Negros Occidental

Five Days Around these Negros Occidental cities: Bacolod, Silay and Talisay

Instead of me going away and traveling to faraway places, I toured a friend who spent her five-day vacation in my home province in Negros Occidental, Philippines. It was already more than two years since I moved back home and I have somehow become familiar of various routes from one point of my city to …

Masks at the Jojo Vito Designs Gallery

When I moved back to Bacolod City, one of the persons I came to know was Jojo Vito, the man behind the Jojo Vito Designs Gallery, whom I met through the Negrense Blogging Society, Inc. (NBSI). Since I was away for two decades from my hometown, I have become clueless on what’s popular, where to …

Tent Five

New Dining Place in Bacolod: Tent Five

If Bacolod City is known for something, apart from Masskara Festival and the smiling people, it is its good food that can be enjoyed in many great dining places that dot the metropolis. [UPDATE 2023: The restaurant has closed and is no longer in operation in this location.] A new foodie attraction is the Marketplace, …

A Ribshack Delight in Bacolod

Seldom does a food court stall captures my fancy. I’d often resort to eating in food courts when I am pressed for time, low on budget, or spending meal time with a big number of group. Unless there is a particular stall that serves food with superb taste then I’d probably frequent the food court …

Travel, Culture, and Cinema

I can still vividly remember my Film 101 class when I was still in the University of Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City. I always looked forward to Fridays when we would watch a movie in school or in the mall theaters. Our teacher also required us to watch a movie or two outside of the …

The Bantay Lasang of Cauayan

Bantay Lasang (literally means forest guards) volunteers, a name given to those who patrol the forests of Negros Occidental, Philippines, eagerly waited at the Camalanda-an National High School in Cauayan for us to arrive. I joined the officers and executives of the Foundation for the Philippine Environment (FPE), Globe Telecoms, and the Ecological and Agricultural …

Agos Ram Pump

Earth Day: Agos Ram Pump for the Countryside

We started early in the morning coming from Bacolod City going through the Murcia-Bago road onward to La Castellana, Negros Occidental for the turnover of the Agos Ram Pump project of Coca-Cola Philippines, in partnership with the Alternative Indigenous Development Foundation, Inc. (AIDFI), in celebration of Earth Day 2016. With several vehicles on convoy, we …

Lux Mundi

Murcia’s Lux Mundi Monastery & Catholic Ming Yuan College

When I tagged along with my DOT-accredited tour guide friends, Maricar and Artie, to Salvador Benedicto, they were talking about the Lux Mundi monastery in Murcia, a town between Bacolod City and Salvador Benedicto. They were planning to visit the monastery the day after but as we left Balokon Spring Resort earlier than planned, we …

San Juan Community Development Coop

Staying at San Juan Community Development Cooperative, Siquijor

I was browsing through my Facebook timeline when I saw my friend, Mags Dizon, posting photos of her Siquijor trip. I was immediately taken and instantly remembered other friends who also went to the island a few months back. The idea of going to Siquijor for the holy week suddenly sprang in my mind. I …

Siquijor

Siquijor Beaches, Waterfalls, Spring Parks and Marine Sanctuaries

I have enumerated in my previous post about the various ways to get to Siquijor. Searching for the beautiful attractions to visit in Siquijor, the beaches best for swimming, the natural sights to see, the waterfalls to check, spring parks to spend some quiet time, and marine sanctuary to visit may need the help of a …

Siquijor Island

First-time in Siquijor Island

Siquijor is said to be a mystical island in the Philippines because of the presence of healers in this 338-square kilometer area. Even when I was kid I have heard a lot of these stories from our elders. And while my sister and I were recently in Siquijor Island for the Holy Week, which was in …

Bacolod City

10 Reasons to Acquire Real Estate and Settle in Negros

As of 2015, the Philippines was in the top 25 countries in the world to retire, and it comes in third among the Asian countries. In the Philippines, the two provinces of Negros Island  — Negros Occidental to the west and Negros Oriental to the east — have always been cited as some of the ideal …

Choobi Choobi

Have a Choobi Choobi Filipino Meal

“Choobi Choobi” is a Fookien word for the Visayan expression “lingaw lingaw” which translates to enjoying or having fun. Now, Choobi Choobi  is almost synonymous to Filipino food that you can enjoy. The CEO of Choobi Choobi, Mr. Constantine “Stan” Tanchan, fondly shared the story of how the name came about. And if you’re one …

Merkado

First-time in Merkado Cafe Bacolod

Merkado in local language (Hiligaynon is the language of those living in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines) means market. Most towns in my country, especially those in remote areas, have market day wherein locals and visitors alike flock to the town’s economic hub to see new goods being delivered and buy those that they need …

MassKara Festival, Philippines

The Colors of the Philippines

Wow Tapes: Philippines from WowTapes on Vimeo. If you watch this video from Wow Tapes, you will find that the Philippines — yes, that tropical archipelago with 7,107 islands in the Southeast Asia region — is a country that is full of colors, not just visually but in the true essence of the word. The …