Cebu to Negros by Motorbike: Why I Almost Wrote Off Dumaguete and Why I Was Wrong

I woke up on the western side of Cebu with nowhere to be and everywhere to go.

Yesterday was the Trans-Cebu highway, a cockfighting arena, and a hotel room that solved my eSIM problems. Today the plan was simple. Head south, find a ferry, cross to Negros Island. Three port options. No reservation. The road decides.

That's how this works.

The Ferry, the Mist, and the Island of Negros

The mountaintops of Negros were visible from the water before I even boarded. Peaks pushing through morning mist. The kind of view that makes you feel like you made the right call leaving everything behind.

Twenty-two dollars for the hotel room in Dumaguete that night. Walked the city, had dinner, tried to understand what everyone sees in this place.

I didn't get it.

Dumaguete has one of the largest expat populations in the Philippines. It's also loud, dusty, and congested in a way that feels familiar in the wrong direction. I'd been up the coast, down the coast, through the city center. Still not sold.

But there was one thing I hadn't done. I hadn't gone up into those mountains.

Steam Vents, Hot Springs, and a Complete 180

The road up changes everything.

Steam vents bleeding out of the mountainside. Tropical jungle and cool air at the same time. The kind of combination that stops you mid-ride and makes you just sit there for a minute.

Halfway up I met Chang. We had the same tattoo on the same arm. A Batik tattoo from the niece of Wang-Od in Buscalan, Luzon. A traditional tattoo done with bamboo sticks. Getting there requires a three-day bus ride from Manila, then scooter rides, tuk-tuk rides, a short hike. Not easy. Worth it. We didn't need much more than that to feel like old friends.

The hot springs were a hundred pesos to get in. About $1.70. The water was hot but not boiling, surprisingly fresh tasting, and according to the sign at the entrance, actively pumping carbon dioxide, sulfur, calcium, magnesium, and lithium into my body. Immune system stimulation. Endorphins. Relief from fatigue and insomnia.

Seven in the morning, solo in a hot spring on the side of a volcano in the Philippines. I'll take it.

A little further up the road I stumbled into a Japanese World War II shrine. Three hundred soldiers. A caretaker who lives on the hill above it. Views of Dumaguete, the airport, the ocean. Quiet and perfectly tended.

I'd done a complete 180 on Dumaguete. Private mountain communities, hot springs, world class diving fifteen minutes away, an airport right there, a city with actual restaurants below. Thirty minutes from all of it. I understand the expats now.

Lechon, Ceviche, and a $30 Resort

Missed the turn to the waterfall. The road to it was rough enough that three different locals suggested I leave the scooter and walk. I moved on.

Found a beach instead. Dive boats, food stalls, lechon on a banana leaf. I told myself I was having fish. I had pork. Then I had the ceviche. Vinegar, garlic, and onion. That was the best decision of the day. Seven dollars for the whole lunch including water. I didn't know I was hungry until the food was in front of me.

An hour and a half south I found a resort with a pool for $30 a night. Seemed like I was the only guest, which keeps happening once you get off the main roads in the Philippines. Napped, swam, watched a rainstorm come in over the water. Walked the empty beach at sunset.

Beautiful end to a beautiful day. Adventure travel after 50 doesn't have to be hard every day. Some days it just hands you exactly what you need.

The road provided.

Before You Go: Practical Notes for Dumaguete and Negros

Don't judge Dumaguete from the city center alone. The mountains above it are the point.

Hot springs entrance fee: 100 pesos.

Japanese shrine are a short ride up a nearby road.

World class diving is based out of the beach area near the city.

Ferry from Cebu to Dumaguete runs multiple times daily. Just show up.

Budget resort with pool on the southern coast: around $30.