Discover the beauty of Negros

Pope John Paul II Tower

This tower was a tribute to the late Pope John Paul II that visited Negros on February 20, 1981. His visit was significant due to the fact that during that time the island was experiencing some political, social and economical problems and gave hope to many that better days were coming.

The eight-story building stands in the Reclamation area as one of the tallest buildings in Bacolod. It was inaugurated last 2010, and although I've been meaning to visit, it seemed I never had any time up until now.

For a fee of P10.00 for students and P20.00 for adults and other tourists, you can climb the tower steps, stop on each floor to read or view the different artifacts attributed to the beloved pope. By the time you reach the topmost level, you might be a little out of breath but not from the climb (although that might be part of it) but from the beautiful view it offers. 

My boyfriend and I went as dusk so we had a breathtaking 360-degree view of the sunset and the (now closed) Bacolod Baywalk, BREDCO port and SM Bacolod. We weren't surprised to see many lovers spending time up on the deck and if you look closely, you would spot many a scribble on walls and floors of names of lovers and maybe even loves lost. 

The OISCA Booth at the Negros Farmer's Weekend Market

It's been a few months since the weekend market opened along Magsaysay Rd. in Bacolod City and so after my stay in Manila the family trooped to said place to check out the food.

What really caught our eye was the OISCA (The Organization for Industrial Spiritual and Cultural Advancement) booth headed by Mr. Watanabe who was on the griddle cooking up Okonomiyaki, a Japanese savory pancake with a variety of ingredients. We decided to order one of each and try them. Other dishes we ordered and tried were chicken kaaragi, sushi, curry siopao and koroke.

The okonomiyaki was delicious, which is rare for me because it contained a lot of vegetables and I'm not really sold on leafy greens. I wasn't able to try the chicken but my sister said it was a bit dry, like regular fried chicken. Dad said the sushi was great, but the curry siopao was a little meh since the filling was squash with curry. I've tried koroke before, from a small stall in school selling potato products wherein one of the owners was part Japanese and it tasted better than the koroke form OISCA, but it may also be because the one from the school had savory sauces that went with your order.

For authentic Japanese cooking, I think it was pretty good although the location, the market, is out of the way. You would also have to consider the P100.00 entrance fee, although consumable, I think that doing without it would bring in more customers and more tenants rather than having an "exclusive" feel that would ward off any potential customers and tenants. 

Txacho

Means "dude" in Spanish is the new restaurant and bar at Art District II, in Brgy. Mandalagan, Bacolod City.

Boyfriend and I decided to check it out one time after dinner and we fell in love with the relaxing ambiance (it was a weekday), the strings of a Spanish guitar playing in the background and friendly waitstaff. We ordered our drinks, a double black J.W. for him and a house drink called Morasco (Bailey's based drink) for me and Homemade Jamon Serrano. 

Bacolod Baywalk

They opened phase 1 of the development and are currently holding events in the area such as dance classes and competitions. For a P20.00 entrance fee, you can enjoy the sea breeze, watch the sunset, walk up and down along the boulevard and eat and drink at the different food kiosks found in the open area.

We had been hearing about this retreat place for quite a while and finally decided to go check it out. We decided to use the route from Alangangilan on the way there and almost got lost because we couldn't find the sign leading to the farm.

The road isn't exactly conducive for cars as it was bumpy and very steep, and it was kind of creepy, if you know what I mean. But nevertheless, it was all worth it. 

Guerrero Farm is a haven for nature lovers! Different plants abound, from pine trees to fruit trees, flowers, water plants, bonsais, herbs--you name it! They had small themed gardens such as one full of pine trees, one full of bonsais and the like. They also had a nursery for plant lovers who were interested in buying from them.

We brought our own lunch, except for the Chicken Tinola which we had them cook for us and it was really good too, a perfect compliment to the cool damp weather.

We weren't able to go horse-back riding, which was kind of a bummer. And I had not noticed the sign near the entrance until late afternoon that they offered hiking trips to a nearby river.

Merienda! Muscovado-sweetened mango shakes, brown rice puto and banana turon at the Organic Kitchen, Negros Organic Market along Gatuslao St., Bacolod City

Hi! Unfortunately I'm not Stacy! I just reblogged a post from her :)