Dumaguete Dreams & Damp Socks: A Botanist's Blunder
okay, so. dumaguete. philippines. i’m still peeling the humidity off my skin, honestly. i just checked and it's clinging to everything like a lovesick gecko - a sticky, warm embrace. hope you like that kind of thing. i’m elara, by the way, and i’m supposed to be cataloging endemic orchids, but mostly i’ve been battling mosquitos and questioning my life choices.
I arrived with all these grand plans, you know? pristine notebooks, a meticulously organized kit of plant presses, a burning desire to discover some new, ridiculously vibrant species. what i didn’t account for was the sheer… dampness. everything is damp. my socks are permanently damp. my notes are damp. my enthusiasm is… slightly damp.
I’m staying in a little guesthouse near *Rizal Boulevard. it’s… charming, in a slightly crumbling, “needs-a-good-scrubbing” kind of way. the owner, aling nena, is a sweetheart, though. she keeps offering me kinilaw (raw fish marinated in vinegar - apparently a local delicacy) and insisting i try her homemade biko (sticky rice cake). i’m politely declining both. fish and rice are not exactly conducive to orchid spotting, you see.
Someone told me that the Silliman University campus is a surprisingly good place to find some interesting flora. Apparently, they have a botanical garden, but it’s more of a “wild, overgrown patch of land with a few labeled plants” situation. Still, worth a look, right? I spent a good three hours there yesterday, dodging rogue chickens and trying to identify a particularly stubborn vine.
I overheard some students gossiping about a hidden waterfall just outside of town. Apparently, it’s called Casinos Falls, and it’s a popular spot for locals to cool off. They also said it’s crawling with leeches. Leeches. Fantastic. I’m adding that to the list of things to avoid. You can check out some reviews on TripAdvisor here: https://www.tripadvisor.com/AttractionReview-g1034873-d1663887-Reviews-Casinos_Falls-Dumaguete_Negros_Oriental_Negros_Island_Visayas.html.
I did manage to find a few interesting orchids, though! Mostly Dendrobium species, which are pretty common, but still… progress! I’m trying to document everything meticulously, but my brain feels like it’s running on fumes. I need more coffee. Seriously. I’m going to check out that little cafe everyone raves about - Coffee Project. Yelp says it’s got amazing lattes: https://www.yelp.com/biz/coffee-project-dumaguete.
If you get bored, Siquijor and Cebu are just a short ferry ride away. Siquijor is supposed to be full of healers and witchcraft (apparently!), and Cebu is… well, Cebu is a big city. I’m not sure I have the energy for a big city right now. I’m more of a damp, mosquito-bitten orchid enthusiast, thank you very much.
I also stumbled across a local forum where people are discussing the best places to buy native handicrafts. Apparently, the Dumaguete Public Market* is the place to go: https://www.facebook.com/groups/dumaguete/. I might check that out later, if I can muster the strength.
Oh! And something a local warned me about - don’t drink the tap water. Seriously. Buy bottled water. Or invest in a really good water filter. My stomach is already staging a minor rebellion.
Right, back to the orchids. Wish me luck (and send coffee).
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