Finding Two Vegetarian-friendly Restos and an Old Tower in Historical Dumaguete City

As a vegetarian traveling to and fro, food becomes a critical factor in choosing where to go. Only, sometimes, you just go without a clear idea of what awaits. And it's this drama of discovery that makes travel so exciting.

Recently, my wife and I went to Dumaguete City in Central Visayas and, surprisingly, found places with vegetarian options. Here are two of the city's well-kept vegetarian-on-the-menu secrets:

Coco Amigos

Coco Amigos, in Rizal Boulevard, serves vegetarian pizza (Php 160.00) and vegetarian curry with rice (Php 130.00). The curry is a little bland for my taste but I personally liked the pizza. Both servings were big enough for sharing. (Tip: we were so hungry when our order came, I wasn't able to take a snapshot of the food. So come before you are really hungry.). Extra rice (Php 25.00).

Sans Rival Cakes and Pastries

Photo by Romy Sollorano

This place has been a staple in the Dumaguete food scene for decades. The Sans Rival (Php26.00/slice), Sylvanas (Php15.00/pc, Php125.00/box of 10), and coffee (Php 40.00/cafe latte, Php55.00/cafe mocha) capped off our second day. It's dessert heaven.

In our last day, we went to the main store at San Jose Street to buy pasalubong (gifts) for friends and family back home. Much to our surprise, there are two vegetarian dishes on their menu: pesto lasagna (Php130.00) and spaghetti with tomato sauce (Php120.00). We enjoyed the treat and hired a tricycle to the airport for Php80.00 (special trip).

Moving on. Many factors add up to a great travel experience in the Philippines. For me, finding vegetarian picks in quirky tourist spots add pizzazz to an already popular historical and cultural destination. That the place has beautiful beaches and cool people deserves a must-visit ranking.

Traveling gives one an opportunity to learn about other people, languages, food, customs, and traditions. Dumaguete is one of those places that seems too good to be true: history, culture, beautiful beaches, waterfalls, lakes, gentle people, peace and order. To just settle down, unwind, and release stress makes it a worthwhile vacation spot.

An Old Tower

Belfry Tower | Photo by Romy Sollorano

History buffs who come for a visit should check out the Dumaguete Belfry Tower.

Pirates in olden times used to swoop down and snatch whatever they can from the townsfolk. Because of this, the Visayan word daggit (meaning "to snatch") came to represent the place. Spanish historians recorded it as Dumaguete .

Originally built as a watchtower to help protect local inhabitants, the Belfry Tower (circa 1760s) on Perdices Street is an architectural and historical landmark one shouldn't miss.

2014

As a certified urban rat staying in the murky corners of Mega Manila for the last 20 years, going to the province once in a while refreshes the senses, rejuvenates the muscles, and provides a new perspective in an otherwise mundane existence. Quite frankly, it's therapeutic. And, it's fun. 

2014 (February), however, is an especially cool year for moi and my high school buddies because it will be our class' 25^th year: our Silver Jubilee, to be exact.

So, in honor of this rare occasion, I've created a “badge”, which I will post on my blog for the month of February. (Just leave a comment if you have suggestions on how to improve this.)

Coincidentally, it's the 25th Silver Jubilee of Emperor Akihito of Japan; not that it matters but just wanted you guys to know.

Time flies by quickly when you're having fun that it's easy to take time, and old friends, for granted. Once again, congratulations, dear friends. Looking forward to seeing you again, hopefully, not after another 25 years.


And, finally, salute: Long live the Rizal Standard Academy-Batch 89!

Looking For A Better Email Service? Microsoft's Outlook May Be The One You're Looking For In 2013

Photo Credit: Lizette Greco via Compfight cc

I learned how to use computers, surf the internet, and tinker with simple applications in the 90s. Back then, people were happy with DOS and Windows 3.1. We used Microsoft Outlook at the office for E-mail and the Pacman chomps on ghosts instead of trading punches with Mexican boxers.

I've used Yahoo's E-mail service for my personal correspondence since 2002 (10 years!), and was quite satisfied with it until recently when things started to get ugly (if you use Yahoo! Mail, you know what I mean). And I won't go into the details.

Last year, Microsoft launched the preview version of Outlook.com. It basically replaces Hotmail, which they haven't updated for a while. It has a smooth, clean-looking interface. It has social network integration, SkyDrive (which I still haven't explored), and best of all -- no ads (I haven't seen any, yet).

I have to say that I was quite impressed, the intuitive and modern design got me, so I signed up. I won't be closing my yahoo account soon (migrating to another webmail service takes time), but am seriously considering it, after a trial run. I searched for others who have tried it out and many gave high marks. (Click here > link to outlook.com, if you want to give it a try, too.)

That said, it's still too early to say if this new webmail service from Microsoft will be a game-changer. At the very least, it keeps the Hotmail users from jumping ship and going to Gmail. For me, however, I like the zen-like, yet feature-packed package (I hope it doesn't stray away from this in the future). Kudos to the design design team at Outlook.com.