Moving On

Tuesday, June 3, 2008--Dumaguete (Continued)

After getting back to town and going to the cyber cafe, I was hungry. But it was a little early to eat. Then I saw a shawarma stand that was open and had a line of students at it. I love shawarma sandwiches, so I got in line. I bought one thinking it would be a snack to tide me over until dinner. It was wrapped in a flour tortilla rather than pita bread. But the ingredients were great--as good as I have ever had. And it was so nice and spicy. I wished I had ordered a second one, but the line was too long for me to want to stand in it any longer.

I walked along the promenade. I even tried stopping and sitting. But the beggars become a problem when not moving. For some reason Dumaguete, which is a nice town otherwise, seems to have a higher percentage of beggars than anywhere else I have visited in the Philippines on this trip. I have begun avoiding the main shopping street because of the number of them. I hadn't realized the promenade was also a problem until I tried to rest tonight.

There is a bakery that was recommended to me. They also sell snacks. So I thought I might stop there on my way back to the hotel. The bakery is named Sans Rival (meaning "with no rival"). Unfortunately, it must live up to its reputation. It was jam packed with people. It was obviously going to be a problem trying to order and eat. So I just went back to my hotel and let the fact that I had only eaten one shawarma sandwich mean that I had done well with my diet for the day!

Wednesday, June 4, 2008--Dumaguete to Bacolod

It was a frustrating morning for me. First, I knew I needed my alarm clock to get up early for my bus. I set it for 5:30 and had everything already set for me just to brush my teeth, check out (I had already paid), and head for the bus station so I could be there by 6:00 a.m.--30 minutes before the scheduled departure. However, there has been noise all night long the last two nights since students returned to town. Apparently this first week without classes is an excuse for them to patrol the streets on their motorcycles all night long. Every 15 minutes or so, they zoom by making enough noise to awaken me. So I put my earplugs in. When I awoke about 3:00 a.m., I removed the plugs so I could hear the alarm. But the cyclists were bothering me. I decided to put ONE plug in and put the other ear against the pillow hoping that I could hear the alarm that way. Well, when I heard the alarm and looked up at the clock, it had been going off almost 20 minutes!! I rushed to brush my teeth, get dressed, and get downstairs.

Second, however, like all hotels here and many in the Far East, they had to check the room before I was allowed to leave. That meant calling an employee who was sleeping. He had to pull on his clothes and go to the room to check it. When he called down to give the okay, it was already 6:05.

Third, I went outside planning to hire a tricycle (a motor bike with a frame that puts a seat to the side and allows him to ferry passengers around town) to get me to the bus station. The hotel had already told me the normal price was 7 pesos and that I should give 10 because of my luggage. Well, I asked the tricycle driver how much, and he wanted 20--a typical scam pulled on the tourists. Rather than waste time negotiating with him or trying to deal with another driver, I just decided to walk. I had my map with me and knew how to go. And I knew that there would be a 7:30 bus if I missed the one at 6:30.

I arrived at the bus station at 6:15 and was pleasantly surprised to see that there were plenty of seats on the bus. I'm glad I arrived then, because the driver pulled out at 6:18 instead of 6:30. I had barely made it.

The fourth frustration came with the 6-hour trip. The roads were horrible. This is the "National Highway" that leads between the capitals of two provinces. Yet it is rough and in bad shape. They are rebuilding it all along the way, but the rebuilding is being done only in short strips (about 50 meters [50 yards]) long. It's strange, there can be a short strip built, then a short stretch of road in bad condition, then another short strip that has been built. It was a bumpy, long trip that also included lots of twisting and winding as we went through the mountains.

Fifth, I had no map for Bacolod. When I got maps in Cebu, they gave me everywhere I was going except for here. They told me that Negros Occidental is in another tourist office district, so they had no materials to share for it. Therefore, I had to worry about how to find the downtown plaza after arriving at the bus station (which, like most bus stations everywhere now, is built out on the edge of town). I got directions several times, and I made it to the plaza, but it wasn't easy. People didn't seem to comprehend my pronunciation of "plaza" and the directions I got sent me there in an out-of-the-way direction making the trip longer than it had to be (as I could see after getting my map).

Finally, I had trouble getting a hotel. They were all using the "bait and switch" tactic that I have found everywhere I have gone. They say they do not have the single room or the standard room. They then want me to pay for the deluxe room for 2 people. Of course, the deluxe room for 2 costs 300-500 pesos more than the room I would normally get and has no advantage except for an extra twin bed I will not use. I had to go to at least 5 places before finding an acceptable room at a reasonable price.

Bacolod is my final stop before heading for China on Sunday. I have been taking it easy here in the Philippines. It will remain the same here in Bacolod. There are a few things I want to see and do, but I will be a lazy boy for 3 more days.