Showing posts with label MassKara. Show all posts

Bacolod Chronicles: The Ruins

Also known as the Taj Mahal of Negros, the Ruins is one of Bacolod's attractions that you should not miss.

Located in Talisay, just a few minutes away from the city - thanks to the newly built roads, the Ruins is accessible, easy to go to and a tourist favorite. It's currently the number 1 attraction in Bacolod according to Trip Advisor.

The Ruins

There are tour guides provided to tell stories and trivia around the house. Unfortunately, we came at a busy time and we weren't able to find any available tour guide. Personally, I love it when there are little or no people in the Ruins. The empty house is just a little more appealing. You can read up on the historically romantic story of this iconic house on their website.

Faux Children
This place truly is romantic, it puts you in the romantic mood but there are a few things that (for me) snap be back to reality. When the sun goes down and the magic hour is done, the house then starts to glow. Not because of magic but because they have placed lights all over the place, even outlining the house.  There is also a huge christmas tree obstructing the view of the house, although bearable, I think that the house would look better without it.

Guest Entrance
Fountain
On the brighter side of things, the house is well maintained and the place is kept clean. Although this fountain has been retouched a couple of times, it still stays true to its form. It reminds me of me grand people used to live and yet it was elegant and beautiful. Past the fountain is their azucarera a.k.a sugar factory. Originally known as the Sugar Capital of the Philippines, it would only make sense that this rich family was involved in the sugar industry. Unfortunately, that area is not open to the tourists and I have no photo.

Children's Entrance
We would like to think we're the fun tour group and so we danced to our favorite chant from the party - CLAP YOUR HANDS UP IN THE AIR

The Crazy Bunch
The Ruins is definitely a must see for a lot of reasons. If this place has captured your heart, like it did ours, you can actually hold events and photo shoots here.

Bacolod Chronicles: Campuestohan

Known as the Sugar Capital of the Philippines or the City of Smiles, Bacolod is definitely a place you must visit. The last Masskara festival I went to was two years ago and I must say, not much has changed.

It was sort of a last minute trip and there are no regrets. Being the only one who's been to Bacolod a couple times in the group, I instantly became the group's tour guide. It was quite a challenge because of the traffic and weather during our visit but we made the most out of the times where we were complete.

First destination - Campuestohan

Lodge
Located in Talisay, it's an hour or so away from the city. It's a highland resort where friends and families can hang out. They have two pools and a lot of other attractions that can definitely keep you busy. Although it was raining during our visit to Campuestohan, it didn't stop us from having fun at the resort and maximizing the Php 150.00 entrance fee.

Swimming Pool & Play Ground



The pools were far away from each other which brings up a hygiene problem because kids and adolescents run across the grass barefoot to go to the other pool. If you don't want to swim - like us, there are other options to keep entertained. You can cross the hanging bridge, bike in the air, zip line or go through a rope course.

Cycling in the air

Just Hanging out
We didn't stay as long as we originally planned because of the rain and also because we started craving for some coffee and cake. We headed over to Calea and got our cake fix. (You can read more about our food adventures here).

Did anyone say 'cake'?

Whether you're with your family or friends, make sure to drop by Campuestohan and see another side of Bacolod.

Bacolod Food Chronicles: MassKara Special + Cafe 1925

The last time I was in Bacolod, all I did was eat. Six months later, I'm back and I pretty much did the same thing. Hahaha! What can I say, this place never runs out of good food to put infront of me!

I was in Bacolod last October for their MassKara festival - a three day street event wherein they closed Lacson St., for the street party. There were parades everyday and a crazy street parties every night! Everything was cheap and easily available - which meant cheap alcohol ( cocktails for Php 10! How can you say no to that? ) and of course grilled food at every corner!

Here are some photos from the MassKara festival - which made me miss my camera so bad :( Time to save up for a new one!
Cake time at Calea

Travel buddies!

Ice cream after lunch at Aboy's

Merci photobooth along Lacson St.

MINION!

Chivas, BBQ and Sisig along Lacson St.
MassKara outfits displayed

Winning costume!
When the festival was over, it was time to go home for everyone. The airport in Bacolod is located in a different city which is a 30 minute drive. It's not that bad especially if you're gonna stop by Cafe 1925 before you board your plane!

Cafe 1925 is a small cafe located in Silay, Bacolod. It's a 5-10 minute drive from the airport. A lot of tourists drop by here to have their last meal before they board their planes and say bye bye to Bacolod. Just like a routine, my family and I dropped by Cafe 1925 for dinner before heading to the airport


Steak Panini

Roasted Pork Loin (Php 180)

Fish and Chips (Php 160)
Their servings may not look big on photos but one serving is actually good for 2 people! Everything is cooked upon ordering but the 15 minute wait is definitely worth it! It's the perfect last meal before leaving this food-filled place!

I'll definitely come back to Bacolod for more food aventures and maybe take my camera out for a spin. Haha