Tanjay, Peaceful, Friendly City

I made the drive from Dumaguete to Tanjay last Friday. It was a holiday, so the traffic was not so terrible. I was able to complete the drive in less than an hour. Considering the ongoing road repair, this was not bad.

I have always liked Tanjay, it is clean, and it has just enough amenities to make it attractive to me as a potential residence. Tanjay is what Dumaguete was 15 years ago. If simple living without malls, McDonalds, and movie theaters is attractive to you, Tanjay might be a good choice.

Tanjay is a relatively affluent town. There are many Filipino bussiness owners living there, as well as seamen and their families. There are many clean streets with quaint houses lining the way. A residential town, Tanjay has a relatively quiet ambiance.

There are accomodations for visitors ranging from Nelia's lodge at 300 pesos per night to other pension houses nearer to town for 1000 pesos. There are a few upscale restaurants, A Scoobies fast food, and of course an extensive local market located in the middle of the city.

During weekend evenings, you will find the Park Cafe the buzzing spot for young people. Bands play in the park every Friday and people gather to listen while socializing over a red horse or two. It is a simple life, small town Philippine style. Night markets are open near the Park, and people stroll in the early evening hours to see and be seen. Food vendors and small restarants beckon with wonderful smells wafting into the street as you amble by.

Located between Dumaguete and Bais on the national highway, Tanjay is easy to find, and worth the time to do a little exploring. If you play golf, the turn off to Pamplona golf course is at the soth end of town. Bais with it's famous whale watching is only a short drive North.

Roads, What Roads?

So why is it that all the roads leading to and from Dumaguete are utterly destroyed and ripped up for simultaneous construction? In some cases, perfectly good road ripped up and replaced.

What logic is there in isolating Dumaguete from the outside world? Maybe it is to defend us from Terrorists, or maybe criminals, but wait, the criminals are already here, stuck in the city with us. That's not it.

Maybe there is a plan to this insanity, but i don't see it. The road to Sibulan and Tanjay has been ripped up in part for nearly 10 months. and they just rip up more before completing any of it. So now in stead of a 4 hour trip to Bacolod on a Ceres Liner it takes 7 or 8.

The other day I went to Sibulan and found two trucks head to head on a long one way stretch of unrepaired road. Lined up behind each was a several kilometer line of busses and cars. I had a motorcycle and was able to sqweeze through, but how did they fix that? and what happened to the flag men?

It seems that they find it easy to tear up miles of road without a thought as to logistics or sensibility. And the rate of repair lags months behind the initial destruction. As if to say: " see we are fixing the roads, but don't hold your breath until they are finished".

Dumaguete has become hell with 3500 tricycles and no traffic pattern. God help us. We may all perish in the fog of hydrocarbon emmissions and dust. Where is my Dumaguete? Maybe when Robinsons is open it will be all better...