Bacolod, Ilo-Ilo, Guimaras Guide for First Time Guests: An Itinerary

Bacolod City is one famous metropolitan in the South of the country because of its colorful festival, the Masskara. This festival showcases the different colors and creativity of the locals, it also shows the genuine smiles that the locals always have for guests and tourists. To date, it is among the festivities that are well embraced by national visitors as well as tourists. In October, the city is one very busy place due to this festivity and the high traffic of tourists from all around the world. Wanting not to be a tourist in my own country, I have also dreamed to visit the city one day and that dream was realized not once but twice.

My first Bacolod trip was in 2011 with the same travel buddies I had years ago and the second was in 2014 with a long lost friend whom I rekindled friendship with. The first time was a backpacking tour from the city to Ilo-ilo city where we jumped off to the secluded but wonderful Guimaras. It was in January which was wrong timing because the festivals of Sinulog and Dinagyang were happening in nearby cities, Cebu and IloIlo respectively. The second one was an exclusive vacation in Bacolod city just in time for the MassKara Festival. This travel story is the recollection of the first travel with family

We enjoyed our first travel that we hope to continue doing it, this time in the nearby Negros cities Bacolod and Ilo-Ilo. This travel is just like the first one, a five-day tour to the attractions of Negros with days 1 and 2 in Bacolod, 3 and 4 in Guimaras with sides in Ilo-Ilo, and fifth back in Bacolod.

Day 1

Our first day of the trip was spent worrying and waiting for our other travel buddies from Legazpi city in Silay-Bacolod International Airport. This was due to a bad weather that has caused cancelled schedules in the city. Eventually, the weather cleared and they were flown an hour late from the original schedule to the city of smiles where we await. Once the plane was there, we moved to the arrival area and greeted them both with happiness for seeing them once again and in excitement for another week of endless fun and learning.

Soon, we are out of the airport and to the vehicle with our tour guide. The road to the city is almost an hour travel from the international airport. The road trip was filled with history talks, views of long sugar cane plantations on both our left and right, and clean jokes. Our guide took us to our hotel first because our other companions were so tired. As soon as we checked in, we decided to cancel the tour for that day since we only have two hours to burn and instead ordered some dinner and rest. Around eight in the evening, when everyone has recharged from the long trips, we decided to start touring the city proper on our own – at least those nearby. We went down and started walking towards the capitol and park but too bad, the lighting was poor in those areas – I’m not sure if it was always like that there or there was current interruption on that spot of the city. Dismayed, we head back to the hotel, watched TV and planned for next day.

Day 2

Our day 2 was a rather early day because of the downtime we had the other day. We immediately head down the boulevard to enjoy a stroll to the highlights of the city. We stroll by San Sebastian Cathedral, the St LaSalle University, Bacolod Public Plaza, Capitol Park & Lagoon, Activity Center, Panaad Park & Stadium, and museums. The long walks were tiring but the food in the city is healing – we headed down to the famous Manokan Country to enjoy a sumptuous lunch of local flavors of poultry and seafood, and we were not disappointed! Everything was fresh, tasty, and best of all inexpensive! Nearby is the SM Bacolod city, which we explored before going to the terminal to buy ourselves tickets to Ilo-Ilo the following day.

Believing that we had our fill of the attractions in the city, we packed early for next day’s adventure. The next day, we woke up early to get a glimpse of the sunrise in the city park and then proceed to the mall to grab a quick bite and buy some food and necessities. Then we went to the terminal and waited for our cruise. This one is a shorter ride compared to our Cebu to Bohol Ro-Ro trip but not short of sceneries. Once we reach the port of Ilo-Ilo, we walked around the park and into some mango market of sort and Bachoy stalls. We found a nice and old house along the way to the Parola Port where we have to take another short boat ride to Guimaras.

In 15 minutes, we reached our destination. We alight the boat and walked to the nearby tourism station to register and get a few pointers while in the area. We have arranged a boat ride that will take us to our resort of choice, Baras Beach Resort, but we didn’t knew that the land travel to that other port will take hours as well. And so we hire a trike to tour us around the place. We stopped frequently to take photos, watch the vast mango plantations across the land, and to buy souvenirs. We were able to snap some photos of the Capitol building, the Convent, and Siete Picados or the 7 islets off the north of the island.

We arrived at the pier with our eyes full of memories and our hearts singing in happiness. The boat waiting for us was alone at the dock and there were nothing on the parking lot. Other times, we would have been scared but we weren’t even close to that because we were so excited. The boat ride was a bit long but eventually, we arrived to a secluded beach resort where a number of cottages punctuated the hilly surroundings. We reached the shore where a huge 2 storey home was and we were greeted with happy faces and delicious iced teas. They gave us instructions and assigned us to the cottage at the other side of the resort. There were no electric resources in the resort but generators, which will be cut by 10 in the evening.

As soon as we are settled in the cottage, we went down to the beach and tried the warm water. There were kayaks idling at the side of the resort so I boarded one and paddled to a nearby shore, which at our point looks white as white can get. It was indeed white sand beach on that side of the island but it was barren. I saw a man who was probably taking woods from the island but he was so shy to come up and say hi instead retreated into the mountains. There was an eerie feel in the beach and the mountains behind that compeled me to go back to my kayak and paddle back to the resort as fast as I can. When I reached the resort though, my travel companions would like to try and go to that island though so I paddled back with my friends this time.

There, we frolic the white sand and enjoyed the sight. We swam and waved at small fishermen’s boats passing by. When the sun was about to set, we paddled back to the resort, stopped by the resort’s mezzanine to order dinner and went back up to our cottage. After taking a bath and changing our clothes, we went down to the main guesthouse for dinner. The caretakers were so nice to set up a dinner by the sea with the stars and moon shining from up above. They also placed a few tall torches around our dining area to ensure that we have enough lights for ourselves.

On the other side was another table for two. There were two other guests in the resort, both white male and foreigners. They weren’t friendly so we just minded our own businesses. The food was glorious. For P150 each, we had our fill of seafood, pork, chicken, and vegetable that we started thinking how the business can manage to survive the operation expenses versus the low volume of guests that are coming in. Well, maybe, in summer, there are more people who are staying in the resort and perk up the profit.

We frolic the beach some more before we retired to our cottages where we await the 10 pm mark to shut down the electricity.

Day 3

Surprisingly, we didn’t miss the electricity overnight and even when we woke up the next day. The breeze was our centralized air conditioning and the sounds that nocturnal animals have lulled us in deep sleep. The next day, we asked for hot water and tried some of the delicacies that we had bought along the way to the island. The sun was well up when we got up so we missed the sun rise in this side of the country. The beach was calm though and it looked inviting. After our breakfast, we got down to the beach and started swimming, kayaking, and everything that anyone would do in the water. Then a fisherman boat came by, bringing live seafood. Since there are only a few of us in the resort, the owner and caretaker didn’t buy everything. I would have bought all those if I were staying longer or if I had an ice chest.

The day went on fast and a little over lunch, we started our journey back to Guimaras mainland. The boat ride was fun and as the day before, we docked at an almost barren port. The guide and trike that we had rented the other day was there already, waiting for us. We said our goodbyes, gave the boatman his bonus and board the trike for what seemed an eternity of road trip across Guimaras. We stopped a couple of times once again for the delicacies we are going to take back home and souvenirs. After that, we went directly for the port that will take us to the mainland of Ilo-Ilo.

After a 15-minute boat ride, we are back in Ilo-Ilo. Once again, we braved the long walk to the port that where we will board the SuperCat that will take us back to Bacolod. Not stopping to get something to eat, we had our late lunch enroute to Bacolod. We reached Bacolod before sundown and we head directly to the Manokan Country to grab a bite. We had what locals would always have, skewed chicken with smokey and local flavors, beef stew, and seafood. When we were full, we dropped by the mall that was just in front of the food strip and shopped for souvenirs and provisions. Then head back to the hotel to check in.

The remaining hours we had for that day was spent bumming around the busy street of Lacson and looking for recommended attractions and local food strips. We missed the Ruins for the Negrense Museum and all the old houses that can be found within the CBD. After lunch, we left for the airport and waited some more for the plane that would fly us over to Manila – which came in late so we had to burn more hours waiting in the airport. We could’ve gone somewhere nice if they had told us that the plane would be delayed for more than three hours. Oh well, the perks of sale fares. J

How to Get There

Ø  By Land-Sea-Land via Ro-Ro

Ø  By air via Cebu Pacific, Philippine Airlines or Air Asia

Cost of the entire trip

P3,000 excluding the airfares and transpo from our place to the Airport

Getting Around Cebu for the First Time

Cebu is one of the famous metropolitans in the countries. It is so known and respected for everything that it can offer – from attractions to educational institutions – that even the then president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo chose to be sworn at Sugbu Park, the serene park just outside the capitol, the Magellan’s Cross Shrine and the Basilica Minor del Santo Niño de Cebu. There were even talks before to make the dialect of the city the national language and/or to trade Cebu City to be the capital of the country. All of these things have fired up my interest to eventually come up close and personal with this place one day.

 

That “one day” came on the 14^th to 17^th of January 2010. My closest colleagues and I agreed to plan our first out of town travel together and we have chosen to fly to Cebu and Tagbilaran to see the Magellan’s Cross Shrine and the Chocolate Hills. The plans kicked off well ahead of our travel dates, about six months before, so we had so much time researching about the attractions, tours, accommodations, and utilities, and transportations in the city. We had a long list of choices then narrowed them down according to reviews and blogs of those who have been in the area. We printed a map of the island and mainland and then their road maps. This way, we were able to make a good plan of the daily itinerary. Then we contacted the people we would want to hire, from the driver down to the guides. We settled to the highly recommended of those time, Kuya Jhun and Kuya Noel.

 

Day 1

The day came and I and my officemate convene with our other travel buddies who came all the way from Legazpi City at the Ninoy Aquino Airport. We checked in, board and arrive on time at the Mactan Cebu International Airport. From there, Kuya Jhun – our hired transpo and guide – meet us and take us to our first stop of the tour, the Magellan’s Shrine. It was right there in Mactan, along the way to Lapu-Lapu City so our guide wanted to maximize our travel and time so he didn’t waste any time and distance. The place was nice and barren although it was poetic. After taking photos and bumming around, he took us to nearby SuTuKil (Sugba-Tula-Kilaw) stalls, their famous local cuisine. The food was great and the prices were just right.

Then we had the great road trip to the capital city. I would’ve loved to stop right at the entrance or exit of the metal suspension bridge but Kuya Jhun told that it was illegal so we just drove passed it. After more than an hour road trip, we already saw the malls and we knew that we are near our hotel. Our accommodation was at the oldest street in the city, Colon Street. The entrance to the hotel was small that our driver had a hard time looking for it. What’s good about our hotel was that it was nice and inexpensive plus it was right in the middle of the CBD. The food strip of the city was right next to us and most of the huge malls were all sitting next to us. Little did we know that the street itself was an attraction and historical destination of the South.

Our first day was fully loaded. After dropping by our hotel to check in and leave our bags, we immediately hopped back in our vehicle and drove off to our next destination – the Fort San Pedro aka Plaza Independencia. It was near the pier so we also dropped by to buy our tickets to Tagbilaran the next day. Within walking distance was the Magellan’s Cross Shrine, which is right next to the Basilica Minore and the university. A little walk took us to the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral, the Pari-an or Heritage of Cebu Monument. The Carbon Street was near but we didn’t dropped by yet and instead looked for Rico’s Lechon, a name highly recommended by Team Pacquiao’s Buboy Fernandez and wife Mariclaire. Kuya Jhun can’t find the place so we went to CnT Lechon instead, an establishment just in front of SM Cebu.

After that, Kuya Jhun took us to a cruise along Fuente Osmena where we saw the famous Crown Regency Hotel’s Skywalk tower, capitol and a lot more. Then we cruised the Ayala and Imus Avenues to get a good look of the city. A little over 4 o’clock, we head for the Tops where we can get a good look of the skyline and 360 degrees of the city. As promised, the place was a vantage point of the city. It was really good up there and there was a huge bell at the top. The area was a park-like destination to tourists. It was just sad that we don’t have a good camera back then so I wasn’t able to get a 360 degrees photo of the city. We watched the sun set up there and head down for the Larsian but it was full. Kuya Jhun recommended AAA and we had a good SuTuKil dinner in the place.

 

With our eyes, mind, heart, and stomach full, we head back to our hotel. We gave Kuya Jhun his take and provided instruction for the next morning. Since we were happy of how smoothly things were, we also gave Kuya Jhun a little bonus.   

Day 2

Bohol Trip

After a day in Cebu City, we hopped the Supercat to Tagbilaran aka Bohol. The weather was good and the ocean was so blue that we didn’t realize the long cruise to the land of Tarsiers and Chocolate Hills was fast appearing right before our eyes. Once we reached the destination, the tour guide that we hired immediately flashed the name card that showed the name of one of our travel buddies. We approached him and he gave us a good orientation on the tour ahead of us. As soon as we are settled in the van, he gave us a nice historical story of Bohol – how it became famous and why it is important to visit the province.  

Our first stop was the Blood Compact site or Sandugo Shrine in Barangay Bool, Tagbilaran City, Bohol. This is a masterpiece of the great National Artist Napoleon Isabelo Veloso Abueva, a local of the province. It portrays the blood compact between the Spaniard who conquered the Philippines, Miguel Lopez de Legazpi and Bohol Chieftain Datu Sikatuna on the 16^th of March 1565 – a date that is celebrated by Boolanos and the entire province in a festival.

Then, we drove off to the old Baclayon Church where short shorts are a no-no. One of my travel buds were told to wear a long skirt from the church so she can enter the home of God. At the back was a nice “gamut” house, meaning roots house and true to the name, there was a house there that is built in roots. Out in the garden are different flowering plants and shrubs as well as domesticated pets. Next stop was the Laoay Church and then went for Tarsier stalls somewhere in between Loboc and Bilar. While the wooded area in Bilar could have been near for us drop by and continue to Carmen for the Choco Hills, our guide recommended to go back for the Loboc Cruise and lunch.

And so we continue to a place where a huge snake has become an attraction, which is along our way to the Cruise. It was not among my favorites though, especially when Prony, the snake, got to enjoy an entire pig for his lunch. I had to stay behind and wait for my travel buds to get back to the van so we can continue the tour. Next, we stopped by Loboc Cruise for lunch. It was a nice buffet styled lunch in cruise, passing by singing groups in different locations along the Loboc River. After a good 30 minutes cruise-cum-lunch, we alighted the boat and once again go on a road trip, this time to the hanging bridges of Batuan. It is in this area that souvenirs are really cheap. Then it is time to see the Chocolate Hills in Carmen. Along the road to Carmen, we passed by Bilar’s woods and then the Butterfly Sanctuary.

Finally, we reached Carmen and turned to the alley that leads to the Chocolate Hills observation hill. There stood a stairwell that leads to the top of the hill where a bell and wishing well are perched. At the back side of the top was an open land of grass where one can have a nice photo opp with the choco hills as backdrop. It was really a beauty to behold although the colors of the hills would have been like chocos if it were summer. Still, the great hills were really an excellent sight. At the other side of the observation hill is the choco hills hotel. I wonder how it feels to stay in the hotel but staying in a resort in the nearvy Panglao Island is much more desirable to me. Once we descended, we agreed to go directly to the hotel we have reserved in Panglao Island. Our guide recommended another resort hotel though and while we were adamant, when we get there, we were in awe.

Our guide took us to Bagobo Beach Resort. The place was nice and the rooms that were given to us are at the beachfront. The beach was superb. The sand was as white as white can get and the ambiance was peaceful and quiet. The only let down in the resort was the unfriendly staff who were curt and insensitive to the needs of their guests. I gave our guide his take plus a little bonus and instructed him to fetch us the following afternoon for our cruise back to Cebu. We checked in the two beachfront cottages, and while waiting for dinner strolled along the white shore and bummed off to Cebu Beach Club and Resort. We passed by a few hotel and peddlers of earrings and necklaces along the way. Then we head back to the hotel to watch the sunrise and dip in the beach before we hit the dining table.

Once again, the servers were curt and feel like they don’t want to do us favors. If not for the nice ambiance and place, we would’ve packed our bags and look for another hotel. Since we are just staying overnight and the call time for our island hop is very early, we just let their disrespecting ways to go. We lounged some more after the dinner and stayed out in the shore where some beach umbrellas and beach beds were set up. A little over midnight, we hit the sack.

Day 3

Just before the sun rises, we were up and waiting for another guide who will take us to the nearby islands of Panglao – Balicasag and somewhere near the Pamilacan island for dolphin watching. They said that the dolphins will be out before 7 am so armed with our hot coffees to-go, we cruised the clean blue seas that will take us near the Pamilacan island before we set sail for Balicasag Island where our lunch will be waiting. We were not as lucky though so after a few more tries in different locations, we gave up and head for Balicasag Island. For a meager P150 per head, we enjoyed unlimited rice, cooked fish of different kinds and sizes, lobsters, crabs, shrimps, lots of buttered chicken, and mixed veggies. We were so full that we were no longer able to swim in the clear blue waters of the island.

A couple of hours more, we left for the resort. We reached way before sunset so we still had time to frolic on the shore and the beach. We swam and bummed around to our content then ordered dinner from the curt staff of the resort and requested for our food to be served out on the beach. At least they did that and we had a great last night stay with them. Beaten from the day’s activities, we hit the sack earlier.

Day 4

Once up, I tagged my roommate to get a sight of the sunrise on the beach. It was heartwarming with the early summer weather. We swam and a few more moments, our other travel buddies are up and joined us. Breakfast were ordered and consumed fast, and not wanting to be left off by Supercat, we head back to our rooms to pack. At the shore, we bought a few more take homes then head back to the resort to check out. Our guide is back to fetch us and take us to the pier.

Before lunch, we were already at the pier. We said our final goodbyes and gave our guide his final pay and bonus. Then, we head to the canteen for our lunch. Before one, we are in the boat and waiting for it to leave. Once again, the beautiful sceneries let us forget the time we were in the boat and we were in Cebu terminal in no time. From there, our city guide took fetch us and drive us down our hotel. The staff and servers of the hotel were happy to see us back, then recommended that we start our way to Carbon market soon to enjoy buying our take homes. We did and it was really fun to buy things at this market, everything was cheap and everyone is nice.

We went back to basilica and cathedral as well as the cross shrine before heading back to the hotel. For our last dinner in Cebu, we ditched the local mid-range restos for the smokey food strip next our hotel. We had what the common working Cebuanos would have for dinner – sinugba or skewed foods, fish, meat or seafood. We also tried their puso or the rice cooked in coconut cream. After dinner, we walked down the street of colon and the nearby avenue to get rid of our fullness and smokey scent but more importantly to see Cebu one last time. We head back to our rooms and had a great night.

Day 5

While everyone was preparing and packing their things back to their bags, I was out to carbon market for another round of dangit or dried fish. Then I head back to the church to say a prayer and walked back to our hotel. We then called on our guide during our first day to take us to airport where we had our lunch. We boarded and were back in Manila where three of our buds will have to wait for their flight back to Legazpi city. Overall, we had the best travel yet to a place we do not know of.

Cost

Each of has had shelled out 5,000 each for the 5 days we were in vacation, excluding airfare which we got at sale price. We, the ones from Manila, spent a few more for our transpo from our place to the airport. The ones from Bicol or Legazpi City had probably spent P2,500 to P3,000 more for their transpo back home. Overall, I could say that it was money spent wisely.

Black Nazarene or Santo Intiero of Capalonga, Camarines Norte

The Philippines is one of the most religious countries in the world. It has embraced Christianity since the invasion of the Spaniards, whom taught the locals to follow the teachings of the Holy Bible. This explains the similarities of the belief of Spaniards and Filipinos. One of the most criticized practices of Catholic believers is their loyalty to wooden idols. To us, these are symbols of our belief and we are paying respect not to the idols but to what they symbolize. This practice is even observed in provinces, like ours.

 In my younger years, I had the fortune to work for Procter &  Gamble's Bicol distributor, Accelerated Distribution Inc. (ADI). This job allowed me to travel the entire administrative area of Bicol region. One of the destinations I loved so much to visit was Camarines Norte. It is the last province of Region V bordering Region IV's Quezon province. The province was known for its gold and silver mines, beautiful white and black beaches, and alluring islands. Aside those natural resources, the province is also known to have a miraculous replica of the Santo Intiero or the Black Nazarene.  

 Curiosity got the best of me so I braved the verdant and still uber underdeveloped town of Capalonga, one of Camarines Norte's farthest towns. many believed that this town is infested with rebels but young that I was, the intrigue got the better of me. I do not know if it was loyalty to my job or curiosity or just for the fun of another adventure that I jumped in one of our company's branch vans to work with the team that visits the town once a month.

Above is a picture of our team lighting candles, asking for miracles and praying for safety. At the right is a picture of the cross with Jesus Christ already pinned on it. Below is a picture of me and the nearby beach that is more used as a port to fishermen than swimming or frolicking the beach.

Boracay Island in Summer of 2000

My first Boracay experience was way back in 2000, when cameras are all point and shoot and require films. I hope that pardons my blurry and not so nicely taken photos, which I still posted although they are not flattering. I did that just to give you guys something to compare to if you happen to see this top attraction now. Back in the days, the beach feeling was more real because there was powdery white sand everywhere, most hotels have cottages that are made of local natural materials and the foods and drinks were all sourced from the island. When you eat, you'll have the pleasure to select your raw seafood and watch the islanders to cook your pick right before your eyes.

Left is a picture of then Boracay Plaza. The entrance was made of wood, the raw kind which adds to the allure of island feel. Above is the old entrance to The Mall which is a far cry to how this establishment looks these days.

Here is a photo taken at the LeSoleil de Boracay, one of the posh hotels in the island in those days. If you stay in this hotel at the time, you are a celebrity. In the photo is then leading actor Michael DeMesa.

At the right is how station 1 looks like in those early days of Boracay. There was already a high influx of tourists but nothing compared to the number it receives these days.

Below is a photo of our group taken on an island where tourists are taken to have a sip of young coconut's juice, enjoy snorkeling, and all those things that the island offers in those days.