she was sorry but that there weren’t any other rooms available. So, we decided to just go with it.

As my aunt was filling up a form for the twin room, the receptionist was talking to somebody on the phone. When she put the phone down, she was all smiles. Somebody just  canceled their reservations. We got to have another twin room which also happened to be on the same floor as the other one.

I guess we were very lucky!

The lobby and Information counter

Our Twin Room with the extra bed at the far end.

When we got to our room, Kung Fu Panda was on. I haven’t seen that movie and still wasn’t able to watch it then as we went down to the restaurant after a few minutes.

Cafe Filomena; They had a special buffet @ 175 PHP for adults. The dinner was filling and so much better than what we had in Siquijor.

An hour or two after dinner, we had a massage in the room. We just requested the receptionist to make a call for the masseuses.

It was a great way to end a tiring day.

In Between Meeting the Family and the Ferry Ride

The family arrived at around 9:00 AM. We met along the boulevard and went straight to Sans Rival. It was already open by this time. We just left the rest of the family while my dad, my aunt, and I went to look for a place where we can leave the car for the weekend.

The boulevard and the monument of St. Paul's Sisters

We asked a lot of people but they seemed to not know any place where our car can be safe. Finally, we went to the hotel where we usually stay whenever we are in the city. I asked the guard and he eventually agreed.

My dad and aunt went to eat breakfast at Cafe Filomena while I fetched the rest of the family from Sans Rival.

We then took two tricycles (8 PHP/head) to take us to the ferry terminal.

The guy raising his arm (inside the red circle) sells Delta Ferry tickets. The queue behind the woman in red is for Jaylann ferries.

We paid 20 PHP each for the terminal fee. It was a good thing that the terminal had a decent air conditioning system. We did not wait for long before we were called to board the boat. It was a long walk to get to the ferry.

On our way to the ferry

Inside Delta Ferry

It took 45 minutes for us to arrive in Siquijor.

Killing Time in Dumaguete

I agreed to just meet the family in Dumaguete. It was planned that as soon as my plane lands in Sibulan, I will go straight to the ferry terminal in Dumaguete.

Sibulan Airport

The trike driver from the airport initially asked for 70 PHP. I haggled and I ended up paying only 50 PHP. I still think it's a bit expensive for a 10- minute ride to the ferry terminal.

However, my parents weren’t able to wake up early, so I had some time to myself. After I got ourselves tickets for the 10:30 AM trip, I rode a trike (7 PHP) to Sans Rival.

They are best known for their sylvanas.

I have been to Dumaguete countless times. But this is the first time that I was able to go around the city alone. Since Sans Rival was still closed, I decided to just walk along the famous Rizal Boulevard.

This place is beautiful at night.

After a while, the heat became unbearable. When I found a group of men entered a cafe, I followed suit.

Cafe Mamia

My first meal of the day- herbed tomato pasta and mixed berries smoothie both for 75 PHP each.

After a while, I got bored inside the cafe and decided to just walk around again. I went back to Sans Rival but they were still closed. I continued to walk through narrow streets without really any destination in mind.

Diner serving Filipino- style breakfast; I just have to take a picture of the inverted "kalderos" as seats

My mom then called to say they have just arrived in the city.

Getting to Siquijor

If you are coming from Cebu City, there are several ways to get to Dumaguete City.

Dumaguete is where you can get a ferry to take you to the island of Siquijor.

BY SEA

Oceanjet leaves from Pier 1 in Cebu (Photo from Google)

Ocean Jet travels to Dumaguete via Tagbilaran twice daily. Travel time is approximately 4 hours. One way fare is at 920 PHP including the terminal fee.

You can contact them through (032) 255-7560 to confirm their trip schedules. Currently, though, this is what they are following:

CEBU- DUMAGUETE: 6:00 AM and 3:35 PM
DUMAGUETE- CEBU: 7:25 AM and 2:20 PM

BY AIR

Direct Cebu- Dumaguete flights are not available everyday so it would be better to check their site ahead.

Cebu Pacific has a flight that leaves Cebu at 6:30 AM and arrives in Sibulan (where Dumaguete airport in located) at 7:05 AM. From Sibulan, the plane leaves at 7:25 AM and arrives in Cebu at 8:00 AM.

Sibulan is about 10 minutes away from Dumaguete City.

BY LAND + SEA

Ceres bus (Photo from google); 130 PHP for a one-way ride

You can take a Ceres Liner Bus at the South Bus Terminal to reach Lilo-an, Santander. Then, take a motorcycle to get to the Ferry Terminal for about 10- 15 PHP.

Santander Express; One-way ticket costs 62 PHP

The boat ride to Sibulan takes about 30 minutes. From Sibulan, you can take a trike to get to Dumaguete.

Once you are in Dumaguete, you can choose between Delta Ferry and Jaylann to take you to Siquijor, Siquijor. Travel time is approximately 45 minutes to an hour.

Above: Delta ferry @ 160 PHP; Below: Jaylann @ 100 PHP

If you are coming from Dumaguete, the terminal fee is 20 PHP. But if you are coming from Siqujor, it is just 14 PHP.

Here’s the schedule of trips of Delta Ferry:

DUMAGUETE- SIQUIJOR

9:00 AM
10:30 AM
1:30 PM
3:30 PM
4:15 PM (from Mondays- Fridays, fare for this trip is only 120 PHP)
5:30 PM

SIQUIJOR- DUMAGUETE

5:45 AM
10:15 AM
12:30 PM
3:00 PM
4:30 PM

I don’t have the schedule for Jaylann but they also have almost as many trips as the Delta Ferry. Remember, though, that Jaylann do not make any trips on Saturdays.