"Lift your head, baby don't be scared.
Of the things that could go wrong along the way.
You'll get by, with a smile.
You can't win at everything, but you can try."
Oh my, this song is so relaxing, and the words are soothing to the ears. It gives you "peace of mind". It will let you enjoy your hot coffee on a cold rainy afternoon. By the way, super thanks to Eraserheads (also known as Eheads or "Heads"), a very popular alternative rock band in the Philippines, for creating this nice song.
"Baby, you don't have to worry.
'Cause there ain't no need to hurry.
No one ever said that there's an easy way.
When they're closing all their doors.
And they don't want you anymore.
This sounds funny, but I'll say it anyway."
Everything seems to be alright, every time I listen to this song. With a smile, imagine the power of a "smile", especially nowadays, where everybody is recovering from something. Pandemic, global inflation, mental and health problems. It lightens a situation, and it brightens up our day, right?
From the song, "with a smile", to the "City of Smiles". Hello, Super Folks! Good morning here, good evening there. Welcome back to me, and you are always welcome here on my Blog. It's been awhile since my last post, and I really missed blogging.
"Satisfying Authentic Chicken Inasal" - Bacolod City, Manokan Country
Furthermore, I missed sharing my travel stories, to you. Writing down my thoughts and feelings, anything under the sun and moon.
And yes, you heard it, 101% right! To the "City of Smiles". Welcome to Bacolod, and welcome to Negros Occidental! Have you been to these places before? Do they ring a bell?
Unfortunately, I forgot the name of this dish, but it was also good!
Correct me if I'm wrong, but, there are 81 provinces in the Philippines at present, which are further subdivided into component cities and municipalities. Project 81, credits to the one or group who started it all. I guess, it is every Filipino's dream, it is an ideal travel quest, actually, even international travelers and backpackers would love to visit all of the provinces in the Philippines. I can't hide that even me, would wish to win the lottery, let's say 100 million pesos, to surely have a freedom to travel and visit all the islands in our beautiful country.
San Sebastian Cathedral in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental
But you know what? Win or lose, since traveling is my passion. I'd say, if God permits, if time permits, and if my travel budget permits, I will continue the challenge, to visit different places, as many as possible.
Another province checked off my travel bucket list! Honestly, going to Negros Occidental was not part of my initial plan, and Bacolod City supposedly not my dream destination to fulfill this year 2022. I felt that this year didn't start well, when COVID-19 cases went up, first to second week of January. I also had a flu. Things became difficult again, especially the travel restrictions, you know, you should prepare for this and that. To avoid going through the rigamarole, same month, I decided to just cancel my trip to Palawan, and even my Boracay, for the following month.
Perhaps, the bright side of it was, I was able to convert again my tickets to travel fund, without penalties, because of the surge in COVID-19 cases, the airline, Cebu Pacific had that option. I decided to replan later on and thought of searching another destination online. Somewhere not that touristy, compare to Palawan and Boracay, but still great? Somewhere hassle-free? Somewhere affordable?
Green and tranquil. Where is this? Answer: Scroll down please.
Choose Bacolod! It was like a whisper in my ears. So, I had to ask my friend, if she would like to go to Bacolod with me. I felt, it was a perfect timing when she said, she know someone there, and that person could guide and help us. Another cool whisper in my ears. I right away booked our flight.
Welcome to "The Ruins"!
Like my previous travels, we decided to make it 3 days 2 nights, DIY (Do-It-Yourself), we were not sure initially where to go, the tourist spots to visit. All we know was, we had to go to the beach, because it was March, the start of the hot dry season. Well, we're thalassophiles, perhaps going to the beach is fine for us, at any season.
So beautiful and famous! -"The Ruins Mansion", in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental
The Ruins and Lakawon Island, we already heard about those two places before, and guess what? We went there, but let me park my stories for later. Because COVID-19 cases were still high, there were things we had to do before our flight, travel protocols/requirements like the VAXCertPH and S-Pass.
