May
12
2008
Finally, after reading and hearing so much about the world famous Mangoes of Guimaras, I got to eat and savor its sinful sweetness. Our first stop in Guimaras was in a market called “Alibhon” in Nueva Valencia town in Guimaras.
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May
07
2008
During the late 1800s to early 1900s, the booming sugar industry in Iloilo paved the way for the migration of affluent families to Negros. These families turned vast idle lands in Negros into Sugar Cane Plantations and Haciendas. Eventually, an international port was opened in Silay City, which became the center of commerce in Negros.
To date, many old buildings still remain intact including a grand church, several commercial, and residential buildings.

El Ideal Bakeshop
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May
04
2008
It has been barely a month and I’m back in Bacolod, I just can’t get enough of the place. This time, I was with Enrico D. of Byahilo.com, Kyle and Ph_Man from Skyscrapercity.com, and Edsil, a friend of Eric. We went to Bacolod primarily for the Panaad 2008 but our plans were a bit modified due to some unfortunate events.

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Apr
12
2008
Just after my Bucari trip, a few hours actually, I’m out on another trip and this time my destination is Bacolod City. My family and other relatives at my father’s side had a reunion and we stayed at my Lola’s house in Bata.
Last time I was in Negros was on September 2007 for an organizational study of Riverside Hospital with side-trip to Patag in Silay. I knew of some new developments in Bacolod and had the chance to see them myself.
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Apr
11
2008
Bucari, located in the mountains of Leon, is a summer paradise 3 hours away from Iloilo City. Bucari greatly resembles destinations in Northern Philippines like Baguio and Banaue because of its cool climate and highland attractions such as springs, waterfalls, pine trees, rice terraces, wild flowers, high-value crops, and a breathtaking view of the verdant mountains.

Mt. Agua Colognia and the rice terraces seen in Bucari, Leon
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Apr
11
2008
The first time I’m been to the northerneastern part of Iloilo was less than two years ago. Ever since, just can’t stop going back to explore more of its destinations and to get a feel of what it’s like to be there. Four days after our graduation, I was back in Concepcion with my friends, one of which had a graduation dinner at their house.

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Apr
04
2008
Last Mach 23 I had my duty in Antique in the hopes of finally completing my DR Scrubs. It was already my 3rd time to Antique but it was my first time to have completion duty in the Provincial Hospital (Angel Salazar Memorial Hospital) in San Jose, the capital town of Antique. We rode the bus to San Jose at around 2pm. I took the seat at the left side of the bus since most of the interesting sites and the sea could be viewed at the left side of the highway like the of churches and the town plazas of Guimbal and Tigbauan.

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Feb
02
2008
Spending hours under the heat of the midday sun was worth it after I was able to take these pictures of the Dinagyang Festival 2008 held during the 26th and 27th of January. While the other photographers who had SLR cameras and their long zoom lenses were able to take their stunning photographs standing in the shade (or in one location), I had to move around a bit (because of the limitations of a point a shoot with 6X zoom) so that I’d be able to take decent shots.
The photos I’ll post here are only some of the photos I uploaded, the rest can be found in the Dinagyang 2008 photo set in my flickr account. Here are my best shots:

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Jan
28
2008
This January 2008, I visited Kalibo’s ati-atihan for the second time. I enjoyed myself a lot during my first visit last year and made it a point to visit it again this year. As always, ati-atihan was fun and still left relatively apathetic to commercialism. I wish I can write more about my experience but I have too little time right now so I’ll just post the pictures I took during my overnight stay in Kalibo.
Retablo of the Kalibo Cathedral

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Jan
25
2008
After the new year, me and my friends thought of visiting Guisi, which is an upcoming tourist destination in Guimaras. I have been there before but there’s just something about the place that haunts me to go back over and over. It’s natural beauty is just superb and to top it off is a magnificent display of Spanish-colonial heritage in the form of an 18th century lighthouse. No wonder the Provincial Gov’t of Guimaras (with the help of the Canadian Urban Institute) is putting high priority in promoting Guisi.
From Iloilo City we rode a 15-min pumpboat ride (P11) to Jordan, Guimaras via the Ortiz Port in Iloilo City. In Jordan Wharf is a small shed where a tourist assistance outpost is located. They could arrange transportation to any destination in Guimaras and the best part is that they already have fixed rates so you won’t ever experience being overcharged by opportunist drivers. We opted to commute to Guisi by riding a Nueva Valencia Jeep (P40), which took us straight to Guisi in a matter of one hour. From the road, it’s a 3 minute walk downhill to the beach resort.
There, you’ll be able to see the cottages, white-sand beach, the clear waters, the blue sky, and the rock formations on the sides, a very refreshing sight.
Here are some of the pictures I took during the trip:

The beach with the palms as its backdrop
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