Besides being the home of silvanas, I didn’t know much about Dumaguete before I got there. I arrived through the port (though most people fly in) and my first impressions of the city, from the baywalk to my hostel, shot surprisingly high. Love wandering to local spots!
Breakfast at Buglas Isla Cafe, in their dining room amidst the trees, was exceptional. A memorable setting! I took a jeep to the city center and spent the day walking around. At the Dumaguete Cathedral, over 400 years old, I sat in the pews and watched the hum of a Sunday afternoon, people alone and in groups, stopping by in between errands. On the main boulevard, I went into a shop that carried artwork and souvenirs from local artists - got beautiful postcards! And of course I had to visit Sans Rival Bistro - known for their mastery of sans rival, of course, and my absolute favourite, silvanas, layers of frozen meringue sandwiched with buttercream, pastry perfection born in these kitchens. I dream of them vividly.
When I was applying to universities in the early 2000s, I remembered looking up Silliman University, which had one of the country’s few literary arts programs. That it was so far away from Manila, I remembered was a draw. It was a reflective walk around the campus!
I love visiting museums, and Silliman University’s Anthropology Museum was one of the best surprises, so much I’d never seen. Artifacts from local pre-history like burial jars dug up two towns over and anthropomorphic figures adorning a variety of objects and vessels. Remnants of trade materials made in the ancient kingdoms of Vietnam, Thailand, and China, brought to these shores centuries ago. Everyday tools for fishing and hunting from the Tagbanwa people of Palawan, who sailed and stayed.
To me the best reason to visit however was for the exhibit on Siquijor’s folk medicine, a richly layered and deeply spiritual practice that, I think, will always be with the communities who need them, an understanding of nature at its core. Edging closer to Mindanao across the strait, beautiful brassware were an introduction to the island’s cultures.
* All content taken during my 2022-2023 trip across the Philippines.