PAL(pak) in Dumaguete

I finally have wifi access in Larena and apparently, I missed Salagdoong Beach and the St. Vincent de Ferrer bell tower (circa late 1800s) in Enrique Villanueva in lieu of Paliton Beach and the Black Maria.

That was when I learned of PAL's regret in informing me that PR 2544 at 11:10 AM on May 1 has been rescheduled to May 5 due to "operational requirements".

I can understand and bear with a delay for a few hours but 4 days is insane and PAL is crazy or not thinking properly!

I burned the lines while waiting for my RoRo trip back to Dumaguete from the Siquijor Seaport but PAL's provided Viber and email contacts responded only a day later, I was Queue #77 in their hotline that did not call back, and Queue #47 in Whatsapp.

Thankfully, my wifi access held on as we crossed Cebu Strait and I was Queue #1 as I disembarked in Dumaguete, and was rebooked for a return flight to Manila at 4:05 PM on May 2 by a PAL Assist representative via Whatsapp by the time I finished dinner and had a massage at Rizal Boulevard.   

So how did I killed an extra day in Dumaguete at my cost but PAL's fault?

I started by having a breakfast of budbud, pan de sal with maling and sikwate at the public market's painitan then walked to the St. Catherine of Alexandria Cathedral where I attended some dead person's funeral mass. 

I crossed into Manuel L. Quezon Park afterwards where I examined an ancient fire engine and gawked at a monument commemorating Bro. Jose P. Rizal's visit to Dumaguete with a supplicant Maria Clara behind him. 

Weng B. did not respond to my message inviting myself to their Balinsasayaw Twin Lakes tour in Valencia so I went to Robinson's to shop for underwear (they don't carry the Jockey brand), decided against bringing home Sans Rival silvanas (Eriel's is better), and spent the rest of the morning tinkering with my Facebook and blog posts at Room 227 of the Go Hotel.  

I was thinking of Tanjay to kill the afternoon but it was too far at 79.2 kilometers so I took a habalhabal to Jo's Chicken Inato for a lunch of paa, sinugba and buko halo then went back to the hotel and finished watching the Transatlantic series.

By 5:30 PM when the sun is more tolerable, I walked to Rizal Boulevard to while time, watched people promenading, listened to a karaoke concert, finally tried a tempura stall that was topped with kinilaw and a tasteless seaweed salad before walking back to the hotel and going to bed earlier than usual.

The next day, I decided not to go to Dauin and Bacong after all because it's too hot and, this time with the guidance of the hotel front desk, walked to downtown instead to find my Siquijor driver/guide's "Panes" that turned out to be Panie's Fastfood where I was the only costumer in an oven-hot dining hall.

An authentic balbacua finally that kept the sweat pouring and a chunk of kalderetang kambing too, not exactly breakfast fare but it was what I came for.

I walked back to the hotel, checked out to the airport in Sibulan by 13:00, was in Manila at 17:15, hopped into a Grab car at 17:40 and was able to catch the last bus to Santiago at 16:50.

I was home by 23:30 and fuck PAL!