Snorkelin' In Dauin

UPDATED: Added "how to get there"

Hello! Sorry for the uncharacteristic lack of inane chatter here. I was struggling with a book. Again. Well, it wasn't so much as difficult as long. Pero nakuha ko pang makapagsingit ng isang getaway in the middle of the week. KG visited Dumaguete for the first time, and Sharkteeth and I tagged along when she went snorkeling in Dauin. The marine sanctuary is just a few meters away from the beach, and at a depth of 4 feet, there are already numerous colorful fishies swimming around. Four feet na nga lang, lunod-lunoran pa kami ni S. She didn't wear a life vest. Ang lakas ng loob. Kaso nung medyo natatangay na kami ng tubig, biglang binabatak na ako pailalim. Nag-panic naman ako. *Tanga lang, nakalimutan kong naka-life vest ako, hehehe.* Buti na lang, KG helped bring S ashore. You'd think na we learned our lesson, but no. After KG returned to the resort, naiwan pa kaming mag-ina -- we went snorkeling again. Natangay na naman kami ng water. Good thing I was able to get back my bearings, and S and I were able to swim back ashore.

Sadly, we didn't find Nemo. :(

All the pictures were taken by KG.
KG, balik ka ha?!

How to get there:
1. From Dumaguete airport (which oddly is in Sibulan, not in Dumaguete), ride a trike and tell the driver to bring you Dauin terminal. Dauin terminal is at the side of the old bell tower, near the fruit market. The market is called tiangge here, not palengke.
Tip: The fare inside the airport compound ranges from 100 to 150. To cut on fare, you can go out to the main highway and get a trike there, which costs ~15 to 20 pesos to go downtown.
2. From downtown, if you prefer, you can rent a trike to Dauin for 250 pesos. Multicabs charge ~18 PHP/person. From Dauin public market, you can walk to the beach. However, we rode a trike. We asked the driver to bring us to Alar's, but he brought us to another resort. We paid 40 PHP (which, I belatedly realized, was kinda expensive, oh well).
The resort was okay. Chair and table rental was 100 PHP (includes use of shower and restroom -- Alar's charge 10 PHP, I think, for restroom use). But it's a long way from the marine sanctuary -- around half a kilometer. Vest rental was 100 PHP as well. We brought our own snorkeling gear, but they rent out gears as well.
Tip: A guy from the resort learned that we brought our own camera, and he said that we should have registered it in the municipal government, which charges 150 PHP. I'm not sure about that. Best research on that before bringing your own gear. I hardly think it's necessary though -- I mean, it was a GoPro, for goodness sake, not an Aquabotix Hydroview.
3. For the trip back, we trike driver picked us up and brought us to the public market, where we rode a multicab going to the city.

Oh, by the way, we witnessed a motorcycle accident on our way home. The driver tried to overtake another motorcycle and lost control. He crossed to the other side of the road and tried decreasing speed with his right leg. He lost his balance and the motorcycle fell, pinning his right leg. Motorcycle accidents are sadly a usual occurrence here in Dumaguete. Just a couple of months ago, an employee in a local BPO, together with her brother (a recent high school graduate) died in a motorcycle accident. Ironically, having recently resigned, it was her last day in that BPO. Saddest of all, they were the only kids of their parents. Drive safely, okay? Wear a helmet when riding a motorcyle. A couple of years back, I was so tempted to buy a Vespa. There was an introductory promo and I really wanted one in pink or mint green. Good thing sense prevailed that day. Ayan na naman, kung saan-saan na naman napunta kwento ko -- nawala na sa Dauin. O sya, visit Dauin, okay?