Ms Ann's Foodtown

Yesterday afternoon, I picked up my wife around 4 o'clock. She wanted to ride with me to fetch my son from school. It was very hot and I needed to make a stop for a bottled water. Looking for a convenient place to purchase the water, I decided to stop at Ms Ann's Foodtown on L.Rovira Rd., not far from my son's school.

It was the first time I'd ever stopped there, although I've passed by there several times. I noticed that they make their own piaya. I thought I'd give their brand a try. Eight piaya in a pack for 40 peso. The piaya was very delicious......really flaky.

For folks in the Dumaguete area, I've included a map showing the location of the bakeshop.

Video: Watching the Traffic Go By in Dumaguete

Last month, I published a post on what it's like to drive in Dumaguete. Today, while waiting in the car while my wife was on an errand, I videoed the traffic as it passed by.

What one sees in this two minutes is a relatively tame example. The traffic wasn't so heavy, so the driving wasn't horrible.

There are, of course, cars, buses, large trucks and small trucks. There are tricycles making u-turns, motorcyclists carrying umbrellas; some folks in shorts and others wearing hoodie jackets.

Maybe next time, I'll video the joys of driving near the downtown market during lunch. That will give an example of Dumaguete traffic at it's worse.

Tarbush Restaurant Dumaguete

Depending on the time of day that I'm driving into Dumaguete, if I believe the traffic might be to heavy going via North Rd/Real street, I'll take a left on E. Rovira Dr to Hibbard Ave into the city. One morning while taking this alternate route, I saw an eatery on the right, at the corner of Hibbard Ave and E.J.Blanco Dr., called Tarbush, claiming to be home of the original shawarma. I promised myself I would return one day to give them a try.

So, today after Mass (and after going to Lee Plaza to replace a broken mirror) we made our way to Tarbush.

I've had shawarmas prepared in three different eateries in Dumaguete and I must say the ones at Tarbush are the best I've tried so far. Personally, I prefer the chicken to the beef. Tarbush is also a bit more generous with the vegetables they put in the shawarma. Their shawarma cost a little more but you get what you pay for.

On the down side, we ordered multiple items and they did not arrive at the same time. Unfortunately, that's pretty much standard for Philippines. The same is true of every restaurant we've ever been to here.

Take Out Pastries from The Rollin' Pin

In August of last year, I posted a piece, onto my Dumaguete Website blog, about a little coffee shop near Silliman called The Rolling Pin. Since that time, I've returned a few times with my son; my wife hadn't been there until the three of us stopped by Saturday morning after picking up my son's report card.

My wife tried a Mango milkshake - my son having his favorite; the cookies and cream milkshake. I had a pastry and a latte. I had no complaints about the pastry; it was quite good, in fact. However, I was disappointed in the latte.



To make up for my disappointment, I bought 2 raisin pastries to take home and have with a coffee that I prepared myself.

Like all the pastries I've tried from The Rolling Pin, these were very good. The price of these particular pastries is 18 pesos each. Two raisin pastries, 36 pesos - that comes to about $0.75. That's about on par for the U.S., although, I'd say that's a little high by Philippine standards.

Hotel Camila

Hotel Camila

Address: Real St, Dumaguete

Phone: 035 212 3008

February Updates on the Dumaguete Website

As mentioned in an earlier post, I've had to make some changes involving a web hosting company for my website, dumaguetecity.net.

As I write this, I've published 20 pages highlighting hotels and resorts in the area, and spas in Dumaguete which provide massage services. For the most part, most of the information posted online comes from my earlier website. However, I have added two hotels which were not on the previous incarnation of the Dumaguete website and all the information pertaining to the spas is newly acquired.

One lesson learned from yesterday's mission. At my first stop, I asked for permission to photograph one of the hotel rooms for a website. I was turned down......manager's approval was needed and blah, blah, blah. At the next hotel, I simply asked to see a room and took photos while there - without asking.

Although the themes to the website and this blog "> are similar - and the background photo is identical - there are some differences in the two themes. The area for posting within this blog is narrower than the space in the website posting area. Because of that, I can attach larger Google ads on the website compared to the ads I can post here. I have posted duplicate entries on both locations but have had to adjust the script for the ads used.

Today being Sunday, I won't be making any trips into town for the website. I do plan, however to visit a number of businesses Monday for information and photos. That information will go online probably Monday evening.

Hotel Essencia

Hotel Essencia is a brand new 9-storey hotel located in the very heart of downtown Dumaguete’s main business and shopping district. It offers a pleasant accommodation with an overview of the Dumaguete Bay having a variety of amenities at the right price. It is very accessible to the famous Rizal Boulevard and Silliman University and is close to all means of transportation available in the city.

The Hotel has 150 fully air-conditioned rooms all fully equipped with cable TV, safety deposit box, coffee/ tea counter, refrigerator, hair dryer and direct-dial telephone for both national and international calls. It uses an electronic keycard entry system and has a 24-hour fully stand-by generator.

The hotel features a wide range of on-site facilities including a restaurant, coffee shop, spa, souvenir shop, travel agency, basement parking and function rooms ideal for events, conferences and meetings. Services also include wake-up calls, laundry, pressing and transportation for guests.

Room Type                                                                 Rack Rates

Standard Economy                                                 ₱ 1,600.00

Deluxe Twin Room                                                ₱ 1,900.00

Deluxe Queen Room                                              ₱ 1,900.00

Deluxe King Room                                                 ₱ 1,900.00

Deluxe Family Room                                              ₱ 2,700.00

Deluxe Suite                                                            ₱ 4,900.00

Extra Bed                                                                ₱ 500.00

*Rates are subject to change without prior notice.

#39 Real St., Corner San Juan St., Dumaguete City
Telephone: (035) 422-1137 or (035) 422-1136
Mobile phone: 0917-700-7735 / 0908-820-2123 / 0925-888-7292
Website: hotel-essencia.com

Grand Royal Spa

Grand Royal Spa

2nd Floor RM building National
East Roviro Road
Dumaguete Oriental Negros
(035) 255-4364 / 09159107858

R and R Building DR V. Locsin St.
Dumagute City
(035) 255-5561 / 09352937828

Today's busy and hectic world gets sometimes too hard to handle. One needs to simply get out and unwind after a whole day at work or school. Every mind and body needs that special pampering to be able to perform at its best again the next day. That's what Grand Royal Spa offers to today's hardworking individuals. Find a comforting sanctuary in the spa's relaxing ambience and soothing services. Grand Royal spa offers a variety of spa services to help ease those tired muscles. Indulge and find solace at the Grand Royal Spa because everyone deserves to be treated like royalty.

Profile
Grand Royal Spa's pioneer branch was opened last March 2004. It is operated and managed by Business Administration graduate, Merrick Athony Siao. Due to the very good reception and increasing clientele, a second branch was opened in Capitol Cebu City within four months.

Today, Grand Royal Spa has grown to have four company owned branches within Cebu City and six franchises located in Luzon and Visayas.

Grand Royal Spa has captured the tastes in pampering and relaxation of a wide market within and outside Cebu. We take pride in delivering excellence through our spa services, facilities and customer care.

Grand Royal Spa is also the recipient of the Consumer's Choice for Best Spa in Cebu in 2009.

Vision
To be an established name in the Spa Industry internationally by providing excellent facilities, services and customer care.

To upgrade the services and expand to accommodate the high end market.

Mission
To be a venue for unwinding and relaxation by delivering excellence in terms of service, personnel and ambience to a wide range of market.

Goal
To make a spa day a part of the typical routine of all individuals. To help build and foster relationships among families and friends by providing a sanctuary for leisure and relaxation.

Services

Body Scrub
Chocolate Scrub
A moisturizing scrub made from 100% cacao rich in antioxidants for smooth and supple skin.

Milk Salt
Exfoliating milk scrub for a fairer and softer complexion.

Stone Massage
Experience the healing properties of hot volcanic stones in an hour of relaxing hot stone massage.

Bentosa Cupping
This soothing treatment is a combination of a relaxing body massage and the old tradition of Suction Cupping to alleviate pain, stimulate the nervous system and helps keep the body in balance.

Thermal Massage
This massage is a calming combination of our signature body massage and thermal pack. The heat helps relieve tension, alleviate pain and promotes circulation.

Body Massage
Treat yourself in an hour of our signature body massage. This combination of Swedish and Shiatsu strokes relieves stress and eases muscle tissue.

Facial Cleansing
Indulge in 45 minutes of complete facial cleansing. Our revitalizing facials involves our signature 5 step process-cleanse, scrub, mas, serum and sunblock. Choose from Age Defying, Acne Control, Whitening or Sensitive Skin.

Foot Scrub
Rid your tired feet of callouses in an hour of soothing footscrub with slight foot massage.

Thai Massage
An energizing hour of full body treatment starting at the feet and progressing up to the head. This ancient Asian massage uses a combination of exercise and stretching techniques to relieve pain, stiffness and improves movement and coordination.

Foot Massage
Soothe your stress away with 45 minutes of foot massage giving your feet renewed vitality. This treatment comes with a slight hand and back massage.

Waxing
Dare to go bare with smooth hairless skin. We only use the top, imported wax and after care products to ensure your waxing experience is a breeze.

Nail Care
Get perfectly groomed nails using only the best products from LA colors and Orly.

Dumaguete's No-Tell Motels

As one leaves Dumaguete city proper, on the North Road, passing the Airport you will eventually come upon the town of Sibulan. As you approach Sibulan from Dumaguete, you come to, what is called, by Google Maps, San Antonio Street. Of course, there are no street signs - Maslog Elementary School is on the corner.

Traveling up San Antonio Street, you will also wind up in Sibulan via the barangays of Maslog and Cangmating.

The peculiar thing I've found about San Antonio Street is the prevalence of, what are called in Philippines, Drive in Motels. In the U.S., we might call such places No-tell Motels.

Word is, these motels are basically used as the location for a ....uh.... "third rate romance, low rent rendezvous".

There are four of these No-tell Motels, located very close to one another, on San Antonio Street; Wild Wind, Queen of Hearts, Triple 888 and Honey Bee.

I don't have personal knowledge of the workings of the motels, but I'm told by reliable sources that the rooms are rented by the hour, with a hidden garage available for each of the rooms.

As I mentioned, the main highway is called Negros North Road - heading north from Dumaguete toward Sibulan. The Google map calls this highway South Road.......I suppose it is for folks heading into Dumaguete from Sibulan.

Updates on the Website

I've managed to get a few posts involving hotels and resorts in the Dumaguete area onto the dumaguetecity.net website. My plan is to get more hotels listed before moving on to another category. Catering to visitors to Dumaguete, rather than locals, I will try to develop Labels and categories which might appeal to foreigners.......not only Hotelsand Resorts, but Restaurants and Spas (where massage is available).

During the last few days, I've been unable to start on this project due to a SNAFU with Immigration. Fortunately, I should be able to start working on this tomorrow.

New Website Up and Running

For several years, I've owned the domain name dumaguetecity.net. For the first few years, I had the web hosting done by the same company that registers my domain name. However, when company A began charging too much for their web hosting, I changed over to company B for the hosting while keeping the registry with company A.

I recently received an email from company B letting me know that my current billing cycle would end March 15 - the dreadful Ides of March, no less. The price to renew was much more than I was willing to pay to continue having the hosting done by company B.

My original goal with this website was to try and make a few bucks with Affiliate ads and Google AdSense. For a couple of years, this was breaking even. I was getting enough revenue to, at least, pay my web hosting fee. Unfortunately, the web site has not brought in any money in quite a long time.

To make matters worse, my web design capabilities have not kept up with the upsurge in mobile web surfing. I was never able to get the hang of designing a site that was "mobile friendly".

I looked at the situation, and decided to cancel my hosting account with company B at the end of the current billing cycle and use Google's blogger.com (where this blog is located) to host the domain name as a "blog".

It's free....and free is good.

After setting up a new blog called dumaguetecitynet, I was instructed by Google to go to the domain registry site and change the DNS (CNAME) in order to redirect traffic from dumaguetecity.net to the blogger.com address.

Easier said than done.

I went onto company A's website and made the changes as given by Google. I was told changes could take 24 hours. After 36 hours, I began a live chat with a rep from company A. I was told that I'd have to contact company B to make the changes. I was to contact the hosting company not the company that registered the domain name.

After a couple of on line chats with Ron, the tech from company B, I was finally able to get everything up and running.

Now, when you go to dumaguetecity.net, you're led where I want you to go.

Fortunately, the website is now mobile friendly.

Upcoming Changes to the Website are in the Works.

I have had difficulties with my website, www.dumaguetecity.net.

For the most part, I've been trying to design the website myself with my limited knowledge of html. Unfortunately, with the rise of mobile usage and the overall decline of desktop pc surfing, I've haven't done such a good job keeping up. Google has let me know in uncertain terms that the website is not mobile friendly.

It will be three years in March since I last renewed my account with a web hosting company and the agreement expires on March 15. I've decided that rather than renew the account, I will cancel my business relationship with Webhostingpad  and use Google's blogspot site to host dumaguetecity.net from now on. I've been using a different company to keep my domain name registered. I'll continue to use that 2nd company.

Using the blogspot site with their themes, I'll be able to have the website both mobile and pc friendly, although I'll need to made a few adjustments on how I manage the pages. That will take some thought.