Ami de Manila: Dumaguete Hitting too Close to Home

Since I left Dumaguete a week ago I have been mulling over what my friend Alvin told me, that he was looking for a place to settle down when"the right time comes". Dumaguete is one of the top retirement places in the world. One reason is people there speak English. There were a lot, I mean a lot of foreigners that I was quite shocked that the streets and cafes were filled with them, especially Sans Rival where they sold the sweet concoction silvanas and sans rival.

Dumaguete's most famous walk is Rizal Boulevard. The morning I arrived at Duma it was very early so I decided to walk the Boulevard. It was low tide and the rocks that were scattered on the bay were covered in green moss or algae. I was not sure but it was pretty.

Dumaguete is a place where Filipino writers visit to confer or simply to have a vacation. It is a center of gravity for writers because of its urbane atmosphere and proximity to romantic beaches and steamy hot springs in Valencia.

I was hungry so I ate the usual Filipino breakfast in a small cafe called Hey Lugaw. The cafe was tiny but convenient.

Along the Boulevard were many food places like this.

I couldn't resist the temptation so i took my selfie at "the sign".

Near the Boulevard was the market where one can get the puto maya and especial suman which should be paired with hot thick chocolate which you pour over the suman or puto. Yummy!

Suman plain is 12 Php Suma(chocolate flavored) 12Php
Suman Special is 25Php Chocolate syrup is 10Php (served separately)

The university is named after Dr. Horace Silliman, a retired businessman and philanthropist from New York who gave the initial sum of $10,000 to start the school. His bust can be seen right in front of the beautiful original Silliman building located at Rizal Boulevard.

Silliman is the home of many famous writers in the Philippines, notably the Tiempos and their daughter Rowena Tiempo Torrevillas.

The campus is lined up with big old trees that make the place so serene.

My friends Alvin and AJ flew from Manila on my second day in Dumaguete, and we had merienda at the most popular cafe, the Sans Rival on the Rizal Boulevard. Very elegant for a cafe, an old house turned into a contemporary restaurant.