Photos et lettres des Philippines, de France et d'ailleurs

Dapitan, 16 and September 17:

All these trips have a common point, the rain, even the heavy tropical rain. It is true that it is the rainy season but since I arrived on August 28 the weather is generally sunny and hot. Moreover it can be said that here in the area of Dumaguete, we are rather under the influence of a moderate tropical climate with a dry season and a rainy season less accentuated than elsewhere in the Philippines. I will not say the same thing about Dapitan where I have often been during these last past seven years and where I had rain at least twice out three times. Located at the North of Mindanao, Dapitan is however only far from about fifty kilometers from my home from where we can see the coasts of Mindanao by a fair weather day.

(From left to right, coastlines of Siquijor, Apo Island and Mindanao. View from my house)

Thus I left the port of Dumaguete on September 16 at 10:30 am taking the fast boat `Ocean jet' which connects Dumaguete to the Pulauan pier common to the cities of Dapitan and Dipolog, in a little less than two hours. The price of their senior ticket with 20% of reduction is 520 pesos (8€). To obtain it Filipino ID has to be produced and my local driving license is generally enough. However from time to time, it is denied by a zealous employee on the pretext that it is reserved to the Filipino citizens. Once I had to call the main office in Cebu to be proved right. Since I keep my old ticket in the event of this problem and therefore tell them that foreigners are aging just like Filipinos. By the way, zealous and female are kind of pleonasm. Have you already noticed that mostly the women are real stickler for the rules?

Once arrived at Mindanao, I took a tricycle to go to Dapitan approximately 5-6 kilometers far from the pier and I was charged 60 pesos by the tricycle driver. On Sunset Boulevard by the seaside I took my lunch at the Kamayan restaurant. Grilled fish, French fries and 2 beers were billed approximately 250 pesos. Then I walked to my hotel "Villa Del Pilar "to check in. The air-conditioned rooms cost from 750 to 1250 pesos according to whether they are in the old building or the new one. They have all the cabled TV and those lately built are larger with 2 beds of two people, plus hot water and less mosquitoes.

Of course that's no comparison with Dakak resort that I had visited at the beginning of the year but the rates are not the same either.

I was tired and I made a small digestive nap and at then the rain started to fall.

(Dapitan beach with a bad weather)

(With a better weather)

I remained in my room reading and watching TV and around 7 pm, I took advantage of a lull to go for a dinner to the amusement park, Glorietta, where there also some good restaurants. A new pizzeria had just opened and I dined there while discussing with the owner, an Englishman from Nottingham.

(Glorietta park at night)

Later I decided to take a last beer in a nearby bar before going to sleep and it is at this time that a true liquid flood fell down on us. That lasted all during the night. I waited from 8 pm till 10 pm in the bar deserted by all his customers before deciding to confront the elements on the 200 meters which separated me from the hotel.

I put my photo gear in a large trash plastic bag which never leaves me, to protect it from water and I finally arrived in my room completely soaked.

The following day I decided to return to Dumaguete and while waiting for the boat of 12:30 pm, I benefitted from a new lull and thus visited again the park dedicated to the memory of the Filipino national hero, Jose Rizal w ho lived here in exile during three years.

(Jose Rizal^park)

(Stele offered to commemorate one of their owns by the Free-mason lodge of Dipolog)

(The kitchen)

(The poultry)

(The pupil's dormitory)

(Rizal's clinic aq he was a MD)

I had just the time to take some pictures and rain and wind got even stronger and I feared one moment that the boat would be cancelled.

However she weighed the anchor but the sea was so heavy that many motion sickness bags were distributed to the passengers. I wasn't sick but I had nevertheless a moment of fright when the engines stopped almost completely before setting out again at full speed.

In short, I had a great satisfaction when we docked in Dumaguete and when I set foot on dry land.

I will nevertheless go to Dapitan another time because it is a place which I like, calm and off the beaten tracks.

Bayawan, September 20:

It is the southernmost big city of Negros Oriental. With a population of almost 110, .000 inhabitants. 100 km from Dumaguete and 77 km from my house, it is an easy destination; the road is good with less traffic than the Northern highway which leads to Bacolod, capital of Negros Occidental.

Alas I had to drive the whole the way with my old 'Pajero' under waterspouts of rain and could hardly benefit from the splendid landscapes to take some pictures.

Near Siaton, rice field under the rain)

(Same area by a cloudy afternoon)

I arrived there after 90 minutes drive and sine it was still early, I my  journey for 25 km more to the south or rather the North since after the Siaton the southern tip of Negros  we go North.. So I reached Basay at the southern border of Negros Occidental.

Then I went back in Bayawan for lunch with less rain but a still very cloudy sky. What is curious here just like San Carlos in North, these `'big' cities are planned for a future development. New bus terminal, new port with facilities, broad streets etc The longest sea front boulevard of Philippines is in Bayawan  with a length of nearly 3 km.

After my meal I took a stroll on the said boulevard before taking the road again to get to my house before night.

Cebu city, 25 and September 26

Second city of the Philippines after Manila, often called the `Queen of the South.',  Cebu city had a population  of 800.000 inhabitants in 2007,  Metro Cebu which includes Cebu city, Mandaue, Lapu-Lapu, Talisay and Naga, is a metropolis of 2 million inhabitants.

At 140 km of Dumaguete as the crow flies, it is however necessary to spend at least 4 hours in transportation to go there. That can be directly by fast boat or as often I do, in a more economic way. Meaning crossing the small arm of the sea of 8 km between Sibulan in the North of Dumaguete and Liloan in the south of the island of Cebu. There an air-conditioned bus awaits the passengers and take them to Cebu city in, approximately, 3:30 hours for the 130 km.

It is a city of which I know rather well though mostly the center and the malls. During the construction of the house, I went there so many times to find certain materials like mural tiling, to get ideas for the furniture, the kitchen etc

Since I 'go there at least once every 5-6 weeks to do some shopping of books, DVD, software etc and also to change my mind. However I never remain there more than two nights because the attraction of the big cities quickly reaches its limits with me and I am in a hurry then to find to find the peacefulness my beach house.

I thus arrived there September 25 around 1 pm, I took a taxi from the bus terminal to the hotel, I checked in and I set out again towards the great shopping mall SM to eat there in a Thai restaurant of which I appreciate very much the food. I made then my purchases before going back to my hotel room at the end of the afternoon where I stayed until dinner time because once more it was raining.

When in Cebu I usually put up at small clean hotels with air-conditioning, TV and hot water. By order preferably I book at NS Royal, Dynasty or Cebu view but they are no shortage of hotels in Cebu. The prices range from about 600 to 900 pesos the night (10 to 15€ approximately). There are taxis everywhere and the ride costs on average 65 to 90 pesos (1 to 1.40€).

Around 7 pm I took again a taxi to go for diner in a good restaurant, the `'Vienna Kaffee Haus' located on Mango avenue, now named Maxilom avenue. One can eat there good Italian and German food for approximately 300 to 400 pesos.

(The Vienna Kaffee restaurant)

I had taken my camera bag because I intended to take pictures in the nearby bikinis bars. Unfortunately I was only able to take a beer inside as I wasn't allowed to take photos of the dancers. So I had to be satisfied why some pics outside at night.

(Go-go bars at night)

At 10 pm I went to sleep and the following day at 8:00 am, I had already boarded the aircon bus bond to Liloan and Dumaguete.