On Malatapay

We drove to Zamboangita which is south of Dumaguete. Wednesday is market day. It's the one day of the week that hawkers, farmers and anyone who has anything to sell converge on the street leading to the resort of Malatapay. The street was packed with stalls with pirated DVDs, local vegetables, meat and everything else. The was a huge corral with livestock for sale. Live carabaos and cows included!

We weren't in the market for any of those though. Our destination was at the end of the busy thoroughfare, at the beach. There, makeshift stalls cooked fresh catch. Lechon cebu is available at PhP250/kilo. The skin is crispy, the meat tasty and is brought to your table with a dipping sauce of local vinegar and soy sauce. Yummy!

We were lucky to get the last of the lechon. The remaining 100 grams was thrown in, not counting the skin we had already started munching on. Normally, when we're unsure where to eat, we go to the place with the most people. We figure that most people can't be wrong:) But all the places were packed, and it was way past lunch! We took the first available table under a tree.

I was brought to several coolers with HUGE fish to choose from. There was tanigue available, but if you don't cook it right, it tends to get tough. Feeling adventurous, I decided on barracuda which was highly recommended. Two kilos was enough for 4 people, they said. It cost 250 per kilo, including ingredients and cooking fees.

We tried the famous "sutikil", or cooked three ways. It includes "sugba" which means grilled, "tinola" which here is fish boiled with salt, ginger, tomatoes and siling haba. Finally the "kilawin" which is fresh cubed fillet of fish marinated in calamansi juice, salt, ginger, onions and chili peppers. Visayans know their kinilaw like nobody's business!

Fresh, yummy food... a shady place to sit... the ocean breeze... being with people you love... LIFE IS GOOD!!

On South Sea

Negros Oriental is home to many world-class resorts. Most of these are PADI-accredited, catering mostly to tourists and expats. Diving and snorkeling are main water activities as the beaches are typically rocky and the sand, wet and clumpy. It's impossible to swim without serious damage to your soles. So even the smallest resorts have a pool. It's a select clientele however, who can afford to pay the USD$ rates for accommodation.

One of Dumaguete's best-kept secrets is the South Sea Resort Hotel. It's a small, well-maintained spot in the middle of the city, where balikbayans usually visit or locals take their guests. Prices start at PhP500 or USD$11 for a 24-hour stay.

Of course one wouldn't expect room fittings to be at par with the high-end resorts. But rooms are spacious and clean, some with a screened-in porch. Most are equipped with airconditioning, cable TV and running hot water. They do have a restaurant, but let's just say I'd rather go home to eat. It's not inconvenient, really, as we live only 10 minutes away.

We go there mainly to swim. My whole family swims, including three-year old Gabriel who took lessons last summer. None of us is particularly athletic, and this is one of those times we play and bond. Their pool is made with even serious swimmers in mind (not one of those kidney-shaped recreation pools). At 25 meters long, it has 4 lanes so we actually race:) There's even a wading area for children.

So, how much do we love going there? Check out Gabriel's before and after pictures.

South Sea Resort Hotel is located at Bantayan, Dumaguete City. Call them at +(6335)225-0491 or +(6335)225-2409. Email southsearesort@yahoo.com. For more on Negros resorts, visit Negros Island Online.