Just Cuevas

Going to Negros without the shades but with a ready palate

The City of Smiles is waiting. Photo grabbed from paraisophilippines.com

In a few days time, I will be going to Bacolod, Negros Occidental's capital city, for the first time, to join with foodies/gourmands from all over the Philippines for a once in a lifetime experience- to go on a food trip. The thought of sampling food from Sugarlandia makes my mouth water.

Did I just mentioned it would be my first time in Bacolod? And I am more than excited at the prospect of seeing the city I have heard so much praise given.

Our host, Lee Santiago, a fellow blogger who has an exceptional photoblog Give Me Travel Funds, after several coaxing, finally agreed to accommodate us in his busy schedules and act like a host. So far he has done more than mere hosting. We have not arrive yet.

My official airline: Cebu Pacific. Photo grabbed from airports-worlwide.com

Thus, despite the fact that I have very limited resources and the busiest schedule of the year, I signed up for the trip. That's aside from another fact that I already have a free round-trip airfare from Cebu Pacific courtesy of my sis who works in that company. The ticket and the will to visit that city forced me to pack up and be ready for the weekend visit. (Shhh, I fought with my supervisor with this "unwanted vacation" and we are not telling our manager.)

To make my visit miserable and complicated for me, Lee made up an itinerary that requires the assistance of Robert Langdon. The itinerary is heavily tainted with mysterious clues I have yet to decipher. But what's going to happen to me, a Bacolod-virgin, will be in the hands of Lee. Even if Langdon has not responded to my request. Yet. So I will be going there with a puzzled mind and will just sink and sync (or swim) with the group.

Our proposed itinerary includes:

DAY 1:

* Skyflakes and Water Buffet

* The "Mon" is Rising

* Avoid Lunch

* Scout for Provisions

* The Cow's Sound Wraps the Foot

* Dessert para wala na clue-clue!
DAY 2:

* Northern Exposure

* Lunch

* SugART industry

* KILLER TRILOGY
DAY 3:
* South to East: Eat Cheap... Forage... Beg... Ask to be Fed...

* A Negrense Dinner that will turn a saint to a sinner: (Must! We eat cheap at daytime for this.)

With that mind-boggling itinerary I am very sure my trip to the City of Smiles will be something worth smiling about. The sinful but exciting thought of food would surely be THE reason, the only one, why I will be bloating more from this trip. I won't be bringing with me my shades.

My idol, Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago

The man who can't be moved

Photo captured using my iPhone

I am intrigued by this young man. Every morning and every night, as I go in and out of Opon, he keeps his post in this corner of the Birhen sa Regla Church in Opon, Lapu-lapu City. He has stood rains and sunshine and looks like he is not bothered by what is going on around him. I never heard him say a word. I have seen him giving me a fleeting glance once. I tried to smile and wave my hand but his eyes remained empty. He has mental problems, obviously, by judging from his looks. His empty grey eyes staring into a world he only knows.

Why does his family abandon him I would like to know. We Filipinos never abandon our own kind. Unless his family too has mental problems.