⌛ Recent trip to Dumaguete

It started as the boat was mooring, porters seemed to appear from no where, trampling all in their path on the relentless search for baggage. Before I could say NO my 10 Kilo pack was gone, quick as a flash. Once I was able to disembark, and after a lengthy argument with said porter I was eventually reunited with my bag some, P100 later.

Looking forward to the much publicized Dumaguete Boulevard I was disgusted at the stench which greeted me, talking to a local he explained during low tides this is normal, considering the garbage dotting the ugly stretch of shingle, the so called beach…. its no wonder it stank. Well guess it can only improve…Or so I thought.

Passing some delightful looking restaurants and resto bars I decided on one for breakfast. This as it turned out was not a good move….Inside the staff had screaming music which they refused to turn down. Outside which appeared to be nice and quiet not a moments peace could be had. What from beggars, street kids and even woman carting babies besieging me every few minutes….Breakfast became a torment. Where is this wonderful city of gentle people I have been reading about on the Dumaguete forum…..Was I dreaming.

After enduring the challenge of breakfast I went for a wander down the main street, I found it extremely over crowded, with many beggars in comparison to other cities of a similar size. Its just not possible to walk down the sidewalk in the usual manner. Rarely in the Philippines have I encounted such a congested crowded overwhelming presence of humans as on this main street.. Just when I thought it can’t get any worse it did.
Upon reaching Lee Plaza one is deafened by some guy sitting in the corner blowing some stupid horn and it becomes a struggle of immense proportions just to enter the complex.

Why may I ask to all you Dumaguete lovers do all your locals flock to the foyer and simply block the entrance way. One simply must fight and push to enter and inside its no better. What a let down, its just another crowded exceptionally noisy shopping center.

Hiring a motor bike I cruised around, or at least tried….The whole road system is diabolical to say the least, jamb packed with crazy tricycles being driven by lunatics, thousands of motor bikes and the road works all combine to make this a horror ride………Talking to some of the ex pats there, they said Dumaguete used to be a pleasant city, some years ago. Perhaps but no evidence of this now. Further they commented it has now one of the highest crime rates in the country, after the previous few hours I can believe anything about this much touted so called city of gentle people.

What do you patriotic Dumaguete loving people honestly see in this god forsaken city. Its painfully obvious, none of you have ever traveled outside the city limits. Dumaguete sucks, to save any of you telling me DON’T COME BACK believe me I won’t, not ever. In fact by 4pm on arrival day I was out….

Spent the other 3 days in Bayawan and loved every moment of it. Nice long beaches, good restaurants, good traffic and one could walk down the side walk without a hundred hands thrust in your face….
.
Just wake up guys you are all living in fantasy land trying to convince the world Dumaguete is some kind of a livable pleasant city full of gentle people, that’s a laugh, It sucks.

 

Too bad chantal we lost one tourist like you.
one has its own liking i believe I feel the same when i am in manila , cubao, divisoria and mabini :D

 

Chantal,
You are right.
Dumaguete is a city You love or You love to hate.
But 5 km away from the center You can find the quietest place on earth, You don't have to go all the way to Bayawan, and You certainly cannot find this in big city's like Manila or Cebu.
The fact is that Dumaguete has grown to fast to much,let's call it growing pain.

 

ariving in dumaguete in 2 weeks time looking forward to it very much only my fifth time been hasaled at the pier as well but people are just trying to make a living a city a city no matter where it is crowded busy people rushing about to me that the charm of the place when i want peace and quiet i go to bayanwan or klumboyan ect just my two cents worth

 

I was just in Dumaguete also last weekend and took a road trip to Bayawan..I encountered some of the same situations.I do not think anyone can dispute what you said..I guess you have to look at it that Dumaguete is a city unlike Bayawan being a town or something smaller..If your looking for another city to visit try Surigao City,this may be to your liking..much smaller,less congested,low crime...But,whom am i to talk,I live in Mactan Cebu...lol

You forgot to mention that bubbles were included with the noise guy at Lee Plaza....

 

Hi Chantal and welcome to Dumaguete forum. I agree with you, that downtown Dumaguete has become very crowded and poluted. And at the moment the situation is even worse than normal, due to a number of ongoing roadworks on some of the main roads.

You must understand though, that nearly all foreigners living in Dumaguete don`t live in downtown, but in the surrounding areas and towns. Also many tourists don´t stay in Dumaguete itself, but at the beach resorts north or south of the city, e.g. in Sibulan or Dauin.

So when people refer to "Dumaguete" as a destination, they really mean the whole south eastern corner of the island Negros.

If you prefer Bayawan to Dumaguete, then I have to say, that maybe citys are just not for you (at least in the Philippines). As far as I know, there is no nightlife whatsoever in Bayawan, except maybe for a few small karaoke bars, and the "nice restaurants", that you talk about, must be the one or two decent eateries, that they have.

It once took me about 15 minutes to even find a place to eat lunch in Bayawan, this is how undeveloped this place is.

By contrast, Dumaguete have a number of good restaurants in and around town, and there are also places, where you can go out at night and listen to life music, play billard or dance. As far as I know, Bayawan have none of this.

Personally I enjoy downtown Dumaguete a lot more by night, than I do in the daytime. When I go there in the daytime, it is just only to bye something or for other practical purposes.

And I suppose that the great majority of turists would also prefer to spend the daytime outside of central Dumaguete, e.g. in a beach or on an excursion to a place outside town, and then only use Dumaguete as a place to go out in the evening and to sleep in the night, if they are not staying in a beach resort.

I don`t think, that it is true, that Dumaguete has one of the highest crime rates in the country. But the crime rate is not particularly low either. This has definitly changed for the worse within the last 4-5 years.

I have written this in another post before, but I also think, that it is high time, that the authorities in Dumaguete enforce some kind of regulation on the use of tricycles in the central parts of the city. It might also be time to introduce trafic lights in the major crossings, as the city has really grown out of its current trafic "system", which has become extremely chaotic and slow.

And while concreting all the main roads (which is the reason for the many ongoing roadworks) is a nessesary part of the solution, other initiatives are nessesary as well to ease up the traffic flow and reduce air polution.

As for the beggars, the agressive porters in the pier etc., I agree that these things are unpleasant. But they are in general part of the reality, when arriving as a turist in any just slightly larger city in the Philippines.

If you arrive in the airport in Manily or Cebu, it is the taxi driver, who will try to take advantage of you, so its really just the same. And as for the number of beggers, guys selling watches or pimps trying to "sell" you a girl, Dumaguete is a heaven compared to the tourist districts in Manila.

So it really depends on, what you compare it to. I regularly go to a small city called Gingoog on Mindanao, which is very undeveloped and has no turist facilities at all. And I feel a lot more bothered by children begging for money there, than I do in Dumaguete.

Part of your describtion sound like, you just had a bad day really. And if you arrived e.g. on a monday morning, then its possible also, that you have "hit" some of the few hours of the whole week, where the town is most busy and crowded.

 

dumaguete

love it or hate it
i love it with all sideeffects
guenther

 

hey chantal,

you like peace and quite? i am a dumaguetenio and i am deploying to the deserts of the persian gulf soon...it will be quiet there...wanna come? i will be back home if i am lucky...crowded or filthy...dumaguete is home.

 

One must remember it is Silliman University Founders week which means the city is flocked by student,alumni,family and as all festivals attract beggars thieves etc. Anyhow chantal I doubt Dumaguete will miss you anyhow. When I arrived here more than 15yrs ago it was peaceful so lets see how Bayawan will fare in the next 15 or so years

 

HI Chantal! You are right in most respects but I just don't know why I couldn't bring myself to leave the city. I was born and raised here, had tried working and living in other bigger cities in the Philippines but was never happy in any of those bigger cities. You have to really LIVE here to fall in love with the city. It is not enough to make judgments on your first visit. Much days, the city is practically sleeping and moving slower than a turtle. You must have been in the thick of some activity to experience all those negative stuff---I imagine a parade must have caused all those nerve-wracking activities. No matter what, I would never trade Dumaguete for any other city in the world.