Day 2 – A Night Around Bacolod City

The shy sunrise of yesterday grew to a low pressure area.  The whole day was showered by the skies that held me from going anywhere… Well at least, it kept me focused on the convention.  I mean, on the food served served by L'Fisher J

Just before the closing plenary at the Provincial Capitol, we were given a two-hour break, a perfect timing to meet folks near the Cathedral.  And since I was at the area with the drizzle wieldy, I passed by Rizal Park and San Sebastian Cathedral.

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Day 1 – Mambukal Falls Saved My Day

I arrived at GoHotels Bacolod at 8am.  To my surprise my reservation was nowhere near as the reservation was booked at GoHotels Mandaluyong.  Since the online reservation of GoHotels is not functioning as it should, the payment was made directly at the Mandaluyong office.  Too late to know that the cashier mistakenly tagged the payment under the Mandaluyong branch… Grrr… What’s worst was that they cannot transfer the booking to Bacolod and previous payment cannot be applied to a new reservation…

Before my day gone dismal, I left for Mambukal Resort.  I badly needed some breather and it was up to the branch manager to figure out a solution.

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Day 1 - A Quick Silay City Historic Walk

I chose the seat with a view of sunrise but even as we landed at 545am there was a shy shade of daybreak.   I dismissed any negative feel as I have a full itinerary ahead before the PICPA Convention proper. At the airport, I boarded the shuttle to Silay and in less than an hour, the Paris version of the Philippines hailed before me.

It was only 6am then and like other provinces in the Philippines, the morning usually come sluggish with handful of people around and some streets desolated.  With the maps apps as guide, I made my way around Silay.   

I passed by Rizal Park on my way to San Diego Pro-Cathedral where I prayed for safety as I embarked a full 2-day solo trip.

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Negros Occidental (Silay and Bacolod) – Guimaras – Iloilo – Capiz Trip Itinerary and Expenses

Our actual itinerary for our 4-day Western Visayas sojourn (minus Kalibo and Antique) as follows:

Day 1 morning 

A Quick Silay City Historic Walk

§  Rizal Plaza

§  San Diego Pro-Cathedral

§  Rizal Avenue old structures – Gil Severino Ancestral Building, Maria Ledesma Gomez Building and Bernardino Jalandoni House Museum

§  Cinco de Noviembre Street structures – Balay Negrense, Hofileña Museum

§  Silay City Hall and Cultural Center

§  El Ideal

Mambukal Resort and the Seven Falls

 

Day 2 evening

Night Tour Around Bacolod

§  Bacolod Public Plaza

§  San Sebastian Cathedral

§  Negros Occidental Provincial Capitol

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18th PALAPALA RESTAURANT -- Bacolod City

18^th PALAPALA RESTAURANT

Bacolod City, Negros Occidental

On our last day at Bacolod for our Mt. Kanlaon Climb, we concluded our trip by touring around the city -- the San Sebastian Cathedral, Bacolod Public Plaza, Capitol Park and Lagoon and of course a visit to Palapala Restaurant.  A friend recommended this as a must-dine place in Bacolod and indeed the ambiance, the aroma, the price, the taste, the total package – perfect for our exhausted bodies.

18^th Palapala Restaurant is located in corner 18^th and Aguinaldo Sts, Bacolod City and is a block away from Starbucks of Lacson St.  It is known for its affordable but great tasting food and a wet market where you can buy raw seafood and cooked according to your preference.  They also have a precooked menu in their TuroTuro section.  The place is ornamented with sea-related furnishings like boats, sails, etc. 

For this trip, we ordered grilled blue marlin, laing and of course chicken inasal... YumYumYum!!!  Savoring this budget-friendly food was a great way to finish off our Bacolod trip.

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AROUND BACOLOD CITY - Negros Occidental

We arrrived at Silay Airport at about 6am.  Because we have ample time before the Mt. Kanlaon climb proper, we first passed by The Ruins at Talisay.  Everyone was busy as a bee.. taking pictures and doing different poses.  According to online articles, it's Bacolod's must visit destination for photographers amateurs and professionals alike.  And true enough, one can play different scenes and twist different angles with its great landscape. 

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MT. KANLAON -- Negros Oriental

Mt. Kanlaon trail map

The Mt. Kanlaon Experience
Mapot-Mananawin Masulog Trail

Negros Oriental

Mt. Kanlaon is an active stratovolcano in Negros Oriental, 36 km southeast of Bacolod City, with a summit elevation of 8,088 feet or 2,435 meters above sea level, the highest mountain in the Visayas region.

Note: Our total expenses including airfare of P550 two-way was about P4k per head.  Thanks to Cebu Pacific and Air PhilExpress promo fares and to our kind host at Kanlaon City which made our trip possible.

After our short Bacolod City experience, we took a Ceres bus for a 3-1/2 hours ride to Canlaon City for our Mt. Kanlaon climb.  We met our guide at the terminal who accompanied us to the City Tourism Office to confirm our pre-registered climb.  Afterwards, we boarded a truck for a 1-hour ride to the Mapot jump-off.  We arrived at the jump-off at around 5pm and after 30 minutes of preparation and load distribution we started our 1 hour trek to Camp 1 - the base camp where we stayed for the night.

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