I visited Bacolod last October 2009. It was my first time to visit the place. Bacolod is also known as the City of Smile. Bacolod is in the province of Negros Occidental. From my hometown it is a 5-hour bus travel going there. From Cebu we rode a van going to Toledo City for about 1.5 hours then we crossed the Tañon Strait going to San Carlos City (about 2-3 hrs) and from San Carlos we rode a bus going to Bacolod (2-3 hrs). It was not really planned and I was just invited by my co-workers.
The city is quiet, the people were friendly and hospitable knowing that we were new in the place, we can't speak the dialect (Ilonggo). In the city's gastronomic center there were a lot of delicious delicacies and local cuisine. Chicken inasal (roasted chicken) is at the top of the list. If I stay in this place for just even a month, i will really gain weight. I really love the food. We joined the night parade and partied on the streets. We also visited some landmarks. That includes "The Ruins". The structure of THE RUINS is of Italianate architecture with neo-Romanesque twin columns. Notice the shell-inspired décor at the top edges of the mansion. In New England, they often were homes to ship's captains. The father of the Maria Braga Lacson was a captain of the ship. The mansion was built after the death of Maria Braga and became Don Mariano's (b. 1865 - d. 1948) residence with his unmarried children. It was the largest residential structure ever built at that time.The structure met its sad fate in the early part of World War II when the USAFFE (United States Armed Forces in the Far East), then guerilla fighters in the Philippines, burnt the mansion to prevent the Japanese forces from utilizing it as their headquarters. We also visited the Balay Negrense (Victor Fernandez Gaston Ancestral House) in Silay City, Negros Occidental which is haunted. We arrived late for the visiting hours but we begged and asked the caretaker to open the house just to let us have a quick look in the house. The place is creepy, eerie and of course horrifying. That was already 6pm. We took pictures in every corners, a big old photographs of the owner of the house is seen in the living room, old toys and antique furniture. I was shocked that I almost dropped my camera when I saw something on one of the photos. A ghost registered on the photo. I opted not to show it here because it is giving me goosebumps everytime I look at it.
The trip was fun and in the same way it was a once in a lifetime experience. I want to visit the place again. These are some of the photos I want to share.
