A Glimpse of Negros Occidental (Part 1 of 3)

(Silay, Bacolod, Murcia, Talisay on a Weekend)

This is my first trip outside Cebu, on a plane, that will only be for 2 days. With an itinerary at hand and some loads of excitement, I would be sharing with you how to enjoy the Sugar Capital of the Philippines the backpacker's way.

We boarded a Cebu Pacific flight from Cebu to Bacolod at 5:50 am. 

I never really thought Negros is just minutes away from Cebu. I was not even halfway the flight magazine when the Captain announced that the plane would start to descend. Estimated travel time per ticket was 45 minutes and when we finally landed the flight attendant proudly said that we were 35 minutes ahead of our schedule. Isn't it amazing?

We landed in Bacolod-Silay International Airport which is located in Silay City. The airport's surrounding is very relaxing because most you see is green! 

But before leaving the airport we grabbed a free map of Silay's walking heritage tour from the tourist information desk.

We boarded a tricycle outside the airport (P20 per head). Going to the city proper would very much tell you you're in Negros already. Sugarcane plantations are all you see!

Silay City

Our morning destination is Silay City, the Paris of Negros. Why the name? We will together find out.

Our first stop is a much-needed breakfast from El Ideal Bakery.

This is Silay's original bakery and says to   have been in this particular city since 1920's. This used to be the meeting place of gamblers and some high-profiled people of Negros. The house where it's situated was declared as a national heritage and this is currently run by the the 3rd and 4th generation.

Actually, the bestseller here is the famous guapple pie.

Since  we prefer to eat a pinoy breakfast, we opted to eat guapple pie on our last day before heading to the airport. We ordered different dishes and brewed coffee.

The coffee is very popular you shouldn't dare miss. After filling ourselves with such hearty meal, we focused on our maps and started our walking tour. The map has around 30 ancestral buildings on it but we didn't try to see them all - only the famous and recommended.

First on our list is Cinco De Noviembre. This is a very historical place because on November 5 (hence the name), the residents of Negros rose in revolt against Spanish rules.

Then, along the Cinco De Noviembre Street are very beautiful ancestral houses that are still occupied as of the moment.

Then, we stopped by Manuel Severino Ancestral House.

Then, Balay Negrense..

Maria Ledesma Golez Ancestral House

Then to the Bernardino Jalandoni House Museum. We opted to enter this pink house to immerse ourselves of how life in a big mansion feels like. The entrance fee is P60 and you will be accompanied by a guide who very much knows every single detail of the place.

After filling ourselves with so much history, we decided to drop by the San Diego Pro-Cathedral which is a few steps away from the museum. This is said to be an indication how rich the people are due to their home's distance from the church.

The Cathedral has a dome and interestingly, this was designed by an Italian Architect.

Our tour ended at where we started - the El Ideal Bakery. There was a waiting shed nearby and we waited for a bus to Bacolod City!

Bacolod City

I never had any expectation of Bacolod except for the fact that it's surrounded by super many rich pips. One even told me that it's more expensive here compared to other cities. We'll find out later on.

The bus stopped by the terminal. We boarded a jeep that would take us to Lacson Street. Our plan is to check-in at our hotel first before having lunch.

When we started to enter the City, here was my observation:

1. The roads are wide.

2. There is less traffic or sometimes, none at all.

3. There are a lot as in super lot of eating places.

4. I so love their language, they speak very gently and really sweet.

We had the BDO Rosario as landmark of our hotel. But Lacson street is way too long that when the jeep started to enter a different street, we opted to stop by the plaza across the Cathedral and started walking or finding rather our hotel.

It was not an easy journey because the people seem to have no idea where our hotel is located. We walked until we met a man who knows where the hotel is. Thank God!

We checked in at Tamera Plaza Inn and was greeted by a very cozy room.

We rested for a while and headed to Chicken House after. Eating Chicken Inasal in Bacolod is like eating Bicol Express in Bicol - you should not dare miss!

The Chicken House offers a different take on chicken inasal. The skin is crispy that I think it was also kinda fried but it was really good. We actually planned to go to Manokan Country but due to the hotel's distance to the restaurant and our starving stomachs, we settled with this but we were really happy already!

After our lunch, we rode a jeepney bound for Libertad Market and boarded a minibus to our next stop, Mambukal Resort.

Coffee Prince

If you're a Koreanovela addict, this cafe's name may really sound a bell.

Coffee Prince is a Korean-inspired coffee shop. A tv series with the same name makes it a lot more familiar, I guess.  The two-storey cafe has a lot of room not just for groups but also for people who might want to be on their own.

My friend and I entered this place just for desserts first but ended up buying coffee as well.

While waiting for our orders, let me tour you around the premises. Haha

In the second floor, there are double-deckers that can accommodate more groups.

We settled in the ground floor as we indulged ourselves with their mouth-watering blueberry cheesecake and coffee!

I have had the chance of being on the exact set of the Coffee Prince tv drama when I went to Korea. Though they are not the same, the Coffee Prince here would give you a glimpse of how it feels to be in Korea. :)

Persona Mesa

This is a sooo-late post and I'm kinda guilty for that.

When my bro had his birthday last July, we were looking for a new place to try and celebrate his day. We are just on the JA Clarin St area and immediately noticed a newly-opened restaurant named Persona Mesa. Of course, who would wanna miss.

                                         

Persona Mesa was on soft-opening. I think it was their first week. There were a few groups enjoying dinner inside the restaurant. We preferred dining outside and made our orders.

While waiting, I took some pics of the new resto in town.

Here are what we ordered and how I would rate them.

1. Sisig Triangles - Instant favorite here. One of the best starters I've ever tried. The condiments went so good with it.

2. Batchoy Soup - I ordered only one for both of us but I think the serving size is for one person only. Not really bad because we just want something hot to start our meals.

3. Persona Spareribs - My bro enjoyed eating this. The meat was so tender, and it tasted really good.

4. Drinks

Lemongrass and Ginger (left), uhm, it was good at first. It has this cooling effect on your throat because of the ginger I guess but overtime, I started to dislike it. Sorry.

Pineapple and Cucumber (right) was the best combination. This is a must-try here. I so love how they blended so well.

For more info on their offerings, here's their menu:

 

Ribpublic

Nestled in a quiet neighborhood at the back of Coco Mall is a small yet cozy restaurant named Ribpublic.

It is not airconditioned but the interiors would make up for it. Haha

I think the diner's name pretty much suggests its bestseller. RIBS. Oh gosh. I just don't know why it feels so good when I hear this four-letter word. Haha

My friend and I only ordered 1 serving because as we observed, the size was kinda big for one person.

The meat was tender and its taste reminds me of Cafe Antonio in Dumaguete City.

Well, I could really say this is one true hole-in-the-wall worth to be discovered. They don't just sell ribs either. See their menu!

Pueblo Mexicano

My officemates once again invited me for a night out. And by that, for now, we meant just eating out. Haha

After having dinner in a dimsum restaurant in BTC, we looked for a place to have coffee and desserts. And as we walked and searched, we found this dimly-lighted restaurant named Pueblo Mexicano.

I am so fond of new places and this one's really interesting from its interiors to the music as you enter the place. Indeed, it's Mexican!

Except for a couple, we were just the people there! We ordered a cake in a jar, cheese nachos and coffee.

I just loved how they presented the cake and how it was not so sweet.

Their nachos was freshly cooked and really good.

After around 2 hrs of talking, we left. I really don't know why this resto does not get that much attention or maybe because it was a weekday? But their food are worth the try and I'm even planning to come back for their main dishes!