Dumaguete Natural Wonders
Author: James Raterta
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A trip to Dumaguete is enhanced by a visit to one of its natural wonders.
Nestled between the twin mountains behind Dumaguete City called Cuernos de Negros (The Horns of Negros) is Lake Balinsasayao; really twin lakes; one larger and separated from the smaller one by a thin ridge easily climbed by a healthy walker.
The lake is easily reached by a 14 km road extending from the National Highway in San Jose town (about 15kms from Dumaguete) mostly cement with a few gravel portions to make the trip entertaining.
Most visitors take a 4-wheel jeep or even a scooter (rented for the amazing price of less than $10) although I did it on a Harley with two buddies of mine (challenging as the bikes are heavy). When you get there, a short walk down from the end of the road leads you to steps which overlook the large lake, easily 500 meters across a span of cool green water.
There are kayaks and bancas for rent, and during our last visit on July 26, 2008 I saw a large tour boat being completed.
We dove into what my Indiana buddies called cool 40-degree water that was truly refreshing and swam around looking at the trees on the bank, the birds calling, and watching the bancas cross to the cottages on the other side.
The Provincial goverment of Negros Oriental provides roofed cottages for tourists and local visitors, and there is being completed, a full service restaurant which looks like it will be done in the next few months. All that is asked of visitors is a small fee to pay for upkeep of the facilities and the preservation of the area. The registration booth, located at the entrance to the park, has a model of the facility, showing the mountains and the lake in relation to the rest of Negros. Both my American ride mates called it an unusual and exhilarating experience.
On Wednesdays, there is a 100 year old local gathering called "Tabo" held each week in Zamboanguita, Negros Oriental; about 30kms (18 miles) from Dumaguete City.
Hop a bus, jeep or ride a scooter to this town to experience what is started as a animal auction but developed into a marketplace for traders who sell everything from livestock, and native products to dried fish to residents from all over Southern Negros Oriental.
Weave through the throng towards the beach where you will find small thatched hut restaurants serving the freshest SUTUKIL (pronounced "shoot to kill") a tribute to the Filipino's sense of humor, but meanin' simply SUgba, TUwa, KILaw which translates into Grilled, Boiled, Raw (as in sashimi raw).
This is the time-tested method of taking a large fish, making soup of 1/3rd, usually the head, grilling another third, and making the local version of sashimi of the rest, cooking it in coconut vinegar and spicing it up with the fiery local chilis.
For variety, there is also roast pig, called "lechon" cooked on a spit over an open fire which produces the crackling skin, and moist and sweet white meat flavored by stuffing the piglet with fresh lemon grass. Finally, the coup-de-grace.
All this eating is done with a view of Apo Island,
barely a kilometer across the water, a particularly sought for natural
marine reservation ideally suited for diving, snorkeling and picnics.
Its a jewel of an island barely larger than one of Mr. Sy's shopping
malls and reachable by banca for a small fee.
The ambiance of the Zamboanguita "Tabo"
and the unusual activity never ceases to impress visitors who take the
time, and the extra effort to see the extra-ordinary.
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