Friday, May 20, 2011

Road Trip To Dumaguete



 Our first plan was to go to Durhan Beach Resort which is at the Northern part of Cebu, but then we decided to go to Mantayupan Falls as we haven't been there before. We left our house (Mandaue City) at around 11:30 AM. We stopped at a little carenderia to eat when we reached Carcar City.

 While drinking coconut juice (buko), a van passed by with a tag that says to Santander. Ron and I then looked at each other and said, that Van is going to a port in Santander, going to Dumaguete. That's when we decided to go there.
 
this is a carenderia in front of the big shoe.. :)

  My first trip to Dumaguete was 4 years ago when Ron was assigned as a Supervisor of a computer store in Dumaguete (Octagon). This would be my 4th visit. The first time I was there made me realize how simple their lifestyle is and the people there are so nice. That made me fall in love with the The City of Gentle People. That's also the reason why I kept on coming back.

 We left Carcar at around 2:00PM and arrived at Santander at 4:30 PM.  We then asked as to how much is the ride to Sibulan Port.



 Since we are on a Motorcycle, they charged us with P 240.00 for 1 motorcycle and 2 heads, which is P193 + P47 (see receipts below).




 The RORO ride is about an hour. Ceres bus from the Cebu South Terminal also rides on  this boat to Dumaguete. We left Bato, Santander port around 5:00PM.




naruto exiting the Roro! :)

 We arrived at Sibulan at 6:00 PM and went directly to Home Quest Lodging house located at Siliman Ave, Dumaguete City.




  Here's their Room Rates. It's the cheapest lodge house we can find at the time. And some of our friends recommended it.

  

 We showered and rested for an hour and a half, then went to Kabayoan Restaurant. Then we went straight to Robinsons Mall where we discovered that there is a Sans Rival Branch there. :) Four years ago, Robinsons was still in construction that's why we were excited to go and check the mall.




The next day we decided to go to Sibulan to look for beach resorts in the area. But on our way to the beach area, we found a post that says "to TWIN LAKES - scenic drive", so we decided to go there instead, since we were on a motorcycle, we didn't notice the 13.5 kms drive on the sign. Huhuhu, the scenic view was breathtaking but almost half of the way is dirt road and ravines. Good thing Ron has experience in dirt biking! But still, it was a bit of a challenge for me. :)






 After an hour of driving, uphill.. Here we are at last!

  P 10.00 is the entrance fee.

 see the mountain above? that's where we are going..


                           

 found this on the forest area




 going down to the lake



     

This is the first lake, the second lake is behind the mountains. Since it's been raining for the past few days, the water level has gotten high, so there is no way to get to the other side to see the other twin.



 Next destination is Casaroro Falls! It is located in Valencia, Negros Oriental.  It is about 30 min ride from Dumaguete City.


                           



       


 Casaroro falls is hidden deep into a forested area of Valencia mountains. To get to the falls you need to go down hill through the 350 or so steps. My legs were already shaking when we reached the falls. Imagine how my legs felt after going up. Huhuhu! Although, seeing the falls was soooo worth it all! 

 man made bridge



 we were a bit scared seeing the snake as we also saw a snake skin
while going down the 350 steps

saw this butterfly while we were trekking
to the falls



view from the view area


 Casaroro falls is said to be the most photographed waterfall in the entire Negros province.

                  
 view from directly below the falls


                          
 you have to pass by the rocks to get directly below the falls




 The next morning, we got up early to take pictures of the Boulevard we will be heading home after eating breakfast.