Bacolod, the City of Smiles. It is home to the Masskara Festival and unending lines of restaurants. One might even be tempted to consider it as the Food Trip Capital of the Philippines. To get a clearer overview of a trip to Bacolod City, one has to consider that the tour would not be limited to only the tourist spots in the city itself. The nearby cities of Talisay and Silay should also be included in the travel guide and itinerary and so is the much farther town of Murcia where the seven waterfalls of Mambukal National Park is located. My first trip to the province occurred in 2010 and I have since been back thrice after that.

What started out as a trip to catch the annual Pintaflores Festival in San Carlos City turned out to be a totally different journey across the province of Negros Occidental. Together with The Road Trippers peeps, we were able to visit some new old sights along the towns and cities of Talisay, Bacolod, Murcia and San Carlos. We were also able to try out and taste the local dishes these places have to offer.

Bacolod’s famous ruin, which is really not in Bacolod City but in Talisay City, has been a favorite tourist spot for travelers visiting the province of Negros Occidental. I’ve been to this place twice before and like a proper tourist; I re-visited the place again for the third time.

I’ve already discussed the rich history of The Ruins before on my first blog post about it, so I won’t delve into that anymore and spare you the history lessons.

I was holding on for dear life as our tricycle bumped its merry way across a boulder filled road--if you can really call it a road that is. We were literally bouncing like ping pong balls inside and after a few minutes our vehicle simply stopped, unable to traverse the dirt path any further. We have no choice but to walk all the way to Melba’s Farm.

Situated 600 meters above sea level, Melba’s Farm is probably Talisay City’s best kept secret. Some mistake its location to be in Bacolod City, but really, they’re not pretty far off the map. The farm is actually bordered by the two cities but is more accessible from the Bacolod’s barangay Alangilan side.

Here's a rough sketch of our five-day stay in Bacolod.  This includes our side-trip in the cities of Silay and Talisay which is actually still part of Metro Bacolod: 

I T I N E R A R I E S   
 
  Day One
    Café Bob’s
    BREDCO Port Revisited
    Grand Regal Hotel 

  Day Two
    San Sebastian Cathedral
    Capitol Park & Lagoon
    La Corona Café
    Sweet Greens Deli Café
    Calea
    Dinner at The Ruins

  Day Three
    San Diego Cathedral
    Silay Ancestral Houses 
    El Ideal Bakery & Refreshment
    The Bernardino Jalandoni Museum
    Balay Negrense Museum
    Café 1925
    Resto Grill sa Baybay

  Day Four
    Lupit Church
    Business Inn
    Virgie’s Homemade Products
    Starbucks Global Icon City Mug

E X P E N S E S
 
Transportation: P1,807.60

    P717.60 - Roundtrip ticket Manila to Silay City Airport via Cebu Pacific Promo 
                  (2 Persons, P358.80 each)
    P400.00 - NAIA 3 Terminal Fee (2 Persons, P200.00 each)
    P400.00 - Silay Airport Terminal Fee (2 Persons, P200.00 each)
    P000.00 - Transfer from Silay Airport to Grand Regal Hotel (free)
    P300.00 - Transfer from Business Inn to Silay Airport (P150.00 each)

    * Jeepney, Tricycle, and Taxi fares not included for going about the city *

Accommodation: P2,929.00

    P999.00    - Twin-sharing room at Grand Regal Hotel | 1 night
                      Tel No. (034) 708-5888 | (034) 708-5588
    P1,920.00 - Twin-sharing room at Business Inn | 2 Nights (P960.00/night)
                      Tel No. (034) 433-8877 | http://bacolodbusinessinn.com/

Food:  P3,311.00

    Day One   - P519.00
        P405.00 - Lunch at Café Bob’s 
        P114.00 - Grocery for coffee, snacks
    Day Two   - P1,230
        P160.00 - Breakfast at La Corona Café
        P265.00 - Lunch at Sweet Greens Deli Café  
        P190.00 - Snacks from Sweet Greens Deli Café (Banadas and Patties)
        P 80.00  - Calea cake dessert
        P535.00 - Dinner at the Ruins
    Day Three - P800.00
        P180.00 - Breakfast at El Ideal Bakery
        P170.00 - Early Lunch at Café 1925
        P450.00 - Dinner at Resto Grill sa Baybay
    Day Four - P762.00
        P369.00 - Breakfast at the Business Inn
        P393.00 – Lunch at Café Bob

     * Pasalubongs and Souvenirs not included *

T O T A L   S P E N D I N G S
    More or Less P8,047.60 (for two persons or 4,028.80 per person) 
                   
     
Places that we were not able to visit or revisit:

    The nearby Guimaras Island
    Mambukal National Park
    Negros Beaches

Eating too much could really make one too sleepy, which was exactly what happened to us after the eat-a-thon we did that morning. The original plan was to visit Talisay’s The Ruins for an afternoon of relaxation, photography and food. We were supposed to be there by 4pm to catch the old structure glow as the sun retreats on the west but we woke up quite late.
 
We scrambled like crazy and sped away on a jeepney bound to Talisay like madmen.

After enduring some traffic and a tricycle ride into a cornfield we arrived at the skeletal remains of The Ruins just in time for the setting sun.

What could a traveler expect from Bacolod if the Masskara Festival already had its run?  We found out by booking a flight to the City Of Smiles a week after all the festivities we're over.

After embarking from a one hour plane ride from Manila, we were immediately greeted by throngs of shuttle drivers at the Bacolod airport.  Apparently, there’s only two mode of transportation out of the airport; it's either we take the shuttle which costs a hundred pesos per person or take a cab which is quite expensive at five hundred bucks.  Us being non-gazillionaires, naturally took the cheaper alternative.  

The trip to the city took about thirty minutes and the van dropped us straight to the Business Inn at downtown Lacson.  Lucky us, we were able to get a plush room for only P1,200.  If you are on a budget, you can also get also get one for as low as P800, we however, missed seeing their promo before booking in.

We strolled around a bit afterwards, looking for a place to have breakfast.  Since it was still quite early, the only places open were the usual fast-food fares.  With our stomachs already protesting, we decided to just get some good ol' Mcdo al fresco style in front of the provincial capitol. And you’d think we’d be hurriedly sampling a genuine Chicken Inasal dish.

After a few hours rest (we skipped lunch), we were on our way to one of the famous spot in Bacolod; The Ruins.  We were told that the best time to visit the place was during the late afternoon.  The skeletal ruin is at just the right spot as the sun lowers down at the opposite end of the horizon.  The edifice literally glows orange as the sun retires down for the day.

To get there from Lacson, we took a jeep going to Bata.  We boarded down at the old Pepsi plant; took a tricycle, which cost us 50 bucks, straight to The Ruins.  You might also want to get the tricycle driver’s celphone number so you can just text him to fetch you upon departing as the terminal is quite a walk away from the place.  Unless you’re brave enough to walk down a deserted road with nothing but corn plantations on both sides and no streetlamps in sight, get Manong’s number.

The Ruins, according to the history posted along its walls, was built around the early 1900’s.  It was owned by Don Mariano Ledesma Lacson who managed the sugarcane fields surrounding the villa. 

During World War II, it was burned down by the USAFFE to prevent the Japanese forces from using it as a base of operations.  The house was initially poured with three barrels of gasoline, and when it did not suffice to graze the house, additional fuel was added to bring the roof down and burn the two-inch thick floorings.  The house reportedly burned for three days.

If you are a history fan, an architectural geek, or just a plain romantic, you would definitely love this place.  The structure's concrete is still silky smooth and the architectural decors perfectly preserved in all it's Neo Romanesque glory.  The whole area is not that large, but you definitely would not run out of subjects to photograph. 

And if ever you tire out of shooting the Ruins, you can just relax, dine and enjoy the warm glow inside the house.  They serve Mediterranean food although we did not get to try out their menu.  Pricing looks just about right, and if you add in the ambience, well it's a bargain then.

 

  The Ruins
  Talisay City, Bacolod
  Ring them up at (0917) 832-6003
  Email them at lacson_mansion@yahoo.com.ph