Discovering Dumaguete - Part 5 - Dating at the Rizal Boulevard

HB and I felt like college kids as we first headed out to Rizal Boulevard  -- which was immediately right after freshening up in our hotel room on our first night.

As soon as the smell of the street food wafted to our senses, we stopped the tricycle and excitedly ordered our "appetizers". We chose a stall and our table. The manang selling the street food took one look at us and smiled. She continued to smile when she served our "tempura", squid balls and balut.

HB and I tried to blend with the crowd of students and some office workers unwinding. We tried hard but I guess we were obvious because we were also busy posing and trying to take our picture :D  After much frustration with taking our self-portraits, we asked the manang to take our picture. Here is our souvenir shot of that "date".

The following day, we were again at the Boulevard to view the bay and the Acacia tree-lined path. And since this was a university town, we tried to dress the part so we could blend in with the locals. We strolled the whole stretch and just soaked in the fresh sea breeze.

Later that afternoon, we again found ourselves in the vicinity and we did something that the locals do: we sat on a bench fronting the sea and found ourselves wonderfully happy with such simple pleasures!

HBs at the Boulevard
(this photo was taken with a small tripod) 

Discovering Dumaguete - Part 3 - Cityscapes

As soon as we finished breakfast, we headed out to tour the city on foot and via short tricycle rides. Armed with nothing but a list of must-sees, we bravely ventured out to explore the city of Dumaguete.

Our first stop was the Siliman University, which is famed as the oldest American University in the Philippines. Aside from being called the "City of Gentle People", Dumaguete is also touted as a University town, with the Siliman University as the most famous educational institution.

campus map by the entrance

the Katipunan Hall

the Siliman Cathedral

Siliman Museum

And then we found ourselves at the Rizal Boulevard, close to the port.

the port of Dumaguete

the Rizal Boulevard

This is the famed Rizal Boulevard, named after our country's national hero who walked this path on his way to Dapitan for his exile.

We continued to stroll down the boulevard and saw this landmark which marks the landing of the seven Sisters of the Congregation of  the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres. These sisters founded the first St. Paul University in the country in 1904.

And then we walked further down and turned right near the other end of the boulevard and found ourselves in the vicinity of the Dumaguete Cathedral.

St. Catherine of Alexandria Cathedral

HB and I took some time to go inside to marvel at the interior and say a few words of praise and thanks.

a historical fact about the cathedral

details above the altar

The belfry, also called the Campanerio de Dumaguete, was found a few meters off the church. It is considered to be the one of the city's  popular architectural landmark which was originally built in the 18th century and served as a watchtower to warn the people of Dumaguete against the attack of Muslim pirates. At present, an Our Lady of Lourdes  Grotto is found below the belfry and we lit some candles for love, peace and prosperity.

the Dumaguete Belfry

Belfry historical marker

After discovering these historical and religious sites, we ventured to the "commercial side" of the province and found out that this quaint city of Dumaguete is not unfamiliar with "malls". The oldest shopping center is the Lee Super Plaza which was located a couple of blocks from the Cathedral.

Dumaguete's local "mall"

While the newest addition to the city is a Robinson's Place.

Robinson's Place Dumaguete

In a nutshell, these were the highlights of our city tour. There was little and there was much to see. We have toured the city in half a day. And from what we saw, there is indeed much reason for the people to be gentle in this town.