Places that warm my heart Part 1: Bacolod

A few weeks back, some of my friends in the Philippines were complaining about the chilly weather there (which was around 20 degrees Celsius) and I wanted to tell them, believe me, it could be a lot worse!

As much as I want to be more like Elsa (of the Disney movie Frozen) and say that the cold never bothered me anyway, it just ain't happenin' in Canada. It's hard not to let the cold bother you, especially if it's biting cold outside (around -20 to -40 degrees Celsius) and you have to shovel up to 20cm of snow.

To ward off the somber mood that the cold season is bringing, besides starting a countdown to Spring, I find myself always looking at photos of the beautiful places I've been to in the Philippines last year. Since I'm a tropical baby, having been born in the Philippines and lived there for 20 years, it's not too hard for me to imagine how warmth actually feels like. Hehe.

I've read somewhere that thinking about good thoughts or reminiscing good memories actually does make our bodies feel warmer... So I am publishing my unposted travel photos from last year, hoping that it will bring some warmth to you as well. Since there are way too many photos to share, I will be posting two blog entries for the two places I went to: Bacolod and Danjugan Island.

Enjoy! :) 

The Ruins in Bacolod

Bacolod, Philippines: The City of Smiles :) :) :)

Logistics: Bacolod is one hour away from Manila. The cost of a round trip ticket is Php1600 (40CAD). It's best to book your flight and hotel early when attending the Festival to avoid disappointment. Bacolod City is less than an hour away from Silay (where the airport is). The Masskara Festival is celebrated in October yearly.

We went there to attend the Masskara Festival, but of course, we had to explore the city too, and try the Chicken Inasal and the sweets! ;) Here's a short video I made to give you an idea what Masskara Fest is:

We had an exhausting 1st day in Bacolod because right after checking in at the inn, we left immediately to join the street party. Masskara is one of the biggest fiestas in the country, so almost 1/4 of the Philippine population attended the festival. (Okay, I'm exaggerating, but that's how I really felt because there were way too many people in the streets!) In Filipino, we call that, "hindi mahulugan ng karayom". On our way to Lacson street pa, while on the jeepney, we had a very creepy experience. There was a group of men who were asking us where we're from and where we're headed. We thought they were just trying to be friendly, but then, they said they'd come with us and then they started taking photos of me and my friend Joyette using their cellphones! Really, really creepy. Joyette and I could have given them a piece of our minds, but in that kind of situation, we knew better than to do that. Good thing, Aldrin thought of a brilliant idea; he pretended to have gotten a call from our "other friends" who were already waiting for us at the venue, so they left us in peace. Whew!

BTW, the guy friend who was waiting for us at the party... 

Haha, kidding! (We bumped into a lot of celebrities and one of them was famous college baller Jeron Teng. We all went to the same university -- Animo La Salle!)

Anyway, the next day, before heading to the street parties again, we went to the Ruins. It was a mansion built in the early 1900s and owned by a rich sugar baron. During the war in the 40s, American soldiers decided to burn down the mansion, with the permission of its owner Don Mariano Lacson, so that the Japanese soldiers invading the city would not be able to use it for their purposes. 

Aldrin making fun of me out of boredom

We spent the whole morning taking photos and learning about its history.

During the tour, we learned why this house was built, and I posted what I learned on Instagram: 

"These letters are embossed on the pillars just right by the entrance. They might look like letter E's, but they're actually letter M's - rotated M's - which stand for Mariano and Maria. Mariano had these made as a symbol of his love for Maria Braga, his wife. He had built the house for her. More than a century later, many, many years after the couple died, their symbol of love still exists."

Awwwwww...

If you're wondering how to get there from Lacson, take a jeepney to the Pepsi plant in Bata and then take a tricycle to the Ruins. I think we were charged Php120 each (around 3CAD) for the round trip. It's a bit pricey for a tric ride, but I think it's worth it because the driver waited for us the whole time while we were doing the tour. 

Kuya Roger, the famous tour guide. He had guested on a few TV shows already. He's the funniest and liveliest tour guide you'll ever meet! No wonder he's famous.

Snow White and the seven dwarves... hahaha!

After the Ruins, we went straight to the Streetdance competition. But FIRST, we had to buy our masks. ;)

We waited for every team to walk by before the competition started so that we could take nice photos.

I experienced a sensory overload because of all the colours I saw!

Kabog si Aldrin ;)

Yes, we know the masks are very heavy...

... because we tried them on too!

The Capitol

Negros Occidental is no Sugar Capital without the sugar! Aldrin, Joyette and I absolutely love sweets, so we didn't care how much sugar we consumed during the trip! I swear, the sugar in Negros tastes different from (and way better than) the regular sugar we know. 

Churro and Cronuts from C's Cafe, L'Fisher hotel

Joyette is sugar-high

If you want to try the most heavenly-tasting cakes in the face of the Earth, visit Calea (just right across the L'Fisher Hotel). I know, just too many cakes. We really had a hard time choosing, so we ordered the bestsellers (Mud Pie, White Chocolate Cheesecake and Chocolate Cake).

Before heading home, we stopped by at Merci to buy pasalubong. We each bought one 5-kg box of sweets for friends and family (but to be honest, most of it was for ourselves). Don't forget to ask for a discount. I'm not sure whether it's applicable year-round or just during the Festival, but we got a 10% discount at Merci. We just had to show our round trip tickets, proving that we're tourists. 

And oh, before I forget, buy as many boxes of Napoleones you can buy! I just bought one box for myself and one box for my housemate, and found out too late that THEY'RE SO GOOD AND ADDICTING. I'm not even kidding. After getting to try it, I dream about it up to this day. The shop Merci also sells delicious Napoleones, but the best-tasting ones are sold at Pendy's -- so just you know. (Google it, I'm telling the truth.) ;)

"Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colours." -Terry Pratchet, A Hat Full of Sky