フィリピンでは、４月１４日（木）、１５日（金）が祝日。１４日から１６日まで２泊３日でドゥマゲッティに旅行に行きました。厳密にはドゥマゲッティを拠点に近くのアポ島やセブ島の南部に出掛けました。国内旅行も本当に久しぶりでしたが、本当に思い出深い旅になりました。

Thursday, April 14 and Friday, April 15 are national holidays in the Philippines. I traveled to Dumaguete for 3 days and 2 nights from April 14th to April 16th. In fact, we were based in Dumaguete and went to nearby Apo Island and the southern part of Cebu. It had been a really long time since I had traveled domestically, it was truly a memorable trip.

マニラからドゥマゲッティまでは直行便が飛んでいます。空港から今回宿泊したSea Dream Resortまで車で。初日は天気も悪く、ホテルでのんびりした後日本人の方が経営している焼肉白山へ。評判通りの名店でした。私は特にタンが美味しいと思いました。

There are direct flights from Manila to Dumaguete. From the airport, we drove to Sea Dream Resort, where we stayed this time. The weather was bad on the first day, so after relaxing at the hotel, we went to Yakiniku Hakusan, a restaurant run by a Japanese. The restaurant was as good as its reputation. I especially enjoyed the beef tongue.

２日目はアポ島でのスノーケリングがメインイベントです。バンカーボートに揺られてアポ島へ。３０分くらいでしょうか。バンカーボートは気持ち良い風、心地よい速度、揺れ、音、全て旅情をくすぐるように出来ているように思えてなりません。同行者も同じ意見でホッとしました。

The main event on the second day is snorkeling at Apo Island. The bunker boat ride to Apo Island takes about 30 minutes. The bunker boat has a pleasant breeze, comfortable speed, rocking, and noise, all of which seem to tickle the traveler’s fancy. I was relieved to hear the same opinion from my companion.

こんな浅い場所にウミガメが本当に居るのだろうか、というのは杞憂でした。１Mもあろうかというウミガメが優雅に泳いでいる姿に遭遇出来ました。

I wondered if sea turtles really existed in such a shallow area, but my fears were unfounded, as I was able to see a sea turtle of about 1 meter in length swimming gracefully.

スノーケリングの後は魚料理とビール。立派な魚で微妙な塩味も良く、ビールが思わず進みました。食事に大満足した後、アポ島を散策。何とも素朴な風景に心癒されました。

After snorkeling, we had fish dishes and beer. The fish was big and the taste was slightly salty. The fish was really good for bear. After we were satisfied with our meal, we went for a walk around Apo Island. I was soothed by the simple scenery.

帰りのボートには多くの人が乗り込んでいて、交流が広がりました。本当にフィリピンの方はフレンドリーだなあと一同多いに感心し、アポ島への旅が終了しました。

Many people were on the boat on the return trip, and socializing expanded. We were all impressed by how friendly Filipinos really are, and our trip to Apo Island came to an end.