The Ideal Destination

Today was all about giving Marlo as much as we could in terms of cultural, geographical and gastronomical experience that is distinctly Negrense.

 After a very long first day, I left the house with him still sleeping on the couch while I went about marketing and preparing breakfast. When I got back two hours later, he was already up and about we walked to mother's to eat and walked back to prepare for yet another long day.

The road construction along Valladolid got us held up for a good thirty minutes, it was already lunchtime when we reached Bacolod. We alit in front of the old City Hall so we could walk downtown, crossing the city plaza stopping by at the Cathedral for the angelus before heading to the Capitol. There, we checked out the contents of the museum which is not that much from what I can remember then strolled at the capitol lagoon before walking the rest of the way to Pepe's for lunch and meet Annie as well (who elected to join us for the night at the house). I ordered him Salpicao while I had my usual Lamb Stew which he sampled sparingly.

Annie had the rest of the afternoon mapped out for us. She was able to get two girlfriends of her drive us to Silay and Talisay for the must visit Balay Negrense, El Ideal and the Ruins.

The search for Balay Negrense (which we called Balay ni Gretchen in reference to Annie's anecdote of it having been called as such by some tourists) was over after our novice driver got over her confusion over going straight ahead or turning left or right. We were the last to arrive and the staff were starting to call it a day. Having been there before, I was good after getting a good shot a sitting at the porch bench.

There are two ways (I learned during this trip) in which to reach the Ruins. One was through a private subdivision (which we used when I went there with Lira) passing through Rose Lawn which offered a refreshing look at memorial gardens with their amazing lights that cast soft gold glow, it makes you think of an outdoor party. We took the easier but longer route which passes through the airport access road bu turning left on the second stoplight (where we had to wait about two to three cycles as the green light was out of order...it was a funny one).

After many wrong turns and liters of fuel and bouts of belly-aching laughter, yes we did all what we had set to do and see. That included eating dinner at Ading's where I had JD join us. Suprises for the night include JD graduating in the same school and year as Annie's :)

Making Each Trip Count: Museum Cafe

Friday has always been a day to look forward to. Last week was even made special by the fact that it fell on the day that the local parish celebrated its annual fiesta. For us, it meant an extra day to do something personal.  

Despite conscious efforts of hastening with routine, still it was already 11 am when I found myself at the bus terminal.  

Gaisano was our first stop. I promised sis to help her look for crib, bassinet and other baby stuff. Their furniture were obviously old but the place was heaven for baby clothes. I helped myself with a few articles before I got myself a white pair of Sneakers (and got KZ to do the same). We forgot the time, it was already past 3 pm and KZ still had to catch DFA. 

We dropped by SM for Bills Payment. I thought that nobody has discovered yet the Customer Service. Well, I was wrong. Not only was there quite a queue, the clients were problematic as well. One lost her card, and the other had to fill out an application form for license renewal. Our stopover lasted almost an hour, we too a taxi going to Robinsons. 

To finish early, we split up. KZ went to DFA and Philhealth while I paid my Mobile Network. While waiting, I sat and read a little bit.  

Kz's transactions went well, she rejoined me and we had our follow up treatment at Salon Uropa. 

For dinner, we tried something new: Museum Cafe. 

Their main dishes were so costly. I spied a "Dorado" dish priced at P320 when that morning I bought I kilo of the same for a measly P180. And so, we opted for their salad and sandwiches, which didn't disappoint.  

I had Kape Candoni which tasted so much like my favorite House Blend, tempered with whole milk and muscovado sugar.  

For starters, we had salad with tomato salsa, greens and some pickled vegies. I had roast beef sandwich in baguette while Jing had pork and Kz, chicken with their fruit shakes. The food was filling and made a hell of an impression. No wonder GMA hailed them best resto in Bacolod. I  just got to try their main dishes soon.