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.
 |
| 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.
