The road to the Dumaguete Triangle.

Last time I described the last night of the Bacolodiat festival, my impromptu late night market visit and consequent very late bedtime so it was no surprise that I didn't get up in time for the silly o'clock air-con bus.  I checked reluctantly out of the rather pleasant hotel I was in, grabbed a taxi to the Southern bus station and had my first up close encounter with one of the most dangerous things ever invented by man or more possibly the more malign witches of Siquijor island (of whom more later). 

Ceres assassin Liner.

This thing is a Ceres Liner bus and it is the most feared thing in the Visaya region of the Philippines.  I have been forced off the road twice by them whilst riding my motorbike.  Don't panic, they generally only force you off wen there is somewhere to go and I am well aware of them.  They drive like complete lunatics.  I heard a joke that if a Ceres Liner driver knocks somebody over they are told to reverse over them as funeral expenses are less than hospital fees.  At least I think it's a joke.

Anyway, I got on the thing (no option really, it is the only transport) and settled down for the seven hour journey to Dumaguete, a Southern city and capital of Negros Oriental with a reputation as a University place with a relaxed atmosphere and it is certainly relaxed.  I have been here for about six weeks now with no apparent way out, but more of that in due course.

The Ceres Liner, non air-con, was great fun.  In truth, I do not like air-conditioning.  It gives me a sore throat and three nights in an air-con room will inevitably gve me a head cold.

Interior, Ceres Liner bus.

The day passed pleasantly on the bus with the window open and my arm out getting some sun.  It was not too hot, especially on the mountain section Kabankalan / Mabinay / Bias City.  there were also some nice views on this section but the bus never stops at the scenic places.  It does, however, stop just about everywhere else.  This is effectively an intercity service and you can flag it down anywhere on the road.  Similarly, you can get off at your front door, just yell at the conductor and the bus will stop.  I think the funniest bit was when the bus stopped and the conductor jumped off with a plastic bag of clothing and ran into a shack by the roadside.  He re-emerged a minute later with another bag of obviously folded clothes.  He had stopped to get his laundry.  Only in Asia.

View of Cebu.

I did manage to get one half-decent shot as the bus hurtled down the twisting mountain road with no barriers and a sheer drop.  Forget Alton Towers, this is a proper thrill ride.  Despite the best efforts of the psychotic driver, we arrived in Dumaguete in the early evening and remarkably intact.  Out of the bus station, had the obligatory argument with the trike driver who obviously took me for a mug and jumped in (at the right price) and took off on what I know now to be National Highway South.

I should explain here, I had booked ahead online at a place called Dumaguete Springs, which looked nice on the website although it was a bit above my budget.  For some reason, Duma itself was full up and I just could not get a cheap room anywhere.  At about 12km we turned off down an unpaved and unlit track and eventually turned up at the Dumaguete Springs Resort.  The first problem was finding a member of staff, which we eventually achieved by liberal use of his horn which was no problem as the horn is the most important piece of equipment on any Philippino vehicle.

Dumaguete Springs Resort room.

I don't know about you but I have a really highly tuned sense of a place almost instantaneously.  It was just after sunset and I would have expected at least one or two people either round the pool or at the bar or even at the not very inspiring beach.  Not a one, it was like the Wreck of the Hesperus, a bloody ghost ship.  Not good.  I was shown to the room, which was pleasant as the photos show.

Dumaguete Springs Resort.

The resort itself was OK although overpriced for what it was but the problem was that it was totally dead.  Damn, I was in here for three nights and there was nothing to do.  Even if I had had a partner, the pool table was covered and being used for sorting laundry.  The photo of the jacuzzi says it all really.  I found out that the first night I was there that only one other couple was booked in and the second night I was the sole paying guest.  Even at the ridiculous prices here, it can't be covering overheads at that rate.

Alleged jacuzzi, Dumaguete Springs.

I did find out later that the resort is owned by an Austrian guy who has various other businesses in the Phils and is run by his mistress.  You heard it here folks and, believe me, I have all the inside gossip in this town now.  He might want to have a look at what is undoubtedly a multi million peso investment.  In fairness to the place, it did have a lovely pool, so here it is.  More to come soon.

Pool, Dumaguete Springs resort.

Enter the Dragon (year of)

Revellers, Bacolod.

Sunday, New Years Eve of the Year of the Dragon was another fairly relaxed day preparing for the evening's festivities.  When night fell and I went downtown, I could not believe there could have been any more people thatn the Saturday but there were, it was completely rammed.  The security guy recognised me so again it was ramble round at will and take a few photos, some of which I shall include here.  Although the guys above might look like the Philippino answer to Boyzone, they are absolutely nothing to do with the band.  They are merely random members of the audience who jumped up onstage.  Neither the band, roadies nor security seemed in the slightest concerned.  Imagine that happening in UK, not a chance.

Access all areas, Bacolod.

The image above is just to prove I really did get backstage access.  Naturally, the fact that the young lady singing had a pair of skintight shorts on and the posterior to fill them had nothing whatsoever to do with it's inclusion!

Although the photo below is not the best (I hate using flash) it gives an idea of the general merriment and also the Philippine love for posing for the camera.

Revellers, Bacolod.

The young lad here was really getting into the swing of things and also demonstrates an interesting cultural thing in the Philippines.  Ask a young Philippino to pose (they take little persuading as I have mentioned before) and it is about an evens chance they will give a two-fingered peace sign.

Reveller, Bacolod.

I have made enquiries about this and have been given two theories.  First is that it was a sign adopted during the peaceful revolution in the 80's when Cory Aquino came to power and the second is that it is an import from Korea.  Either is possible as there is certainly a big Korean influence in the Philippines.  Only a couple of nights ago I was eating delightful homemade Kimchi (Korean pickled vegetables) in a bar here.  The Korean owner is a mate, but more of that later.

Revellers, Bacolod.

This is just to give an indication of the scale of the whole thing.  This is probably about half of the main street and there was another huge crowd off it beside and around the lagoon, it really was a big deal.  Interestingly, it is not touristy.  If I saw a dozen Westerners all weekend it was the height of it.

The Man, Bacolod.

Age seems to be no barrier to enjoying Bacolodiat.  I saw babes in arms and pensioners about and I simply had to take a photo of this guy.  He just didn't stop all night, he was the original Duracell bunny.   Unbelievable energy which I suspect was mostly Tanduay rum fuelled.

At some ridiculously late hour the festivities were still going strong but I had had enough and took off to walk home.  I had become bored of my usual route and thought I was fairly well orientated so I decided to try an alternative route based on general directions.  How difficult can that be?  Well, difficult enough apparently, although as so often happens to me it turned out to be rather interesting as I stumbled into the public market.  Regular readers will know that I am a complete sucker for Asian markets, I just love them.  The following images show how wonderful they can be.

Fish stall, Bacolod public market.

Fish stall, Bacolod public market.

Fish stall, Bacolod public market.

Butcher, Bacolod public market.

Vendor, Bacolod public market.

I did get some rather strange looks, I must say.  Westerners are at a premium in Bacolod and one of them wandering through a backstreet market at about four in the morning must be unheard of.  Still, the usual smiling, gesturing and generally acting the silly Westerner got me through with a few laughs along the way.  It is incredible how much non-verbal communication you can manage if you need to.

Do not panic, dear reader, I eventually found a landmark, re-orientated myself and got home to a late but welcome bed in good order.

I'm on a roll now, so I'll post more in a little while.

So much to tell, so little time.

It's hard to beleive that I am so far behind with this blog, but I am.  Any internet time I get when I am not actually doing travelling things seems to be taken up with writing tips on Virtual Tourist and that can be time consuming, to say the least.  You might want to check there for a few of the things I have done.  I shall, however, dedicate a few hours on this gloriously sunny Saturday in San Miguel, nursing a San Miguel to telling you some more of my rambles.  OK, I only wrote that last sentence to make my European readers jealous, sorry guys.

I had left you at the completely washed out first night of the Bacolodiat / Chinese New Year festival and the hope that the Saturday would be better weather.  Well, it was and after a fairly uneventful pool and wandering around day the seun set, as it does regularly at 1800.  I don't understand it but in Southeast Asia, no matter what the month it always seems to be sunset at the same time.  A quick bite to eat and back into town for the night's festivities.  Turning into Lacson Street, the first thing that caught my eye was the local car club displaying their wheels.  This one particularly took my fancy and also shows the powerful effect of the Roman Catholic Church here.  I have no doubt that in Europe this would be a semi-dressed woman or some such.  It was very impressive though.

Custom Car, Bacolod.

The next thing of note was a couple of pretty impressive inflatables.

Inflatables, Bacolod.

Saturday was very much of the same as Friday only moreso.  Another stage had been erected, the fireworks seemed even better and the revellers more raucous.  One difference was that the additional stage featured some very talented youngsters performing various dances.

Dancers, Bacolod.

I had to include this next photo.  She had a voice like an angel but what in the name of all that's holy was her wardrobe consultant thinking?

Fashion Disaster, Bacolod.

I could not help but have a mental vision of her train concealing an air line to keep the whole contraption inflated.

I don't know if I have mentioned before the quality of Philippine musicianship, it is universally high.  Youngsters who appear to be in their mid teens knock out note perfect covers of pop songs.  I have had the privelege of playing with a few local bands and they really are the business, even managing to cover me which takes some doing.  There as a good band playing at one of the stages, so I had a bit of a word with the security guy and it was "Access all areas" for yours truly.  Bless her, the young female vocalist even started playing up for the camera as you can see.

Vocalist, Bacolod.

The firework display, as I mentioned, was again impressive.  I can never seem to get a good photo of fireworks, I don't know why, but this is the most presentable of a very bad bunch.

Fireworks and lanterns, Bacolod.

After a couple of beers and a couple of games of pool (Won 1, Lost 1) it was off to bed and prepare for the Sunday night which was the actual New Years Eve.

Chinese New Year.

On my first night in Negros, I had been out with friends as described in the last posting and eventually, pretty tired and weary but very happy, I was deposited at my hotel, the Circle Inn.  I had booked it online and it looked OK but at about £15 a night I wasn't expecting the Ritz.  What a pleasant surprise.  Very smart armed security on the door, charming reception staff and the room was very pleasant, as the images show.

 

The coffee shop / restaurant area looked pretty  nice at a glance.  It was only the next day when I discovered the decent sized pool and well-stocked carp pond that I decided it was a steal at that kind of money.

Next morning was time for a bit of an explore of the town, and it is as pleasant in daylight as it had been in the dark.  It is well laid out and very clean and tidy.

First stop was a small zoo affair which specialises in endangered species from the Visayas region including the Visayan Warty Pig (lovely name) and the Visayan Deer.  Here is a link to my VT page about it which shows more images and explains it all.  Just a couple of photos here.

Visayan warty pig.

Here is our warty friend.

Visayan writhed hornbill

Well, look at me, I have just learned to do captions after about three years of keeping this blog.  Quick learner, eh?

On a serious and sadder note, both these animals are officially critically endangered which means that without serious intervention they will be extinct in five years.  Yes, five years, it hardly bears thinking about.  Almost all the species here are either critically endangered or endangered which gives them an extinction timeline of ten years.  It is very sad really.

After the ecological centre, I had a refreshing lime and ginger drink in a little cafe.  I'd never had this in all my Asian travels and I am definitely going to try to replicate it at home.

Lime and ginger drink.

Nest, it was on to the grandly titled Negros Occidental Museum which is really a restored sugar baron's home with a few tableaux etc. in it as well as an art gallery.  Interesting enough and it passed an hour or so.

Negros Occidental Museum.

Musicians at the Bacolodiat.

Revellers, Bacolodiat.

Off for a quick bite to eat and then it was party time.  The Chinese New Year celebrations here last for three days and the city puts on a huge party which they delightfully name the Bacolodiat.  The main drag (Lacson Street) is shut off with large stages erected at either end, there are excellent fireworks displays and general drunken revelry.  The Philippinos love drinking and it is hardly surprising when you can buy a full bottle of Tanduay rum for about one pound.  It is proper deisel but the good stuff is only about two quid.  It is bizarre that a bottle of beer in a bar is about the same price.  The Coke to mix it with costs more.  Here are a few images of the first night.

I had selected a foodstall and had ordered some food.  Everything was going swimmingly and then the Heavens opened and it rained as it can only rain in Asia, at which point everyone was damned near swimming literally.  A proper tropical storm that went on for over an hour.  The kitchen closed as the woks were filling with rainwater so I resorted to a cocktail.  It was quite amusing as everyone was trying to cram into the food tents to avoid the deluge, it was bedlam but all very good-natured.  This is what it looked like.  People complain about the rain at Glastonbury, it has nothing on this place.

Sodden festival goers.

Rain had obviously stopped play so it was off to bed

 and hope for better weather on Saturday.

First night on Negros.

So, I have successfully published the last post about the wonderful seafood restaurant I visited literally 15 minutes after arriving on Negros.  I was a little tired but Buena had other plans.  Herself, Kenny, Gregg, myself and two other friends who had joined us all took off into the centre of town.  Remember, I am just off the boat and not orientated at all. I have only a vague idea where my hotel is in a completely alien town based on a Google map image in my head and it is already well dark.  No problem, Fergy style travelling.

A short drive took us to what I now know is the main drag called Lacson Street, and just off it is the old Government building fronted by the lagoon which is very much the centre of town.  Think Trafalgar Square, Times Square, that sort of thing.

It seemed like the whole town was out taking the air.  Here is what it looks like.

Pretty, isn't it?

The lagoon was all lit up and very pretty as well.

The lake is stocked with fish and Buena asked me did I want to feed them.  OK, sounds like fun, so we went to the vendor to get fishfood.  What was it?  Only popcorn.  Fish eating popcorn, I had neverheard of such a thing but they go bloody mad for it.  I suggest you don't try this at home with your prize carp but it works here.

Having done the lagoon promenade thing, it still wasn't over, more to see but I was getting my second wind now.  Remember, I still haven't even checked into my hotel and had said I would be there about 7 but, go with the flow.  Off out of town to the new Government building which is the administrative capital of Negros Occidental.  I should explain.  The island is divided into two administrative areas, Negros Occidental to the North and West and Negros Oriental to the South and East with Bacolod and Dumaguete City as the respective capitals.  There is a fairly new Government building just outside Bacolod as you can see here.

 

The reason for this visit was that it was approcahing Chinese New Year and there was a competitive display of the largest Chinese lanterns I have ever seen.  I was not there for the judging, I shall describe later why, so I do not know which of these excellent entries won.

T give you an idea of scale, these figures are about 6 or 7 feet tall, they are really impressive.

Gregg needed to get back to his hotel just outside town, so after another quick drink in a bar there, we dropped him and I was left off to the door of my hotel.  Thanks again Kenny, you are a star.  I could tell you about the hotel here but on the principle of short, sharp entries in deference to the power situation here, I'll do that shortly.

Stay tuned folks!