Salamat Gid Bacolod

On one of the hottest days of April, I got the chance to finally visit the city of smiles that is Bacolod. Located in the province of Negros Occidental, Bacolod is awarded as the Top Model Philippines City by a national daily in our country. Having been in the place, I got enough reasons to validate such recognition.

Going to Bacolod via bus and ro-ro, made my trip more challenging and rewarding. The long hours of sitting in a bus seat didn't give me any sense of boredom and fatigue. Rather, it gave me a fascinating time to express my amazement towards the richness of the Visayan earth and seas.

Sugar Nostalgia
You wouldn't leave the province of Negros without noticing the vast array of sugar canes that stretches across its mountains and plains.Somehow, the proud sugar canes of Negros brought a certain sense of nostalgia for my childhood days. My father, who hailed from Negros used to grace us with fresh sugar canes as an answer to our curiosity about the place. Though the canes were too hard for our young teeth, they were sweet enough to make our young hearts brim with joy. We (my siblings and I) are now young adults except for my youngest brother who is still eight years young, and father no longer brings sugar canes home. We may have left some parts of our childhood in our leftover sugar canes, but some of those are still stuck between our heart beats.

My travel wasn't free of constraints. Time and financial resources are two major challenges that I faced during my travel. I had to leave Bacolod after three days, but I made sure that I had the best of my time during my visit. I got no grand plans on my backpack but I had a short list of places that I have to kiss during my stay. With what little that I had, I got to visit five notable places in the City of Smiles. I've listed them below along with my thoughts and I hope my humble list would be of great help once the time will come that you have to explore the city by yourself.

Highland Wonderland

With its scenic views, challenging activities, and sumptuous meals, Campuestohan Highland Resort is a must-visit place when you are in Bacolod. To say that the place of far from the downtown area would be an understatement. The fare going to the place is also far from a joke. Yet, the place is all worth the time and money. My jaw literally dropped the moment I stepped into the resort. Its Instagram-worthy spots were enough to make me go shutterbug crazy. 

I haven't been to any Disneyland parks, but I bet I'd have a similar feeling with what Campuestohan induced to my senses. The resort's proud architectural wonders, similar to what's in Europe, also stands happily for all its guests. Being able to witness them with my own naked eyes felt like a dream come true for every child and adults with a child-like heart.

Campuestohan Highland Resort's Indian Village

The structure above is a restaurant that serves good food ready to be served for hungry guests.

Fun rides and activities can be enjoyed for affordable rates inside the resort. The kiddie rides won my heart. teehee

The place somehow reminds me of Disneyland. :p

Their windmill made me think of New Zealand. 

Sweet Escape

Another place that I've visited in Bacolod is the popular Calea Cafe that serves a variety of cakes and pastries. With its soft blue interiors and sweet offerings, Calea is definitely a heaven for everyone who has a sweet tooth. Internet connection isn't available inside the cafe but it's a good plus as it can give you ample time to read and have real life conversation with your friends. 

I finished Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea in Calea over a cup of Americano.

Grilled Allure

I'm not a big fan of grilled meat but the grilled chicken by Chicken Deli is a must-try. It's perfectly grilled chicken with their flavourful sauce will kick-in that burst of excitement in your mouth. A trip in Bacolod won't be complete without having giving Chicken Deli a try. 

An Ode to the Old World

A symbol of love and persistence, that's what The Ruins is. Located in Talisay City, The Ruins is perfect for lovers of Filipino history and culture. What was once a mansion is now a backdrop of Bacolod's past.

The mansion was built in the early 1900s and is inspired by Italian architecture. Hailed as the Taj Mahal of the Philippines, the structure is an ancestral home mansion the sugar baron Don Mariano Ledesma Lacson.  Don Mariano built the place in memory of his Portuguese wife Maria Braga Lacson who had died during a child birth.

The mansion, by the way, is now an empty shell. It was burnt down by the Americans during the Japanese occupation in the Philippines to hinder the Japanese military men into using it. 

I've never seen a fountain as romantic as the one that stands outside the mansion.

The Ruins is a total package for every traveler. The place serves as a museum and has a souvenir shop inside. A cafe is also open near the structure.

The mansion's floor which has intricate tiles is one of the original remains of the grand mansion.

2017 has been blissful so far. I've been to countless places I've never dreamt of visiting. I haven't blogged in a while now, but the will to share what wonders I've found still burns within me. Pardon me for my long absence. Let's just say that I'm traveling somewhere. Somewhere sun-drenched, somewhere where my dreams never set. Now more than ever do I realize that I'll never be complete without exploring that place. 

Bacolod didn't just show me new places. Bacolod made me see things differently. The City of Smiles left me smiling. Salamat Gid Bacolod!

love lots,

Tin

Find Colorful Kids Curtains to Decorate Children Room

Hello poets! Pardon me for my long hiatus. Ah, the adult life is taking much of my time for the past few months. Nevertheless, it gave me so much to learn and think about which I promise to share to you once I have a good amount of time to literally do nothing but just to speak what my soul wants to say. Meanwhile, here's an article which you can read if you are decorating a children or any room. 

If you are staying in a place for a long time, you know how monotonous it could be. Returning to the same looking home every day from work can be tiring. This is why it is essential to change the decor once in a while. This will fill the house with positive energy. You will look forward to coming home every day from work. The same theory can be applied to the kids room as well. They are children, and they love new things in their life. This is why you have to change the decoration of their room as they grow up. You can start off by choosing the kids curtains.

Benefits of the curtains

When it is about your kids room, the curtains should be there. There are various reasons for that, and they are:

• Even if they are the young people, they need privacy. They have their own individuality, and that is why it is important that you respect them too. The kids curtains?will help their privacy to be in the safe place.
• The sunlight has harmful UV rays, which can damage the young skin. You need to protect your kids from these, and the curtains will certainly help you with that.
• It will add a little extra style in the room. You can choose the curtains of the favourite cartoon character of your kids, and they will love it.

From where to buy

You can get confused about the shop, from where you can buy the curtains. You can look for it in the shop near you. If you want a little more variety, then you can see the online stores for kids curtains. You will get a range of curtains to choose from, and purchasing is easy from there. You just need to read the policy of shop before buying.

Colorful and beautiful curtains are not enough, parents can still add some other cute decorations to create a whole dreamy world for kids to grow up happily.

Pink and blue color are two kids favorite colors. Pink color is suitable for the girls bedroom and the blue color is suitable for the boys. We can choose the pink wall paper for girls and blue one for boys. The patterns of wall papers can be star, or moons or some other cute and vivid patterns. Then it can develop kids imagination and creativity.

Kids lights are also vital. As we know, most kids are afraid of darkness. In order to make kids a sense of security, we may as well choose the night bedside lamp to create a warm environment for kids.

The Bee night bedside lamp can make kids feel cute bees are protecting them. There are two colors of this lamp, pink color and yellow color. ?Parents can choose one or both according to kids tastes. The cute animal they read in the fairy tale has been their friends. Finally, kids will have a good sleep and sweet dream.

Cebu Parklane International Hotel Holds Sangka sa Kaha

Sangka sa Kaha Official Opening Ceremonies. Left to right: Ms. Cenelyn Manguilimotan, CPIH General Manager; Chef Orlando Sandos, CPIH Executive Chef; Chef June Fernandez, CPIH Chef de Cuisine; Hon. Mayor Caroline Bacaltos, Sibonga Municipal Mayor; Mr. Joselito “Boboi” Costas, Cebu Provincial Tourism Officer; Chef Richard Hao, Head Chef Instructor, University of San Jose Recolletos

Travelling in the Queen City of the South has never been this good. With all the picturesque scenes that you can find, the city boasts countless gastronomical wonders that you can easily experience at the heart of Cebu City. 

One particular food destination that one must check out in Cebu is the Kan-anan restaurant of the Parklane Hotel. Fresh and stunning food choices await anyone who visits them. As Parklane doesn't settle for mediocrity, it continues to strengthen the its brand.

Cebu Parklane International Hotel has once again revived Sangka sa Kaha. Now on its sixth leg, Sangka sa Kaha is a cookout event wherein traditional dishes of towns and municipalities of Cebu Province are featured. The winning dishes of each Sangka sa Kaha event will then be part of the menu of the Hotel’s Kan-anan Restaurant, a specialty restaurant specializing in authentic Cebuano dishes, located at the 4th floor. 

Staged at the Sibonga Heritage Park, this year, Sibonga’s most treasured heirloom dish: Adubaw nga Nokus was put to spotlight with Mr. Rolando dela Vega’s version emerging victorious among the five other groups. Sangka sa Kaha has produced authentic Cebuano dishes on its menu such as Humba sa Ronda, Torta de Argao, Takyong from Bornon, Podrida from Oslob and Bisayang Manok from Dumanjug. These can readily be available at Kan-anan, located at the 4th level of the Hotel.

Cebu Parklane International Hotel is located at the corner of Archbishop Reyes Avenue and
Escario Street, an area renowned for its vibrance and cosmopolitan charm. Just a few miles away
from Mactan International Airport this luxurious property is ideal for business travellers, who
need a hotel with easy access to the business and financial center of Cebu City and main tourist
attractions. A Hotel in Cebu that stands for Cebu: Parklane!

For further information about Cebu Parklane International Hotel, visit
http://www.parklanehotel.com.ph/