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At Zamora St. is the San Diego
Cathedral, where I learned that the
dome was designed by an Italian
architect and is similar to that of St.
Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Then I ended
up at the white-washed Maria Golez
Ancestral House with the RCBC Bank.
From Silay, I hailed a tricycle to the
next city (PHP50), Talisay, to visit the
Ruins. The Neo-Roman grand mansion
is stunning, even if it’s just a skeleton
of what it once was — it burned during
the US-Japan war. The reason for its
construction is interesting too: Don
Mariano Lacson, a sugar baron, gave
it as a gift to the love of his life, Maria
Braga — a Portuguese he met in
Macau. The compound is large, and
even has a petite golf course for kids,
gardens and a fountain.
By this time I was feeling hungry,
so I ordered something from the café
inside the Ruins (PHP150) — a perfect
way to cap my heritage tour.
And so I headed to Bacolod City to
get some rest (PHP50). I checked in
at Sweet City CapTel (PHP100 a night
for a dorm room) as it’s the cheapest
that I know of, and it’s just behind the
Negros Occidental Capitol. I refreshed
myself and took a nap.
Ready to explore more, I walked
my way to one of the most beautiful
capitols in the country: the Negros
Occidental Capitol. Designed by Juan
Arellano, it was declared a national
historic landmark in 2004. The
six white columns in front are just
monumental! There’s also a man-
made lagoon and plaza opposite,
where the locals go after work.
It’s the place to see Bacolodnons
smiling, saying “hi” or
“maayong
hapon”
(good afternoon). Interesting
sculptures like the Paghimud-os and
The Man & The Beast can be found at
the park too.
For dinner, I headed over to the
wet market at Old Pala-Pala to buy
seafood for cooking at my favorite
restaurant, Hyksos Tulahan. You can
ask them to cook any dish, but I would
suggest the buttered shrimps, spicy
adobong pusit
and sizzling blue marlin.
I ate with three other friends, which
brought our dinner total to PHP700.
Shoestring budget for
Day 1:
PHP535
From top: The Maria Golez
Ancestral House is also home to
a bank; an old pharmacy where
19th century patriots plotted
against the Spanish.
09LKH Smile
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