Hot Dumaguete Sun, Cold Midwest Winter
(Above: Marilyn and I at the open air cafe on the grounds of South Seas Resort, Dumaguete, sporting our much-used sunglasses)Growing up in Michigan, I was never accustomed to seeing very many sunny days. In fact, for years I had no idea what people meant when they talked about this thing called the "sun". Okay, that's obviously a lie, but I had never seen the sun as much as I did during two weeks in Dumaguete. It was so bright. And so darn hot, too.
I wonder what Marilyn will think when she experiences a good, old-fashioned frigid Midwest winter. Get me out of here? Here's something for her to ponder: the high temperatures in Cincinnati over the weekend are supposed to hover around the 35ºF - 40ºF range (2ºC - 4ºC). A far cry from Dumaguete's year-round heat, wouldn't you say? And the winter season hasn't even begun yet!
Oh, you'll be fine. We'll just buy you a very big winter coat...maybe two or three. You know how you always ask me if I can bring some snow with me to Dumaguete? Well, how about bringing some Dumaguete sun with you to Ohio?
Tags: dumaguete, philippines, winter, cincinnati
posted by Corey at 10:33 PM
9 Comments:
Hi Corey,
I see you left a comment on my blog. I left a comment here earlier but I was not logged in at the time so maybe it's lost in the ozone.
Anyway,when Cathy first arrived she hated the winter here. Even in the summer she didn't care for the "air-con".You once lived in Chattanooga so you have a pretty good idea what the weather is like in Rome.
But now, she's acclimated just fine.Last night she wanted the window open in the bedroom because she was hot......and it's Dec 1st!!!!She'll probably have a hard time with the heatwhen we go back home.
I second RTS. The first season is hard to go through but by the second season they have aclimatized.
Thanks for visiting, guys. What's funny is that when I tell Marilyn how cold it gets here she can't understand how anyone can survive. I tell her we minimize our time spent outside, and we wear huge coats when we do go outside :) She is very excited at the chance to see snow, by the way.
Hi I am well into planing a trip to Dumaguete to see my girl friend Erla. I was considering the South Seas Beach Resort and noticed you had been there. I was wondering on your opinion of it. It will be either there or the Wellness Resort. Any comment would be much apprieciated.
Phil
Hello Phil...I spent 9 days at South Seas and was quite pleased with it. The one drawback is that while it is on the ocean, it really has no beachfront. If I remember correctly, there is a beach just south of the resort. Of course, that may have belonged to another resort. If nothing else, I'm sure you can find a beach somewhere around there :)
The rooms are quite spacious and come with nice, hot showers and air con units. There is a row of rooms that have an ocean view, and there are others which sit further back and don't face the ocean. We actually stayed in both kinds. Honestly, the rooms without the view were probably nicer inside, though both were well worth $30 a night (rates may have gone up since then).
The staff were incredibly friendly as you might imagine. We heard, "Good morning, sir, good morning, ma'am", many times (substitute "afternoon" and "evening" for other times of the day). Most of our meals were eaten at the open-air cafe on site. You can simply add the cost to your room bill (though be careful not to shock yourself when you check out ;)). Marilyn told me that we could have gotten more variety by going into downtown, and the food would have been cheaper. However, the convenience of the cafe was hard to pass up. I was able to order many American-type dishes, but there were also some more native selections as well. The prices were below what we see in the U.S., but more expensive than Jo's Chicken Inato or other downtown restaurants.
South Seas is kind of tucked away behind a residential area, and is not on any main routes. Therefore, transportation into town can be limited. A few times Marilyn and I actually walked out to the closest main road to catch a pedi-cab (maybe a 10-minute walk). South Seas does provide transportation in the form of a nice air-conditioned van, but a simple trip to downtown was around 100 pesos.
I haven't been to South Seas for over 1.5 years, but I'm sure the same Filipino hospitality is intact. It's a restful place that provided many wonderful memories for Marilyn and I.
Thanks for the feedback Cory. Looks like I'll be staying at a hotel in town called La Residencia. Erla has done some research and been out and about. Only costs 1,495 peso a night for a double with breakfast included which is pretty good I think
Hello Phil...yep, I've heard of that one. Sounds comparable price-wise to South Seas, but much more centrally located. Hope you enjoy your stay!
Hi Corey and Marilyn:
I can't help but drop you a note or so.
I am from Dumaguete (City of gentle People) a Filipina and I miss my home town soooo much. Been to South Seas too...Did you guys ever tasted there Mais con yelo ohhhh the best !!.
Anyrate, allow me. I am married to a midwestern guy as well from Rockford Illinois and we are now residing in Wisconsin because of his and my job. We actually met when I was still residing in Canada which gave me a good training ground of what really winter is.
I know Marilyn can adjust well real soon with winter season...people from Dumaguete are gentle people and can take whatever adversity life can offer. So hang in there Marilyn.
Corey, thank you very much for admiring Dumaguete. I am planning to go home someday and enjoy the sun and beaches as well ... the beauty of nature that God gave us.
More blessings to you guys.
Love,
-Marie
Thank you for visiting, Marie, and for the encouraging words for Marilyn. Indeed, there have been many adjustments since her arrival (not the least of which is learning what it really means to be married :))
We also would like to return to Dumaguete at some point. It has been three years since my trip there, but I still carry vivid memories with me.
Thank you for visiting the blog! I don't believe we had mais con yelo at South Seas, but we did have plenty of mango shakes. Those were the best!
God bless!
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