bacolod... ged ni te

here's the story...

april 20, 2009 mayang and i met at colon to supposedly look for some black and white films. it was a spur of the moment meeting and so was the decision to go to bacolod the next day. though bacolod has been on my most wanted destination ever since last year, the decision to impulsively invite myself to mayang's, again, "supposedly" soul searching trip to silay, was definitely out of the plans. but then again for an impulsive-cheapow-traveller like me... the spontaneous trip shouldn't be that surprising at all.

so now i'm a happy broke whose soul just got recharged from the trip down the city of smiles. it's all worth it!

the details

april 22.

departed at south bus terminal at around 5 am, arrived an hour after at toledo for the barge, then two hours boat ride to san carlos city. endured another 3 or so hours to bacolod city, then got confused where to stop coz the original plan was silay then talisay and finally bacolod city. big thanks to tito ni babs for the uber bongga accommodation at his uber nosebleed ville in capitol ville...

the ruins

first stop: the ruins. the mansion of Don Mariano Ledesma Lacson and the future wedding reception of motha molly.

just a little history. this house was actually burned down by the Filipino guerrillas during the Japanese occupation to prevent the Japanese from utilizing this mansion as their headquarters. but despite the inferno, the mansion still stands tall and proud boasting of its magnificence and scenic grandeur.

indeed very ideal reception for the OMOLON -- ??? nuptials.

Lizares Museum

the oldest house in talisay city. if i'm not mistaken, this house once served as the meeting place for all the political bigwigs in the past, as evidenced in the photograph of sergio osmeña and manuel quezon.

i like the house, it's warm, cozy and has that very expensive feel to it, must be the yellow lighting. hehehe.

balay Negrense

i the Victor Fernandez Gascon Ancestral House. this is what you call blast from the past, and the best part about it is that you can actually touch these things of the past. well, not really, except that we're a bunch of hardheaded eager beaver who just couldn't resist touching this and that especially that NOLI. but then crossing the line was no sweat coz no other eyes (except ours) were looking. the artworks in the underground was also very very very cool. in fact i noticed that art classes in the museums seems to be a very "in" thing there.

on the other hand, being in that house made me miss my mom, because everything in there spelled of SUSAN. for sure she'd die of envy by just looking and touching the antics spread spread all over the place. miss you mommy. wish to go there with you someday and see the envious look on your face ahehehe

batchoy @ 21

this has to be a special mention. the batchoy was GOOOOOOD!!! NAMIT GIUD!!!! the price was shockingly cheap considering that it's a very sosyal place. and getting in that resto never made us feel even more smelly and dirty than we already did. we looked exactly like back packers who just got off the non-air conditioned bus, full of tagiptip and sweat plus strands of hair all over our face. never felt more self conscious but had fun nonetheless.

the food

the food were to die for!!!! from the batchoy to P45 bucket of fresh talaba, P60 minty frap, sizzling squid...napoleones... piyaya... whew!. i could have vinci's tummy in no time (exaggeration.. hehehe).

my highly recommended to go to is CAFE BOBS. very cheap. their coffee drinks probably just range about P40-P90, and their whip cream is very yummy, boohoo to starbucks! thumbs up to BOBS! they also have a very great ambiance and a gourmet spot for pizza and the likes. wish BOBS were here in cebu.

the only thing i'm protesting is their McCafe! how come they have McCafe and we don't?!...tsk tsk... if i become a haciendera by some twist of fate i'll bring BOB and Mc here in cebu. promise!

things noted!

here are the things i noticed in bacolod (besides their cheap and yummy food):

#1. less traffic signs. for someone who's had all sorts of traffic encounter i'm amazed and jealous of their lack of traffic signs. and i have never seen a towing sign or clamping zone anywhere and that is a very big deal for me! if were living in bacolod then i'd probably be the most law abiding citizen ever.

#2. numbered barangay names. literally, they name their barangays as 1,2,3 and so on. i thought that it was a really smart thing compared to naming your barangay... i'd rather not mention... hehe

#3. Zoning. i sooooo envy the city's zoning. unlike here in cebu where squatters just pop out anywhere, even in posh subdivision, there you hardly see any eye sore on the entrance of the subs. so i doubt you'd encounter a squatter living within the vicinity of the subs.
the only thing i'm complaining is that they don't have trisikad in their subs, which means to say, tortured long walks.

#4. Lowered Jeepneys.

on the way home

via don salvador. sitting on the bus floor was well compensated by the scenic view. long line of pine trees... passing by the eye level clouds... view of mt. canlaon.. and etc.2x...

realizations:

if i were to live in another city besides cebu.. i'll probably choose bacolod. but nothing beats getting the best of both world here... the beach and the mountains.

and motha molly... you gotta find your haciendero fast and soon!.. at least your choices are already narrowed down to the Lopez, Ledesma, Lacson, Yanson, and pwede pud Lizares. ahehehe... we'll support you all the way as you find fatha!