Cebu to Bacolod via Dumaguete

The Ceres bus network is like the lifeline in the island of Negros. It provides more than a primary means of transport, connecting all the towns and cities and the lives of the people who live in those places. Buses come and go following strict schedules and it is a cause of major concern for all when one is late in arriving. Arriving in Dumaguete close to lunch, we were sorely tempted to stop in one of the many restaurants along their famous boulevard. But not knowing the bus schedules and loaded down with four full suitcases courtesy of my dear wife, we decided to head straight to the Ceres terminal, get our tickets, secure our baggage and head back into town for some food and bit of relaxation before hitting the road again. But this was not to be. Once in the terminal we were informed that the last bus going to Hinoba-an was leaving at noon. We only had enough time to buy some snacks and drinks and load our bags before the bus started to roll that we didn’t even get a chance to give the bus a once over. Ceres has all sorts of buses - big, small, air-conditioned and not. They appear to be adding new buses to their fleet all the time and I have often wondered what they did with their older buses. We were soon about to find out.

The road network throughout the island of Negros is pretty extensive and well maintained except probably in the hinterlands and 25 kilometer stretch in the Oriental-Occidental border that we were about to traverse. This last of the last frontiers took one hour to negotiate alone. The good news was that they were starting on it already and in good time. The bad news was that all the trucks and construction equipment were making it worse in some places and they tarried making any more repairs since they were going to get to it soon but not soon enough for those who traveled the road frequently and the poor sap who did it once and would swear never to pass there ever again. With such detestably and horridly bad roads, Ceres fielded only their oldest and worst rickety units on this route and for good reason. It would have been more comfortable to walk barefoot!

Before all this moaning and groaning started, we were oblivious of our fate and still excited about the ride ahead. It started pleasantly enough as the countryside in this neck of the woods still very rural and still unmarred by developments. Inescapably, new houses and some mansion-like structures of the nouveau middle class and elite dot the roadside as they do in the rest of the country. Past Bacong, the first town after Dumaguete, there is Dauin, site to numerous dive resorts and jump off point to Apo Island. Further are Zamboanguita and Siaton, the southern most tip of the province of Oriental and of the entire island of Negros. From here the countryside starts to get wilder with Bayawan as the last outpost. Basay is the next and last town of Negros Oriental and here starts the agony until the town proper of Hinoba-an on the Occidental side.

By the way, I have heard some locals and in particular some acquaintances from Bais refer to Dumaguete as Doomsville. I can't recall the reason for this but the name stuck. I really do not know the place that well to make a judgement but the people I have met from there I have liked including an old buddy Marichelle Teves-Magalona who is based there. I hope to get a chance to know the place better some day.