Eat, Sleep and Dive at Liquid Dumaguete Dive Resort

GPS waypoint: N 09° 12.684 E 123° 17.082
Location: Just after Km. 12 (enter road on Petron Gas Station), Dauin, Negros Oriental, Philippines 6217

A Dive Reprieve in Dauin
Given all the yoga immersion I've been doing in Cebu, it was a great reprieve to head back to Dumaguete and do some dive action at Liquid Dumaguete in Dauin. This time however, I came with another yogini, scuba diver and sky diver - Metz. The coastline of Dauin and Apo Island would be our water playground to discover.

En Route
Taking the bus from Cebu City's South Bus Terminal to Dumaguete via Bato, it took roughly 6 hours (P275/pax including barge fee) to reach Dumaguete. En route, we passed by the town of Carcar for its regional specialty, Chicharon Carcar. Futher up, we passed through Dalaguete, known for its Torta sponge bread. The vendors board the bus to sell their wares so no need to alight from the bus. From Dumaguete City, it's another 40 mins to reach Liquid in Dauin.

City Immersion
We stayed a day at the Dumaguete Royal Suites Inn for some city immersion. Neva's Pizza was of course high on the list - the best-value brick-oven pizza in Dumaguete, perhaps the best city pizza altogether. Sans Rival, cafe and resto, is a must-indulgence with its reasonably priced pastries/coffee and by-the-boardwalk ambience. Lee's Plaza, a long iconic department store, is still the default place for budget shopping. Not to be missed is the Budbud Cabog at the Painitan in the public market. Best place is Sison's!

Liquid Dumaguete Dive Resort
After a P150 tricycle ride from the city to Liquid (with 4 burly luggage, tricycle was a much comfortable option than a jeep or bus), it was good to finally arrive and settle down to our lovely beach cottage - manicured garden, big veranda opening up to a cul-de-sac. This would be home for the next 7 days.

Scuba Diving Apo Island
Our first dive was in Apo Island, along the fabled "Wall", just in front of the chapel. The dive was along a vertical wall that plunges down to 30 meters - although we stayed at only 18 meters. We saw 4 turtles, a Spanish Mackerel (Tangigue) and a few sizeable fish. While the other divers were on their 2nd dive, Metz and I decided to snorkel instead - good call! The coral reef just north of the dock had an interesting relief, with gullies, sizeable coral mounds, and even a turte! The reef system remained intact despite typhoons that plague the area. We would have done two scuba dives that day, but we got sea-sick after the snorkeling.

Dumaguete Divers
No trip to Dauin would be complete without saying Hi to Simon and Rowela, the couple running Dauin Dive Cafe and Dumaguete Divers. The cafe is the chillout hub of Dauin where expats gather for eats, beer and community. The dining highlight for us was the Rib Eye Steak and Baby Back Ribs. For wine, avoid the "Michel" Merlot at all cost! Or choose another label.

Old Friends
Having lived in Dumaguete for 2 years before, I casually bumped into old friends. Angelo, the misplaced darling diva of Dumaguete was such a fun and animated chap to be with. Despite anchored in Dumaguete, I still see him belonging to the glitzy social scene of Manila. I chanced on Jeremy and Ilang-Ilang, a triathlon couple, this time with their not-a-toddler-anymore son. Magnus and Sunshine, the charming couple I met during my Harolds Mansion days were still around, this time, running their own dive shop.

The American Couple
Metz and I met many people on this trip, but the lingering resonance comes from an American couple, now perhaps in their early 40s, who resigned from their military careers and devoted their lives to travel, after realizing the sham that has taken over America. Like many evolved Americans I've met, they saw how special interest groups in America (military industrial complex, Wall Street, etc.) have permeated the core of goverment to do their bidding. Now, America exports war into peaceful regimes in the pretext of democracy and freedom, wreaking death, famine and destruction. Ancient civilizations that have flourished for millenia are now reduced to rubble. This is definitely not the vision of the founding fathers.

Snorkeling Poblacion 1 at Dauin
Metz and I also did snorkeling at Poblacion 1. Except for a group of sizeable Parrot fishes nibbling on the coral rocks, we didn't really see anything interesting. We would have wanted to snorkel some more at Liquid's house reef with its thermal vents or snorkel at Masaplod Norte in the vain hope of seeing a big turtle, but all of that was washed down with the onset of a typhoon that left us marooned to our cottage for 3 days.

Ted Talks
While marooned in our cottage during the typhoon, I introduced Metz to TedTalks.com. We both stayed glued to her hand-held after that, listening and watching to talk after talk by smart and articulate people who, in my opinion, represent the evolved beings in our day and age who level-up the social paradigm into new thinking, transcending the old ways into promising possibilities. I maintain that anyone who watches just one TedTalk a day, everyday, will also become evolved into higher thinking about the humankind's greater good. You will be informed, motivated and moved into pro-active thinking about your optimized role on God's green earth.

Ending Thoughts
Dumaguete remains interesting with Dauin as a diving Mecca. It's rare for a city to have a dive destination just minutes away from it. If you're looking for a beach dive resort secluded from the main drag, with quaint cottages opening up to the water, you don't have to go too far out of Dumaguete. Liquid is one of the first resorts you see when you enter Dauin. Say Hi to Tim and Zoe - the lovely hands-on couple running the place.

Dumaguete, Philippines

tourist attractions

Filipino Japanese Amity Memorial Shrine - 2175 feet above sea level and perched on a hilltop overlooking the sea and the neighboring islands
Casaroro Falls - pencil-narrow waterfall dropping nearly 100 feet to a wide and deep lagoon
Balinsasayao Twin Lakes - twin crater lakes 894 meters above sea level
Dumaguete Boulevard - 1km long boardwalk along the main hub of Dumaguete

- hotel

Hotel Essencia - 9-storie hotel in the heart of Dumaguete
39 Real St., Corner San Juan St., Dumaguete City - 09°18'32.1"N 123°18'20.3"E

scuba diving

Mario Scuba Diving and Homestay - homestay in Apo Island, scuba diving, restaurant
Apo Island - 09°04'40.08"N 123°16'09.19"E
Dumaguete Divers - scuba diving in Apo Island, resto / cafe, accommodation
Dauin - 9°11'18.6"N 123°15'54.3"E