shock and awe

I wanted my first time to be special, so I made sure to pee first.

BenG said that our first sight of it should be full frontal, and so we walked around to the main entrance of the really cool Art Deco building.

And there it was: the Angry Christ!

Actually, he just looked faintly annoyed to me.

There's the red hands of God the Father, Jesus (Angry) Christ, and above them, the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove.

I wonder what all the other symbols mean. (So Dan Brown.)

 

 
Every square centimeter of the ceiling is covered with aggressively colorful avant-garde art.

The pastel tones of the Station of the Cross are stunning. I wish I could see all 14 of them arranged next to one another.

I was wondering who this guy was, with the carpenter's saw. And then I remembered that the real name of this church is St. Joseph the Worker.

The angels looked kick-ass, especially Michael.

Notice that all the characters look like Filipinos? Learn more about the Church of the Angry Christ from iloilocityboy.

Here's the requisite black and white shot of the holy water receptacle thingy.

i heart trains

Don't you just love trains? They're so romantic and sexy. My ultimate dream vacation is to go on the Orient Express.

Train used to haul sugarcane, now on display at Victorias City, Negros Occidental.

Unfortunately, the back was not as well-maintained as the front.

Was the painter hoping that no one would notice?

Still, it's lovely. Excuse the extra large pictures in this post, and previously for The Ruins. I am just so PROUD of my pictures.

Other people had fun, too.

Image by Bunny Rabbit.

back to bacolod

Dear Hot Tuna,

You mentioned that for your trip to Asia next year, between Manila and Boracay, there was one week which you had left open for "anything goes". Have you decided where to go and what to do yet? Because I have a suggestion.

As you know, we went to Bacolod on 15 Oct 2010, just in time for the Masskara festivities. Like before, we had a great time with BenG, the Mayor and Attorney Gold. Being in Bacolod again and hanging out (read: "eating") with good friends made me realise how much I had missed everything! The food, the architecture, the scenery, the people... Did I mention the food?

There's something about Negros Occidental province that makes me wish that I had grown up there. I am undeniably, irrevocably, head-over-heels in love with the place.

So anyway, let's gow! You've only been there once, and there's so much more that you didn't get to experience during our Great Visayan Tour in 2007. For example, this time our intrepid guide BenG took us on a lo-ooong drive to San Carlos City because he'd heard about this extraordinary pizza. Let me tell you, this is the absolute BEST driving road in the Philippines. Every twist and turn made us go "Wow".

Is this in a third world country?

The waterfall up at Don Salvador Benedicto.

You can see the road hugging the mountainside.

Next time, we'll take it slow and make lots of stopovers for more pictures.

After asking around a bit, we found the restaurant-- no mean feat considering that we didn't even know its name. But it's indelibly stamped in my brain now: La Grotta.

Here's the menu.

Reminds me of old Boracay.

The pizza was truly outstanding. The crust was perfection. (The other dishes were pretty good, too, except for the white pasta. The bread that came with the salad was pronounced "winner" by BenG.)

Worth the trip.

Pretending to be healthy.

Their version of spaghetti Bolognese-- the Massaia

Since there were only three of us, we couldn't order a lot, and that's why we need you! So that we can taste-test more dishes.

The "Gorganzola" spaghetti was a fail.

As we were leaving, we spotted some funny little sculptures made from iron nails salvaged from railroad tracks. Actually, the whole place was filled with interesting and eclectic knickknacks.

From San Carlos, we can jump on a boat and go diving in Cebu. Sound like a plan?

All the best,
D.B.

BenG: "What is it about this place? It's so relaxing. Is it the food, the music? Is it the MONKEY?"

Image by Bunny Rabbit.

bad influence

Two months before our trip to Bacolod, I made a list of all the things that I wanted to eat.

Pendy's half-moon cake.

L'Fishers's pancit molo.

El Ideal's fresh lumpia.

Home cooking at Aboy's: Pangat, Stingray Adobado, Bicol Express and Longganisa.

The problem was, we just didn't have enough time. You can only eat so much in a day! Plus, BenG kept introducing new must-try local delicacies. So now the list has gotten longer.

Grilled scallops, still at Aboy's.

Puto from Manapla.

Calea's Ruebens sandwich.

I can't believe that BenG had the gall to imply that it was our fault that he gained 50 pounds in three days! Who was the one who would drive us out of town for two hours just to try some pizza? Who was the Bad Influence, hmm?

Everything we ate was memorable and crave-able. My mouth is watering just going through my pictures. I will be dreaming of Bacolod again tonight.

BenG: "Why do you like our food here so much? Don't you people have anything to eat where you live?"

magnificent decay

After an outstandingly relaxed lunch at La Grotta in San Carlos City, I said to BenG, "I want to shoot The Ruins at sunset." It was already late in the afternoon. We were hours and hours away. It would mean practically driving from one end of Negros to the other, to Talisay City.

We made it. Even after battling that bone-crushing dirt road with potholes that you could disappear in-- the only access to The Ruins.

I was not prepared for how massive it was.

Giants dwelled here.

Actually the side entrance.

As dusk fell.

When it got dark, they lit up the whole place. The grounds are very well-maintained.

The fountain is a nice touch.

Abstract artsy-fartsy.

Reminds me of our Basic Photography Workshop.

I went inside. There's a restaurant and the food looked decent!

From behind the grand staircase.

The second floor.

The ground floor facade.

They conduct guided tours. I'm sorry I missed it, so I'll just have to satisfy myself with googling The Ruins. Mini Javellana wrote a short history of the place, here.

It's four times the size of a normal hacienda house, it seems.

A wonderful place for a wedding reception.

I'm in love with Negros agriculture!

BenG: "I'm never coming back here. Not unless they fix that road."