summer = water

Mornings, late afternoons and evenings are perfect in Dumaguete, just bright enough and cool enough for pleasant walks. But during the day, especially from noon to afternoon, the temperature can get really hot. We locals call it "mama-ak ang kainit" meaning the heat bites. And with the recent spates of power outages, plus the official start of summer vacation, the kids cry "Init! Want water!"

So one afternoon we went to Valencia, a town about ten kilometers from the city proper, and just five kilometers from where we live. With an elevation of 200 to 500 meters, it is much cooler than Dumaguete. The lush vegetation is very noticeable as one goes through the town.

Our destination: the first and best Rx for a hot day: the natural spring waters of The Forest Camp's pools --> COOOLLLD!

be sure to test the water with your toes before you jump in!

the hanging bridge over a roaring river

view from the hanging bridge: a man-made slide so kids and adults can glide with the raging waters without acquiring too much pain in the back and butt

there are numerous mini-waterfalls like this where one can get a back massage just by sitting under the falling water

And here's the second best thing on a hot day: a coooll buko-halohalo, a cornucopia of leche flan, ube, langka, fried saba, gelatin, kaong, other goodies in shaved ice, slathered with milk and served on a freshly harvested coconut shell. Here's Carlo having his fill... oh, wait... Sorry, it's that good he finished it off in a flash before I could take a shot.

Oh, but thanks to the internet, I'm borrowing somebody else's buko-halohalo as it is a must see. And needless to say, a must eat, too. Slurrrp.

buko-halo with ube ice cream and corn flakes

And just in case there is anything else you fancy, you might want to check this out... a wishing well!