5 - Dumaguete

Monday 25th August was a Public Holiday known as National Hero’s Day. So being a long weekend, a bunch of us AYADs from various places in the Philippines seized the opportunity, and descended on Dumaguete for a weekend of fun and sharing of experiences. Aruna and I had the least distance to travel. We took a bus for the 6 hour trip over the scenic mountains of Negros to the coastal city of Dumaguete on the other side of the island. The island of Negros is split into two provinces – Bacolod being the capital of West Negros and Dumaguete the capital of East Negros. There are two AYADs stationed in Dumaguete – the girls stayed with Anna and the guys with Dan. Aside from the fun we had seeing another part of the Philippines, it was great to reflect on and compare our experiences a month into our assignments. And particularly as our assignments are so diverse, ranging from human trafficking and orphaned children to sustainable agriculture and housing for the poor.

Dumaguete is a vibrant university town with a waterfront boulevard and backdrop of cloud covered mountains. On Saturday all 7 of us piled into one trike and ventured up the mountains to swim at the base of the Casaror Falls. Sunday Dan had arranged a boat trip to Apo island for diving or snorkelling. With the choppy seas we began to regret the number of drinks we’d had the night before! But that soon dissipated when a sea turtle swam right under me as I was snorkelling! Monday we bought our “pasalubong” (souvenirs for workmates), chilled out on the boulevard, had some lunch and it was time to head home …

… but that wasn’t so straight forward. We were waiting on the roadside for the bus when it took an unexpected turn (due to roadworks) before it reached us. Dan, who has a motorbike, calmly but firmly told us to “jump on, we have to chase this bus!.” So Aruna and I, before we really knew what was happening, were clinging on to Dan’s shoulders, one suitcase between Dan’s legs, the other in our hands hanging off one side while Dan negotiated the traffic in hot pursuit of the runaway bus! At a strategic moment, Dan was able to overtake the bus, while we released one arm to wave down the driver! He pulled over, and hearts racing, we boarded the bus … arriving safely back in Bacolod at 9pm.