Bacolod, Negros Occidental

No sleep! At 2:30am, I was already at the airport for our 4:20am flight to Bacolod.  I was with two former officemates Gynee and Kathy  to visit another former officemate now living in his hometown. 

At 5:30am, we arrived at Silay International Airport. We took a local transportation going to La Salle at PhP35.00. From there, our friend (his name?) fetched us to go to his residence. We had breakfast and immediately proceeded for the city tour. We first visited the Provincial hall, town plaza and Negros showroom for our souvenirs. Then, we went to “the Ruins” of Don Mariano Lacson Ancestral House located at Talisay City.  It was a good place to visit since it was a glimpse of the Negrense cultural heritage. Since it was almost 12 noon, we sent to Manukan country to try the best-tasting chicken inasal in town. We ordered different chicken meals. I personally enjoyed my lunch since it was a different experience from the typical restaurant in Manila. The different restos were lined up near SM Bacolod. After our sumptuous lunch, we decided to just take a siesta.

After 6pm, we had our dinner at a local Imay’s restaurant. Since Negros is known for their sugar plantation and many local restaurants offer an array of pastries, we tried one of the well-known pastry shops called Calea. We tasted variety of cakes, and I loved the mud pie and frozen tiramisu.

On our second day, we went to Mambucal resort (entrance fee PhP30.00).  It was a one-hour drive from Bacolod City.  Initially, I had an impression it was a typical resort with swimming pools but I was wrong.  It was a place where man-made structures and nature co-exists. We went to the falls and trekked for 3o minutes to reach the seven waterfalls. I would not recommend the fourth to seventh waterfalls if you are not going to swim. The picture perfect falls were located on the first to third falls.  Only two of us proceeded to the fourth to sixth falls. I was a bit disappointed as the falls on top were not grandiose as I imagined it to be. Nevertheless, it was an experience walking and communing with nature. This was also my first time to see big fruit bats. The good thing was that the area and animals here were protected by the government. I even saw swift birds living under the bridge (see video).  The bird’s nests were never taken away since it was protected by local laws.

Our lunch comprised of grilled seafood and meat products, which can be bought within the resort. We were tempted to take a dip at hot sulfuric water from a pool. The water came from the nearby Kanlaon volcano. The water was hot that I can only dip for only a couple of minutes. It was time to move to the lagoon where one can rent a boat but we opted to take some photos instead. Then we proceeded to butterfly sanctuary (entrance fee PhP20.00). It was rainy and it was difficult to take photos but I still managed to take some shots. I certainly loved the butterfly nestled on a flower. When we went out of the sanctuary, I was surprised to see the change in lagoon’s water color. Due to rains, the water turned to brown and overflowed onto the road.  Good thing, there was an alternative road towards the main exit.

In the evening, we had our dinner at a nearby restaurant called Red Basil Thai. The food tasted very much like the authentic Thai cuisine but reasonably priced. After dinner, we went to Felicia for their ice cream cakes and proceeded to Koskos for our coffee and drinks.

On our third day, we went to Hinigaran to visit our friend’s (her name?) house. We met her mom and tasted their restaurant’s famous Royal Bibingka, buko pie and potato cake, which we brought home as pasalubong. You may visit the Mila’s restaurant at Hinigaran town with contact number 032.3917849.  We were given a tour around the town and the beach for our photo opportunities.

At exactly 1pm, we left the town for Bacolod city to prepare for our late afternoon flight at 6pm. At the airport, we were informed of the flight delay so I looked for a shop where to buy a souvenir shirt since it has been my practiced to have souvenir shirts on the places I have been to.

What I love about Bacolod are the warmth of its people and their pastries. Hope to be back for their festivals.

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Visited last August 19 - 21, 2011