Negros Occidental: Sugar, We're Going Tripping

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The sun hesitantly shines through a thick blanket of clouds as acres and acres of sugarcane protrude from both sides of the highway. It has been three hours of an uneventful bus ride in search of a nice vantage point for a shot of the Mt. Kanlaon, and as unremarkable town structures gradually pave way for majestic views of fields and the mountain ranges at the horizon, there's the lingering sense that I'm headed deep into a rarely ventured territory.

Situated between Cebu and Panay, the island of Negros has seen relatively fewer tourists than the Visayan heavyweights. Negros Occidental, west of the mountain range that splits the island into two provinces, particularly receives less visitors. Especially coming to Bacolod - the provincial capital - a few days after the Masskara Festival, there's an overriding thought that you're the only one in town who missed out on the party while everybody else has either returned home or is already busy curing their hangover.

But this sense of isolation is exactly what drives some to the place: that elusive sense of finding yourself without the external distractions. Ah, peace at last. And then far from the road to the right a kid belts out, "Ale-alejandro." Either you have to give Lady Gaga props for her all-encompassing popularity, or I am not simply far-flung enough.

The trip started early enough - around 7am to be more precise - at the jeepney station at the Libertad Market in Bacolod. The jeepneys, which look more like relatively smaller ordinary buses, surprisingly fills up quickly. Not more than ten minutes later, I'm on my way to La Carlota, a town around an hour from the capital, and a gateway to Guintubdan, one of the entry points for a hike up the Kanlaon's summit.

It's nearly 8am and aside from a gaggle of tricycle drivers bartering with their stories in the trademark singsong Ilonggo accent, La Carlota feels decidedly sleepy. Most of the stores are still closed, and because it's the weekend, so is the tourist information. I have to get further information from a man seated near the fountain at the plaza.

"Diin po ang sakayan para magkadto sa Kanlaon?" I ask. It's the most I could do to make the question "How do I get to Kanlaon?" intelligible in a place where Tagalog is only found at Coke streamers ("Buksan ang happiness!"). The man keeps pointing to our left while trying to tell me something. But I'm the guy with a backpack, a notepad and a DSLR, and I can't figure out what he's trying to say.

Negrenses are a friendly bunch so the man hails a tricycle and tells the driver something. The only word I understand is "manaog," which means "to get off." He reminds the driver where the clueless tourist is supposed to alight.

That place is the bus stop for trips to Canlaon, a city in Negros Oriental, and buses stop at Gunitubdan on the way. Falling in line with a mother of three and a couple with two large boxes, I work my way into a bus already full of passengers and have to stand at the aisle. The conductor helps me put my backpack on the overhead compartment.

By 10am, the disappointment is already creeping in. Lumbering clouds that billow above the horizon replace the majestic summit of Kanlaon and rainshowers are somehow imminent. Besides, Gunitubdan is situated at the base of Kanlaon in a manner that you can't see the mountain from the town itself - you have to venture into the fields. Which is difficult if you're an inexperienced trekker and - because the tourism office is closed on weekends - without a guide.

By noon, all hopes have emptied out of my resolve and I had already ventured much farther than I've planned. A postcard-worthy shot of Kanlaon isn't possible today. Standing among vendor stalls in the Canlaon bus station I plot my return to Bacolod. I recall all the sceneries the bus has gone through and plotted how I will take my shots from a moving bus with the idea that every scene is a can't-miss affair.

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Kanlaon is an active volcano and has erupted more than 25 times in the last 110 years. The last eruption was in 1996, claiming the lives of a British national and two Filipinos who were among dozens of people hiking to the summit that time. The mountain has been placed under permanent monitoring status since then.

Yet for locals, the volcano's blessings far outweigh the potential threats. The fertile soil around the mountain provides nutrients for the vast swathes of sugarcane, of which more than half of the national total is grown in Negros Occidental. It also houses one of the country's richest biodiversity - including the bleeding-heart pigeon. Some hikers have reported seeing the very rare species.

Though for the average Negrense, the most elementary effect of having a live volcano at their doorstep is the presence of a dozen or so hot springs. The most famous of these are clumped inside the Mambukal Resort (PHP 30 entry fee for adults) in Mabucal town, which can be reached from Bacolod via jeepneys also at the Libertad Market.

The trip going to the resort, which passes through the town of Murcia, is a moving experience, especially on a sunny afternoon. The clouds have already given way to sunshine by 1pm but Mt. Kanlaon is still tucked under its thick cumulus blanket. Yet that lingering disappointment is more than offset by undulating fields of sugarcane briefly punctuated either by burned patches where cane farmers are harvesting their labor, or by streams of rivers that snake through to the horizon.

Weekenders from Bacolod and other neighboring towns regularly troop to Mambukal Resort and at first glance the place itself doesn't exactly seem like an idyllic getaway. But its humble atmosphere and the geniality of the staff make it a worthwhile daytrip from Bacolod. For the frustrated Kanlaon base trekker, seven waterfalls are located inside the resort as well, with the first one a ten-minute hike from the entrance of the trek (no fee but you have to log in).

I go accompanied by two young guides as far as the third falls, from where the trail goes much steeper. A trip to the seventh falls and back, one of my guides say, takes about four hours. I check my cellphone's watch: almost 3pm. The last jeep to Bacolod leaves at 6pm. "This is as far as I can go," I tell them and go on to join a group of merrymakers bathing in the first fall. An hour later I'm at the entrance with a Chinese group waiting for the next jeep.

The return trip to the capital is even more spectacular. The late afternoon light casts a dramatic golden glow to the canes while producing a sharp blue tone for the sky - the kind of lighting rarely seen in Manila these months. Far afield, carabaos lazily graze with white slender birds perched on their backs. Trucks loaded with harvested canes roar past the narrow highway and the leaves of the sugar cane get too close for comfort.

By 5pm, I'm back in Bacolod's busiest thouroughfare - Lacson Street - though the bustle typical of Philippine cities is conspicuously absent. Crossing the street isn't the suicide mission as it is in Manila and even at rush hour, it's blessedly smooth. Bacolod is a small city and a taxi ride around town rarely goes over PHP 50.

I take my second meal of the day (the first being the breakfast at the hotel) at Sweet Greens, a homey organic restaurant in Lacson between 9th and 10th streets, before going to SM for additional toiletries.

I return to Hotel O in San Sebastian St., only to realize I had left my cellphone in the taxi. I ask the hotel receptionist to try calling my phone but after a few unanswered tries, the phone is already "out of reach."

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A busy string of geological and historical activities have forged the dramatic topographical and cultural features of the Negros Island, which is believed to have once been a part of a larger land. Its earliest known inhabitants came from the same stock where the Aetas of Zambales descended. The ethnic group is notable for their dark skins, hence the name "Negros," Spanish for black.

The Spaniards arrived in 1565 and quickly established settlements around the island. In the 18th century, the island was governed under the jurisdiction of Panay before being placed under the Himamaylan government. In 1849, Bacolod became the provincial capital. Forty-one years later, the island was split into two provinces and even became a state, albeit unrecognized, for a brief period - the Republic of Negros.

At the cusp of Spanish and American colonization periods, Negros rose to prominence mainly due to its sugarcane. Silay, a town 15km north of Bacolod, was the main benefactor of such celebrity status. With Europeans coming to the city in droves at the turn of the century and affluent families building elegant houses, Silay became the "Paris of Negros."

The glory days of Silay, though, have long been gone and a tourist will never mistake the city straddling the banks of the Seine. Yet the nostalgia lingers on and the town's rustic charm and hospitable locals are instantly captivating. Several ancestral homes dot the city and two have been converted into adoringly curated museums: the Balay Negrense in the corners of the Zulueta and Cinco de Noviembre streets; and the Bernardino Jalandoni Ancestral House in Rizal Street near the public market. One house, the Hofileña Ancestral House, is still used but can be visited by appointment.

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It's 4pm and, it seems, I have a knack for getting the bad breaks. The 4:15 shuttle to the airport has already left, 20 minutes before schedule. Aling Alice, the woman holding the fort at the station is apologetic for the early departure because one passenger was in a hurry to catch his 5:10 flight. The next shuttle will arrive at 5:30. To make up, she calls another service to take me and another passenger, rushing for her 5:40 flight to Cebu, to the airport. We agree to share the fare.

"You're from Manila?" Aling Alice asks in Ilonggo while we are seated in the black Monobloc chairs, waiting for the shuttle.

"Yes," I answer cheerfully.

"So you're here for the Masskara Festival," she goes on.

"Actually, I missed the festival," I say. "I arrived on Friday, three days after the festival ended."

"So would you return next year?" she smiles.

I can't let out an answer. Would I? Of course I want to. But next year is a long time and lots of things can happen. "Hopefully," I manage to shrug.

The service finally arrives. I hop into the car with my service-mate. I'm savoring the final scenes of the trip: more sugarcanes lining the highway as the pleasant afternoon sun slowly gives way to the rapidly quieting evening. Without so much as a backward glance to the trip I've ventured in the past two days, I slump into the backseat and look out the car window. A day ago I was venturing into rugged terrains. A few hours and a flight later, I'll be back in the urban jungle.

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Photos

Getting Close to the Sugarbowl
Stalks of sugar cane at the highway from Mambucal to Bacolod

Highway to La Carlota
Leaving Bacolod, going to Bago, the city before La Carlota from the provincial capital.

Let's Go La Carlota
A vast empty space stands before the city hall early Saturday morning.

Rice Terraces of La Castellana
Banaue it ain't but the rice terraces near the border with Negros Oriental provide a stunning backdrop for long bus rides.

Smooth Flow
A slow-shutter shot (1/4s) of a river flowing through boulders at the Mambukal Resort

Jay Goes Chasing Waterfalls
The second of seven waterfalls on a trek from Mambukal Resort to Mt. Kanlaon

Sugar Rush
Fields of sugarcane awaiting harvest

The Capitol of Occidental Negros
... stands across the city park's lagoon.

Church of San Diego, Silay
Located north of the city plaza, the church's dome is said to have been patterned after the St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

Balay Negrense Museum
A loving reconstruction of Victor Gaston's former house. Gaston is the son of a French expat considered to be the pioneer of the sugar industry in Negros.

Photo 13
a sculpture in front of the La Carlota city hall

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[Negros Museum]

New Museum Hours
The Negros Museum will open from Tuesdays to Sundays from 10AM-8PM starting next Friday, June 24, 2011. TNM Executive Director Tanya Lopez encourages everyone especially the working sector and their families to visit the Museum and attend its different events after work and on weekends. The extended hours hope to give room for other interested Negrenses and guests to enjoy the Museum, its exhibits and galleries. June 24, 2011 will also mark the re-opening of the Museum Café with a unique menu of natural artisan culinary art highlighting Negros’ natural and locally grown food like coffee from La Granja. The Café can also sit more than 50 people where one can enjoy either PHINMA Main Gallery’s art exhibits or the exterior grounds with Raymond Legaspi ‘s mural “Hacienda Unwind”. For more information and bookings, please contact The Negros Museum at : [phone] ? 4319451, TeleFax: (034)433–4764, 0921-3307861 (Smart) or e-mail us at [e-mail]. ###