24-Hour Life in Dalaguete, Cebu City

Considered as the Vegetable Basket of Cebu, Dalaguete fervently treats inhabitants and tourists alike with

Ocean Bay Resort and Hotel, Dalaguete, Cebu

the splendour of its sparkling blue waters and majestic uphill vista. The old edifices, the laidback life, the sound of crickets at night… These are worth coming and coming back for.

I just boarded the plane with no certain destination in mind. I should have utilized the more than an hour flight reckoning where to head but I just slept. Dalaguete was just one of the places that came to mind when the steel bird landed to Mactan Airport hence, I headed South.

Transportation:            

Cab from Mactan Airport - South Bus Terminal (more or less P200)

Ceres Bus with Moalboal at the sign board or ask the driver which bus passes through Dalaguete (P95)

                                   

Dating with book, shore, and sunset.

I got off at Ocean Bay Resort. This is haven for both domestic and international tourists for their affordable accommodation, foreign owned restaurant fronting the pristine sea, and scuba diving.  Room rates start at P1, 000 - P3, 000. The 3-hour ride standing in a non-air-conditioned bus was insanely exhausting and starving so indulged with a plush Filipino breakfast or I would say brunch while reading Water for Elephants (book of the day) as the humid breeze drenched me with sweat which I washed with iced cold orange juice.

My tummy was happy but my back was not. My bloodshot eyes needed a rest before frolicking Dalaguete. Intuition said I wasn’t up staying at Ocean Bay so I walked around and ended up at BB’s hideaway. It wasn’t much of a luxurious treat but you'll have access to a pool and an air-conditioned nipa hut for a night at P700. Aside from having a refrigerator where you could store booze (yes, I’m a drunkard), the best bargain I got for my stay was walking down the highway  once in a while  and exchanged ‘Bie’ (‘Good evening’) with the community people amidst the dogs barking and crickets chirping signaling the night is getting deeper. Such a love!

Seashells, Shore and Sun

Late in the afternoon, I decided to catch a glimpse of the beautiful sunset while relishing the saltwater.

Mother and child on the shore checking out litub for dinner.

My very intention was just to read somewhere at the shore but I saw a bunch of locals collecting litub, a seashell, so I asked one of them to teach me how to spot one. My back numbed after an hour or two of wading the shallow water for good finds and so I halted to sit, read and just savour the picturesque of the blue sea bathe in sunset’s hue. I was alone on the shore so I shamelessly practiced my vocals singing out loud with Alterbridge, Paramore, Halestorm, Jake bugg, and Cold Play until the last piece of pale orange light.

Laid Back Dinner at Food Lane

I vowed not to dine at fancy restaurants because 1) I am on a budget travel and have to be frugal with my expenses; and 2) I need to be out of my comfort zone and see what is beyond the well-listed menus, cocktails, and sophisticated ambience. Tatay (as I called the caretaker of the inn) told me to go to Food Lane for good food at affordable prices. Going there was such a treat because you’ll passed by the Municipal Office of Dalaguete which very Spanish. It has a plaza before it where teenagers fancy hanging around. Food Lane is situated in front of an old church (indeed, Cebu is full of vintage architecture) and is an eatery chain. You’ll have the karaoke competing with the sea waves ruffling as background. Both residents and tourists obviously love to dine here. It is under development and will surely turn to a boulevard in few years time.

Peeking Osmeña Peak

Call time is 5:30 am but the driver I agreed to bring me at the peak fetched me at 5:00 to ensure I’d be

Osmeña Peak, Dalaguete Cebu.

able to watch the sunrise. I was a bit pissed (because I hate waking before the sun) but I realized it worked for my favour. It was really a freezing climb (that justifies to be called Little Baguio) for it made me realized how incompetent my jacket was. Waaah, I missed my shawl.

Osmeña Peak I guess is the chilliest climb I’ve ever had. As per trekking. Hehe. You’ll just have to walk your way up for 10-20 minutes. Cabbages are abundant here. Residents farm them with spring onions, chili, sayote, and other leafy vegetables.

Since cabbage is a staple here, I asked Lyka, my 13 year-old guide, how they usually cook it.

Ingredients:     Chopped Cabbage, Garlic, Onion, Salt, Oil, Water (Optional: other vegetables and meat )

How To:          Sauté onion, garlic in oil. Put the cabbage. Season with salt, add water and simmer for few minutes.

That simple!  I failed to ask what the dish called but one thing is for sure. It is healthy!

Transport: Hire single motor P250 (advisable to have company to avoid paying double)

Guide: P50 will do  but if you have extra cash, a bonus will be much appreciated of course!

Life Lessons at Obong Spring

Clockwise: Tatay Sally showing me the sahid method of catching fish.
Freshly caught tuyom, Ah! That spiky bad boys!
Two generous men teaching me how to get the meat and eating them for free!
With my newly found gulp sessions pals.

There is no other chilling way to end up my stay in Dalaguete but get drenched at Obong Spring. Yet more than splashing at the freezing water was having the opportunity to learn a fishing method called sahid (where you are to trap small fishes in a net by fencing the net around the rocks where they hide). I’ve watched Tatay Sally do it a couple of times with so much expertise. It’s quite a tedious thing to do because at the end of every trap are just a number of kicking small fishes. The half bag of those fishes was just sold for 50 pesos and I could not imagine how long he did get them.

Realization: I should not waste any single dime. Money is hard-earned. No matter how I tried, I fall victim of unnecessary spending. Now every time, I find myself lavishing, I would think of that 50-buck fish and the hardship it takes to get it.

Life in the sea is pretty much interesting. After the fishing lesson, I met these guys hanging around cleaning tuyom (spiky black sea urchin). I wish I was able to join catching these beautiful, thorny bad yet sumptuous creatures but I was a bit late. The cleaning lesson was more than enough though. It’s quite a feat for me to get the meat, dip it in a spiced vinegar and (uggh,my mouth waters) savour! You could taste the sea, the fat, the … gush I cannot explain it.

Lesson:            That tuyom has one devilish turquoise eye at the center. Darn! They are amazing. Sure thing I’ll learn them from books but discovering them first hand is a totally different thing. Unforgettable!

Residents here are very much willing to farm fish and other sea foods but dishearten by the fact of having no sure buyer for their goods. Should they have one, I guess, they need not have to leave their families to earn a living.

The view, the people, the culture… These are worth coming and coming back for.


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