Philippine Travel Notes

My Negros Oriental Tour: San Carlos City to Cebu City I wanted to make the rounds and see whatever I could in this ship, right?! So I did! Here are some of the things I saw: too few passengers, Manong is very busy... watching TV! 1st class, business class, low class, high class, wa-class whatever you paid for, you can go and sit anywhere a view from the RORO, the passenger terminal another class of service, hey there's even a table! our bus on queue, waiting for its cue to ride the RORO beds of the same leather... hehe up, down, front, back, side, center... take your pick! down at first level... hey 562 is my bus! all clear, ready to go, yey! 'bantay dagat' is a localized version of 'coast guard' hehe yeah, I could see the top portion of the church! Sipaway Island on the other side... nice views, right?! so there we went... so long San Carlos, farewell Negros! I'll be back soon to roam the rest of Occidental. Promise! uh-huh, there's a canteen... ARGH! ...

My Negros Oriental Tour: San Carlos City to Toledo City A wonderful lackadaisical afternoon ride at sea. Yes this is, especially on an almost empty ride! I’m not new to RORO (roll-on, roll-off) rides as there are quite a number of these in the islands. But this one was more fun to me as the waters were very calm, the trip did not take so long AND there were few passengers so I had the chance to go just about anywhere on the ship to check things out! Here are my notes… and thoughts of course! Bus entered Toledo port’s gate and stopped near the guard house and conductor did some paperwork over at a small office. A port staff came to collect the P12 terminal fee from each of us passengers. When he got off, guards waved for the driver to proceed. So, we passengers did not anymore go to the passenger terminal – that means I wasn’t able to see the insides of it hehe. But judging from its externals, this fairly new passenger terminal would probably be a bigger version of that one in Liloan, S...

My Negros Oriental Tour: Bacolod City to San Carlos City, NegOcc Homeward bound,yey! To Cebu that is hehe! As expected, at 30-minutes to departure time, I was sure any of the four front seats would have already been occupied. Yep, they were. So I settled at the next available that was right window side of 3rd row. I was not as excited about the scenery along the way since I passed by them yesterday anyway. Ows?! Really now?! Hehe, okay half of me was disappointed I didn’t get a front seat! Yes, I have seen them wonderful views yesterday, but somehow, I still wanted more on this return trip. “Sir, are you going to Cebu?” came a slender southpaw gay asking. I answered with “yes, why?” and the reply was “boat fare, sir”. Oh okay, so I learned it is paid in Bacolod, on the bus, before departure, even if the ferry crossing will happen yet at San Carlos! I looked at the amount, so I paid P170. I noted too that my seat number on that ferry boat was #175, gosh whatever that was hehe! I have a ...

My Negros Oriental Tour: San Carlos City to Bacolod City, NegOcc Exciting trip! Goodbye San Carlos and there I was on the way to Bacolod. The trip is on good roads going westward approaching the mountains. I think that posh residential village called South Villa was that one I could see from the city hall days ago. Hmm, nice big houses. Must be one affluent side of the city. Oh yes, there was signage that we were about to cross C1 (circumferential road 1) and it connects to the city hall. Ah, that only means this part of the city is just really near the new city hall complex. Nice place! Onwards, I saw a memorial park and clicked a shot as there were so many fresh flowers and this was definitely not an “all souls’ day”, to the extent that I went into thinking those were all fresh(new) entrants to the cemetery hehe. The conductor saw me ogling at it and remarked something like it won some award. Ack! Even memorial parks now have contests? Whatever hehe! He clarified those were not new g...

My Negros Oriental Tour: San Carlos City to Bacolod City, NegOcc What has Bacolod got to do with my Negros ORIENTAL tour?! Calm down folks, calm down hehe! The impulsive roamer in me, myself and I took the helm again, so there I found myself heading for Bacolod hahaha! It started this way… I was done with my last morning roam of the San Carlos City People’s Park and was checking out of Lola Nitang’s. I was all set for the Ceres bus terminal to ride back to Cebu via Toledo. But the courteous and caring staff at Lola Nitang’s had to remind me with “sir, make sure you check the signboard if the air-conditioned bus is going Cebu as some are going Bacolod”. I said “ok thanks” and remarked that I thought it wouldn’t hurt if I suddenly found myself in Bacolod. They laughed, I laughed… and I think somewhere in my lowly brain that joke of mine was taken all too seriously hahaha! The detour Well yes, I may have been joking at my very own self (I can do that, yes)! But fortunately or unfortunatel...

My Negros Oriental Tour: San Carlos City, NegOcc Last day (actually last morning) in San Carlos City, but I was in no hurry, especially that I learned there was yet another place to see… the People’s Park. Not that I knew what’s in there, but with the staffs of both YM Business Inn and Lola Nitang’s suggesting the said place, I thought it should merit at least a peep. Add to that, that the trike drivers and the jolly gay owner of “D’Van’s Grill & Refreshment” also mentioned it to me. Thus, I told myself I was in no hurry to leave the city, and that I should go see the People’s Park. I was told it was far at one coastal end of the city so I took a trike. Its actually not too far away from Lola Nitang’s. Hmm, entrance alone, something told me this was/is not a so-so park! The gate and archway welcoming me as visitor looked like I was entering a suburban middle-class village (certainly even better than many I know hehe). There is signage telling that opening time is 6AM and closing ti...