Day 3:
It was the third day of our 5-day trip, time for us to move from Guimaras to the island of Negros and experience its richness in nature, history, architecture and gastronomic pleasures. 'Arrival in Bacolod
Upon booking round trip tickets to Bacolod via Weesam Express, we took the one hour ferry ride. When we arrived we seemed bombarded by a lot of fixers to get a cab. A lot of them were haggling for a very high fixed price to take us to our hotel. Fortunately, we took a metered taxi driver's offer not mainly to save but because we got annoyed by the commotion.
O'Hotel
Arriving to OHotel to finally get a little rest, we were greeted by their friendly staff. And it had the best room we had so far for this trip. :)
Mambukal Falls
A trip would not be complete without getting in touch with nature. At least, that's what I thought. :)) Our next destination consists of 7 waterfalls near the foot of a mountain by which you need to trek first in order to reach each of them and get a chance to dip into its cold and refreshing waters.
Getting there takes at least an hour by bus. We did not expect the trail to be a bit technical. I thought it would just be like a walk in the park and thus we chose to only wear slippers. But as we progressed, the trail got steeper and longer to get to the next falls. On the way down, we were generously showered with rain. We got soaked in the rain including some of our equipments.
But we survived it somehow with our friendship still intact. :p We did not reach all seven of them as some of the falls were forbidden because of a lack of a safer trail. It is not advisable to wear slippers, a strong pair of trekking sandals or shoes will make life a lot easier. And then we went back to our hotel, wet and exhausted, causing a bit of attention to the crew. :))
The Ruins - The Taj Mahal of Negros
Time to redeem ourselves from our little misadventure. After freshening up, we were off to be serenaded at this romantic site just around 20 minutes from the city of Bacolod. Dubbed as the Taj Mahal of Negros, this mansion was built by the owner for his beloved wife.
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| The Ruins captured at night |
The place looks a lot more interesting at night with the lights, some music and dinner being served inside. We got the rare chance to go upstairs and get a view of the garden, the fountain and the golf course. All thanks to a tour guide Mars, who offered to take us to Silay City, often called the Paris of Negros, the next day.
Getting there: There's a public transport available but it won't take you directly to the site unless you hire a tricycle to take you there. If it's late, go for the metered taxi. It would be cheaper than taking a fixed rate which sometimes gets altered a bit when they ask for an additional amount.
Day 4:
The fourth day of our trip was intended to put us in transit back to Iloilo, the last destination of our trip, but not until we've bought pasalubong from Bacolod. But then we got offered an opportunity to tour the nearby city of Silay. This caused us to be in a really tight schedule. At 6am, we met up with our tour guide and off we went to the Ceres Bus Terminal to take us through a 20-minute journey to Silay City.
Silay City - The Paris of Negros
Dubbed as The Paris of Negros, this city is home to various architectural structures reminiscent of its Western cultural influences for the past centuries. The best way to experience this city is to walk around it and notice every detail. It's beautiful. One of the noted structures is the church of San Diego de Alcala. It was designed by an Italian architect. Another thing Silay City is known for, ancestral houses.
Going to the ancestral houses would take too long so we decided to ride a pedicab to get there.
Hofilena Hertitage House
Our first stop was the Hofilena ancestral house. Incidentally, the tour guide was already there so we decided to take the tour around the house. In it we saw some interesting pieces of artwork, instruments, publications among others.
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| Jose Rizal's homework when he was in grade school at the Ateneo |
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| An interesting Japanese(?) toy |
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| This is the world's smallest doll viewed from a magnifying glass. I could barely see it despite using one. :p |
Balay Negrense
The more known ancestral house in Silay is the Balay (house) Negrense (pertaning to a local of Negros). The owner was a Frenchman who married a Filipina, and owned a sugar plantation. Too bad the tour guide was not yet there because we came in early. But the caretaker was kind enough to give us a quick tour.
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| Likes to be called 'Mars The Ruins', meet our friendly tour guide for this Negros trip. He works as a tour guide at The Ruins |
Pasalubong Shopping
Of course a trip would not be complete without shopping for things to take home to our families and friends. So we headed for the pubic market to grab some cheaper take aways like piayas which I think is better and tastier than what is sold at commercial bakeshops.
Another option for pasalubong is the Merci Bakeshop just within the central area in Silay. It is the complete one stop shop for all delicacies in Negros.
FOOOOOODDDDD!!!
Bacolod is also known for the great food it offers. Every meal we ate had to be from some a signature place that is notably 'Bacolod'.
Lunch at Manokan Country
Ok I don't think this is exactly the Manokan area where you find a variety of stalls offering the chicken inasal. But the chicken is great and very affordable.
Dinner at Bacolod Palapala
Their "Dampa" version, Palapala offers the freshest seafood right from its own market and customly cooked to fit the taste of its customers.
Desserts and Lunch at Calea
Calea is very well noted for its cakes and pastries. And for a fairly priced variety of desserts, Calea is the place to be when visiting Bacolod.
Tips:
1. Always go for the metered taxi. Of course there can still be exceptions to this rule.
2. Waterproof your important equipments esp when going outdoors.
3. When going to Mambukal Falls, wear strong sandals or shoes for trekking.
4. If planning to go on a trip like ours (Bacolod-Iloilo-Guimaras), make sure to buy your return ticket on the other island. It saves you time and money. Bacolod was originally not part of our itineray that's why our return ticket was still at Iloilo.
5. Make sure you have the updated schedule of departure for your ferry trip. :p
Expenses Guide:
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