Valerie Caulin

Days before our Silay and Talisay tour, I jotted down specific things that I want to do during our 2 day trip. When I came home last Monday, I checked what I wrote in my last entry, “What I Want to Do in Silay and Talisay City” and I did almost all of them.

Here they are:

this is real coffee for me...

1. Sip the hottest native coffee ( this way I can enjoy my conversation with someone).

Though, it was my number one  “thing to do”,  we did during our last day at past 8 am in the morning. But it was all worth it! The best coffee in town and really perked me up all throughout the day and made Ace differentiate native and instant coffee..

2. Eat breakfast outside of our pension house before the break of dawn..in the town square perhaps?

We were able to sleep in wee hours in the morning, thanks to the passing motorcycles and Ceres buses, so we woke up quite late already. But we ate in a small and arroz caldohan ( Rice Stew) close to the Silay Public Market. For two bowls of arroz caldo with hard boiled egg and two cold bottles of Mountain Dew for only 48 pesos, who would crave for Jollibee?

3. Walking cardio exercise along the sugarcane plantation going to The Ruins.

What can I say, it more than cardio exercise – walking more than 2.4 kilometers under the heat of the afternoon sun.

4. Gaze at The Ruins as the orange rays of the sun illuminate it.

I’m no expert when it comes to photography, I leave it to my buddy. But the reddish clouds that Ace was hoping for wasn’t able to “reach” the Ruins. But still, I gazed at the mansion at sunset and it was simply very picturesque!

5. Eat the famous Guapple Pie of El Ideal Bakery in Silay City.

We visited this bakery twice for an afternoon coffee break and for my pasalubongs for my friends. But there was no pie available when we got there, still I savored there traditionally baked cookies and they were scrumptious!

6. Give a boring on-the-spot History lesson to the photographer on “The Rise and Fall of the Sugar Industry in Negros” as we traverse the 2.4 kilometer rough road going to The Ruins.

I think I gave him more than this..instant lesson on the go..

7. Getting lost while commuting.

Thanks to my confidence in land navigation, we walked along the national highway of Talisay City looking for “Banga Lawson” that was supposed to bring us to The Ruins.

8. Feel or see some ghosts or any paranormal beings in the ancestral houses.

Creepy Balay Negrense, one of the two open-for-the-public ancentral houses was one creepy place!

9.  Roam around Silay City late at night until we can hear the cocks singing their morning songs.

We  walked around the city late at night with bystanders looking at us. With Ace’s sturdy tripod, we felt safe! haha…Ace took some amazing night shots of the ancestral houses though it was very creepy for us.

10. Take photos, have great conversations and write some interesting tales.

Did the first two and I’m just starting with the last one.

More tales to come!