Silay Dreaming

Ok, so Bacolod is the "Big Smoke" on Negros but Silay is after dinner cigar.

What a gem ! This town of a few thousand called the "Paris of Negros" is full of old houses, symbols of the days when sugar plantations ruled the island and The Quality ruled the plantations from their timber mansions. No building over two storeys, lots of little plaques denoting places of historical interest and lots of O L D places in all sorts of states of repair. Silay is also the birthplace of another monument, Rose Hancock Porteus, kinda fitting really

Sadly I took few pix only.I was too busy enjoying.

Originally established by a  Monsieur Gaston, this little number features the timber, the high ceilings, the windows to capture the breeze and the ornate wrought iron bars to keep out the locals.

This monoculture of sugar farming pretty well meant that the few controlled the many and the feel  in these mansions is very much like that of a Southern US cotton estate but I am no Rhett Butler and the days of Silay being a major centre a long gone.

This place is on the main drag...one of many.

Ok...now see the detail.

Go on ! Click on the photo and check out the fine work under the eaves.....just ignore the missing bits.
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This next Silay Mansion photo is NOT one of mine...God, I wish it was ! Again, are we in Tara ?

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So this is the big end of town with the fire tanker+ petrol station but there's still enough room for a kid and his water buffalo.

Lonely Planet is really good on Silay and here's a link to a li'l guest house there that might interest ;

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g1417360-d1417304-Reviews-Kumfy_Homestead-Silay_Negros_Visayas.html

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Back to Bacolod Part II

Bacolod has a charming old city square.There's a newer one with pond, ducks and other civic delights but the older one with its hopeful little bandstand won me


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This was the scene for some of the finals action.These young guys have climbed up on a speaker box near the bandstand and watch tentatively as the opposition goes through their routines..

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I really don't know why this young individual chose to buck the trend and reveal ; I don't think its a bad thing.
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And at night?....Electric Masskara !

Back to Bacolod

Masskara Festival, 2009, in the sunny Filipino city of Bacolod on the Island of Negros in the Visayan Sea, attended by friendly Negresne, miraming Pinoy from other areas and a few lost foreign objects like me.

That is not me in the photo.

This is a week long festival of masks, dance and festivalising which started about 20 years ago.

It seems back then there'd been a terrible disaster at sea killing 4,375 locals and, well, the sugar industry pretty well ceased to yield a profit...and sugar was king on Negros. So let's lift our spirits and fiesta!

I think it worked. The Festival grows each year, the sugar industry is doing OK, Negros has diversified and bug-eyed tourists like me get to enjoy local hospitality and party on down...as well as age will allow.

I followed the Official Website for details; seems security had been tightened and a crack-down was in place on the unauthorised use of karaoke.


It worked ! Lots of army, police and bag checks. I never felt threatened or unsafe. The event was wonderful and the people watching was of the first order. Lots of people of all ages, lots of youth trying to impress lots of youth just like festivals everywhere; lots of good music and lots of parades.


Thing with Bacolod, IMHO, is that its big enough to have one of everything, big enough to not gawk at an oversized middle-aged whitey like me, yet small enough to feel friendly.



The array of costumes was something; my photos don't do them justice but I hope that I've captured some of the pre-parade and post parade feel




This young woman was not too keen on my taking a pic and, looking at the older women behind, they're not too keen either.
Was it something I said ?




This fella had no such qualms and why would you with work like that to display ?

Great colours as the people from the different "barangays", a local Government area, prepared for their turn.



















I won't post pix of the parades; you can get better ones elsewhere. See you in "Back to Bacolod Part II".


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