Lakwatsera Fridays: Must-Do Things in Bacolod

I used to visit Bacolod often. It's one of my favorite places to visit in the Philippines because there's so much to do. It was my first time to go for a vacation and just spent two days in Bacolod. We spent our limited time there eating, haha. We were glad though to discover new places to visit again. This is my updated list of places I'll visit again when I get to visit Bacolod again -

1. Calea because cake is life. It's been years since I last visited Bacolod, but my friend Anne always brought back chocolate cake for me even when I was in Singapore! Got to try out other flavors when we were there, but I made sure to eat my favorite chocolate cake for our last visit. 

2. Chicken inasal is something you should eat when in Bacolod. Nena's Rose has branch just a kembot away from Calea. We got our inasal fix on our last night, but next time I want to go to their main branch. 

3. Lanai by Freshstart Organic is a new restaurant. Our friends brought us there and I super loved the food. I tried the guava grilled pork belly. It took me awhile to realize that the guava they used is the guava jam I love spreading on crackers. Sweetie had blue marlin and it looked really tasty too. I want to go back to try their other dishes. 

4. We were told about the new ensaymada place near L'Fisher. Promptly forgot the name, but we saw Chef JP's vlog by chance where he featured V&W (Victoria & William). It was a few minutes walk to V&W from L'Fisher, just go to the street where Bongbong's is located. We got ensaymada and cheese roll and brought it to Manami. Of course, I forgot to take photos of the ensaymada and cheese roll. It means I have to go visit again because I also want to try their polvoron. 

5. First place we visited when we arrived was the new Cafe Bob's. It's I guess the fancier version of Bob's Restaurant. We headed straight there from the airport to have lunch with a friend. I'm not really sure how different the menu is from the original place, but I was nonetheless mesmerized by the variety in their menu. Next time I want to visit again the original Bob's restaurant and have dessert at Cafe Bob's. 

6. Buy pasalubong at Bongbong's or Merzci. They are both just a stone's throw away from L'Fisher and Avenue Suites on Lacson Street. 

7. We also found a hidden gem on Lacson, a toy shop named Patrick & Patrice. We visited it twice (before and after Manami). They have a wide array of toys, both new and old. I managed to buy 2 Yoda figures and a Wonder Woman figure for a friend. 

The list above is from our recent visit. Would like to add the following from previous visits:

8. A visit to Bacolod can only be complete if you visit The Ruins. It is the remains of the ancestral home of Don Mariano Ledesma Lacson and Maria Braga Lacson. It is a beautiful site to visit. I've been there a couple of times and one thing new visitors must do is find the hidden lake. 

9. One favorite place to visit when in Bacolod is El Ideal Bakery. It's in Silay City and what I like about it is the rows upon rows of baked goodies you can bring back as pasalubong. It's on the opposite side though where we went, so this is one place I'd like to visit again. If you want to take a break, you can also go to Cafe 1925. 

10. Carbin Reef is truly unforgettable for me. It's located in Sagay and you can just do a day trip. Make sure to bring your own food since it's just a reef (not sure if there's any improvements since my last visit). I love going there because you can just simply enjoy the sea. 

Oh wow, I intended to limit this list to 5! It grew though because there's so much to do in Bacolod! I know my list is mostly about food, but that's what I've always enjoyed experiencing in Bacolod. Maybe next time we can explore other places :)

#BeKind #StaySafe

Throwback Thursday: A Taste of Bacolod

Dear friends surprised us the other day with goodies from Bacolod. They sent inasal from Nena's Rose, chocolate cake from Calea and piaya from Virgie's. Wow! Our tummies were very happy and the experience immediately transported me to Bacolod. 

Bacolod is one of my favorite local destinations. There's so much you can eat and do there. The five pounds I gained staying there for a week did not go away, haha. Here's some of my unforgettable moments and activities from Bacolod -

Food!

My favorite inasal restaurant is Nena's Rose. That's definitely one place I'd like to visit again. My craving has been managed for now with the inasal friends sent us the other day. Another great place to dine in is at Bob's. Most unforgettable though was when we visited North Negros College. They laid out a feast for us! It included the fresh prawns and lobster. Best bacon in the whole wide world award though goes to Sugarland Hotel. And if ever you swing by Silay, go visit Cafe 1925.

Pasalubong Shopping

Bacolod is the sugar capital of the Philippines. There are many places you can buy pasalubong from. One of my favorites is El Ideal. We usually pass by it's original bakery on the way to Cadiz. They have bottomless goodies! Another favorite is the fresh piaya my friend gets from the market. Nothing like getting them fresh. For now they usually get me Virgie's piaya which is best served warm. I like having it for merienda. 

Activities

My most favorite thing to do whenever I go to Bacolod is head to Cadiz City. Once there we hop on a boat and go to Carbin Reef. The last time we were there though the sea became moody. We had the most adventurous ride back to Cadiz City. The boatmen though are all very skilled and I just enjoyed it like a roller coaster ride. I'd do it again to visit Carbin Reef again. 

Carbin Reef

Most unforgettable activity I've done in Bacolod is trek the Mambukal mountain to see the waterfalls. That was I think the last time I went trekking since I couldn't walk properly a week after that activity, haha. The trek though was worth it because we saw a lot of beautiful waterfalls across the trail. It was very challenging for me and the guide didn't leave me until I was safely back down. I won't be able to do it at my present state, but I'm glad I did it back then. 

Well, a place is more fun to visit when you're in good company. I will always look back at my visits and remember that I ate all the good food and enjoyed the activities because I was with amazing friends. We'll be back in good time. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Achievement Unlocked: Mambukal

So it's my birthday/work anniversary month once again. I celebrated the last day of July by having this delicious cake at Calea -

August snuck up on me since I was in Bacolod for work when it rolled-in. I ended up spending most of the day indoors working and I realized that I hadn't recovered from the trip to Iloilo just a few days before heading to Bacolod, so spending time alone was a rare treat (would've been better if connectivity was better). I had a nice lunch by myself where I got to read since the rains affected connecting to the internet (perennial telco problem). Anyway I enjoyed being disconnected for awhile since I haven't had any me time for a long time.

The next day I had a #yolo moment and went to Mambukal with my colleagues. Mambukal is a popular tourist destination an hour away from Bacolod City. It boasts of 7 waterfalls (they say there's an eight but it's high up the mountains). Franz said that his grandparents managed to get around waterfalls 1-6 with no problem, so I thought it would be okay since I had been doing a lot of walking in Singapore.

I forgot about my 5 Ps.
*Proper planning prevents poor performance

I should've read more about Mambukal. I didn't know that it was a a huge park that required hiking. I told myself I would just take a look at the first and second waterfall and then head down so I don't push my body too hard. The guides though reversed the route and started with waterfall #7 (I didn't have a clue). Two minutes heading up the mountain the whole team already had left me behind so I ended up huffing and puffing up the trail with the guide and Jerome. The guide eventually relented and found a shortcut for me so we rode a habal habal to reach the area of the seventh waterfall and that's where we caught up with the rest of the group.

They only had stairs from #1 and #2.

It had rained the previous day so the trail was slippery and I saw a number of colleagues had already slipped. I'm flat footed so that meant I had to be extra careful. My guide though was an angel and made sure I was okay throughout the trek especially when we had to cross the river. I was really nervous, but I still managed to appreciate the beautiful falls. Waterfall #6 as really interesting since it had a cliff where you can jump to take a dip in the pool (sorry I didn't jump). People took turns to jump so it was quite fun cheering them on.

The dipping pool at waterfall #6.

Part of #6, make sure to try out the yummy cassava by Manang.

On the way down to the fifth waterfall we encountered a huge beehive. There were a gazillion bees in the area. My guide made me walk faster so we would avoid getting bitten. A colleague got bitten and 2 kids walking behind me got bitten. It was scary having to rush down the area but the reward was seeing another beautiful waterfall.

It was an amazing day. It was a huge achievement for me to survive the trek. I missed out enjoying the company of my companions since I couldn't keep up with them, but I realized since the trek up Borubodur last year very few people understand what it means to have my condition. I still couldn't walk properly and it's been 5 days since the trek, but I'm happy to say that the adventure did not affect my heart. Lesson learned though, do more research before doing a #yolo moment coz it will save you a lot of muscle pain.

Good thing my guide liked taking photos! GoPro is a bit hard to figure out though.

Special thanks to my guide (I was too shy to ask his name) and Kuya Raul for making sure I made it back (and to Jerjer for being there on the way up)!

I Will Make You Hungry with this Post

Warning: this is an epic post about food, gathered from years of travel and eating.

My doctor was very happy yesterday to see my progress. He said that he and my cardiologist were very worried about me, but seeing me walking and smiling again have relieved them. After doing a quick 2D echogram with his handy gadget he said that my lungs are clear and I just have 1 millimeter of water in my pericardium which should go away in time.

I've actually been feeling much better in the last week. I just stayed home for five days straight to rest and started venturing out for walks in the last 3 days. I think it's really helped regain some of my strength and I was really surprised that results from my spirometer exercises have increased to 1,250 ml (yay!). I can also raise my arms straight up now and wear a tshirt without wincing in pain (wearing though is a different ballgame from taking it off).

Anyway so since I've been stuck at home and been ordered to take my mind off work (and keep away!) I've just been watching TV, reading, blogging, updating my journal and dreaming about my favorite food.

My doctor said it'll be safe for me to travel in about a month. Ahh, aside from seeing family and friends back home I look forward to finally eating food I like. Here's my itinerary:

Vigan

Longganisa

Empanada

Manila 

Spaghetti from Makati Supermart Coffeeshop in Alabang

Cheeseburger from Dayrit's

Jollibee, of course

And my first glass of cherry beer at Shift Restobar in Guijo, Makati

Pad Thai at Krung Thai in Marikina

Baguio

Strawberry Shortcake from Cafe by the Ruins (and loads of strawberries)

Buffalo Wings from Don Henrico's (it has to be in Baguio because I can eat the chicken there)

Bicol

Pasta Pinangat in Albay

Chiffon Cake and Pambonete from Casa Moderna

My Tita Olive's cooking

Cebu

A feast at AA Barbecue with my AA buddies Jerome, Andrew, Sweetie and hopefully with the girls, Chelle, Anne, Celine, Mitch and Jomar (no Jomar isn't a girl haha)

Boneless Crispy Pata from Dessert Factory

Bacolod

Bottomless cakes from Calea

Eating mangoes at Carbin Reef

Iloilo

Tuna Taco at Bauhinia (I hope it's still open!)

Davao

Pork Marinara, Unforgettable Pork Ribs and yummy cakes at Lachi's

Cagayan de Oro/Bukidnon

Cakes and pizza margherita at Candy's

A feast at Panagatan

Steak at Del Monte Golf Club

General Santos/Saranggani

A feast at Saranggani Highlands with my friends

Tuna kilawin and grilled tuna at Ranchero Grill

Making this post has seriously made me hungry.

A Day in Bacolod

I felt like I was in the amazing race last week with trips to Boracay-Bacolod and Kalibo. I think it's quite funny how I've been managing getting on a flight on time and how I've been keeping to my speaking time so I don't go overtime. But I definitely do not wish to get left behind on any flight I'm going to take. Hassle yun, plus it's going to mess up my schedule. Time management is key.

I was quite excited about my trip to Bacolod since I've never been there. A former colleague is Ilonggo and all he could talk about is his hometown. How great the food is, the many gimmick places, the sites to see, all the beer you'd end up drinking when you are there etc. etc. I never got to see and do any of those since I was couped up most of the day at a convention and I only managed to go around SM during lunch. Bummer.

Here's the first thing I saw when I got off the plane (the weather was a tad bit gloomy) -


And then a rainbow!


Bacolod's famous for batchoy.


Managed to snap a photo of this church on the way back to the airport.


Bumawi na lang ako sa pasalubong.


And I also ate a looootttt.


A day in Bacolod = +2 pounds on my weight.

I hope to be back someday!