Dumaguete : The Last Days

Yep. I’m back in Manila. Got back last Monday and for some reason, I just got stressed again. The moment I got off the plane, I wanted to go straight to a PAL office and book a ticket to Dumaguete.

Anyway, my last day was great. Lemme just give you the bullet points version again.

December 6

• Woke up later than we we’re supposed to because Jette wasn’t feeling well so we had to forgo our planned breakfast at the church.

• We went to Sans Rival to buy silvanas but it was closed for the day. Jette thought the store would close at 2 p.m. so we were surprised because it was only one o’clock. So we went to Boston Cafe for lunch instead. And because I didn’t have pasalubong we went to Lee Plaza then to this little store to look for souvenirs. I bought a few key chains and stuff. We didn’t have time to go the market for Kat’s chicharon because we had to go back to school for the 4 p.m. mass. Jette changed into her 80′s costume, and we attended mass. Kuya Father was the celebrant.

• We walked to the boulevard for the parade. I walked along the boulevard for a bit to watch the ocean and… say good bye, I guess, then picked a spot to take pics. A little after 6 p.m., the parade started and I took pics. Then I cut across I forgot the street name, but I caught up with the parade again at Perdices and joined Jette. We walked back to Cosca then watched the fireworks.

• Had a last dinner at Gabby’s Bistro. I was craving for mashed potatoes so I got the Beefy Gravy and mozzarella sticks. We also had my last That Banana Thing for dessert. One pleasant surprise was when I saw my former call center boss having dinner with a friend a few tables away. Jette and I were on our way out when I saw him, and I slowed my pace and kinda whispered his name because I was so surprised! I haven’t seen him since I left the company and of all places pa talaga, sa Dumaguete pa kami nagkita. We caught up on gossip. We also said goodbye to Gabby before we left.

December 7

• Jette took me to the airport at 7. I had an 8:45 a.m. flight. My gas, the plane arrived in Dumaguete at 11 a.m., can you believe it? I packed the book that I brought in the bag that I checked in, and I didn’t charge my iPod so it died while I was playing Airport Mania. I just ate yema and people-watched for four hours.

• I got a window seat! *Thank you, Nash!* So it was awesome. I guess my favorite part of an airplane ride is when the plane takes off. For some reason, I love speed. I like going fast. If I could drive, I’d probably be kaskasera. So I love that part that the plane gathers speed before lifting off. The trip was uneventful. I watched the clouds that were drifting below the plane. The Philippines looks beautiful from up there. You just see water and islands. When we got to Manila, we were number 7 on queue for a landing so the pilot announced that we’d be flying around for 20 minutes. I didn’t mind. I think it was great! It was a bit cloudy that time, and we were just going around and around cloud banks. I mean, it was the first time I’ve ever seen a cloud up close so I was fascinated. They’re really fluffy. And when we passed by this really tall mass of them… Wow!

• The plane landed at 1 p.m. in Manila (on the tarmac), and the airport shuttle took us to the arrival area. I collected my bag, and took a cab. I was grinning during the cab ride because we passed by Villamor Airbase, the Navy Base, and the General Head Quarters of the Philippine Army. Sorry. I’m in my Sentinels mode, and I told Jette I was bringing Kyle home with me. Then I was home, and my Dumaguete experience is nothing but a glorious memory.

I told Jette and I promised myself that I’ll come back and I’ll stay longer. I’m going to have to finish the last four books of my Sentinels series. If and when I finish them, I’m going to reward myself with another trip to Dumaguete