Life is Sweet

I’ve been wanting to do an Eat, Pray and Love Journey for a very long time.  For those who are familiar with the book or has seen the movie, will probably understand what I really want to do with my trip.  I’ve been pretty exhausted with Law School and life sometimes can be a bit chaotic, but I opted to choose to be happy and embrace the bitterness of  life.

So my question was, where should I go?  Let’s see, I am not capable of going on a trip for a year since I am still studying and my budget is still limited for a local trip.  So, I decided to take a leap of faith and go with Bacolod.

BACOLOD.  There are variant reasons why I chose Bacolod, it is a cultural place filled with wonderful churches and rich history, abundant with delicious food and yes, filled with smiling people.  Somehow, one way or another everything fits perfectly.  Bacolod became a perfect choice.

After knowing that we will have a long weekend in School, I wrote the things I want to do in my planner.  Packed my bags and bid farewell to my beloved Cebu for a long weekend and braved the city of smiles, Bacolod.

I started with EAT.  I was like a child filled with sparkly eyes after I set foot in Bacolod, looked at my itinerary and started walking despite the scorching heat of the sun.  First stop was Calea, they are famous for their delectable pastries.  My pictures does not do justice on how delicious their cakes are.  I tried their Floating Island and trust me, I died instantly went to heaven in every bite.  It was really a Braso de Mercedes dessert but with a twist.  The hardened caramelised sugar looks so delish in the photo.  A must try while in Bacolod.

After stuffing myself with a sandwich and some desserts, I decided to walk further Lacson Street and saw a very interesting milk tea store.  Since I haven’t found the perfect milk tea that will justify my nostalgia for Bangkok, I decided to try their milk tea.  Amazingly after ordering a regular drink, and even without thinking of how full I was. After taking a few sips of the tea, great memories of Thailand began to cloud my mind.  Sh*t, just sh*t (sorry for the profane word) but I can’t help it, finally I found the milk tea which reminds me of Bangkok, (just Bangkok).

Took a quick rest before setting off to another journey again.  I walked pass through their Lagoon, met a few locals and friends.  Enjoyed the scorching heat of the sun.  It was a Sunday so there were limited people on the street.

After walking for 30-45 minutes I guess, I made a quick stop at their San Sebastian Cathedral Parish, here I PRAYED.  It was my second time to visit the church, I remember praying here for the first time during my High School trip.  So I lit 6 candles which represents the following (my family, my friends, for everyone, for Law School, for myself and lastly for that someone that I’ve been praying for).  Attended the Sunday mass, took a couple of photos and finally sat down talking solemnly with him.  Thanking him for everything and just having a solemn conversation with God.

After praying, I took a quick visit at SM Bacolod to buy some personal stuff and decided to get a quick visit at the Negros Museum Cafe.  I decided to take a quick meal of their Homemade Cheese Green Salad, which changed my relationship with veggies instantly.  The explosion of the creamy cheese with the bland taste of the greens was just perfect.  The area was also romantic to have a quick afternoon tea with friends or with your special someone.  Again, recommended place to visit when in Bacolod.

I waited for the sunset, before I headed to their Baywalk area.  Stayed there and reflect how things happened so fast.  How this journey came into reality and where do I go after this?  Oh, so many crazy thoughts running through my head.  Until my stomach wants another food journey, I then decided to have my dinner at their Manokan Country.

Before arriving at the Manokan Country, I made a quick stop at the Pope John Paul Tower, I didn’t have time to climb so I opted to just view the sunset and appreciate the tower and it’s history.

Finally, their Chicken Inasal became the sublime finale for my journey. I fell in LOVE (kidding!) with their Chicken Inasal.  The sweet taste of their chicken was indeed to die for.  It was perfectly seasoned, you can taste the explosion of spices in every bite.  Over all, it was such a fulfilling day; tiring but worth-it.

I know there are still so many things to do in Bacolod but I was proud of myself to brave and survive a day with two of my end goals being achieved.

I have learned to appreciate the beauty of life especially my life. I’ve learned to let go of all the hatred and what if’s in life.  And lastly, I have learned to trust myself and believe in myself again, in order to enjoy what life has to offer.

Probably, you might be asking what happened to LOVE? Unexpectedly, I did found LOVE but that would be in another blog post. Trust me, the LOVE was worth the wait.