Cruising cross-country Day Five brings us to Negros Island

On Day 5 of Manila Bulletin’s Cruising

cross-country trip, we trusted other people’s

driving skills and took the role of passengers.

Cruising cross-country was “disrupted” by a

countryside reality: RO-RO ferries do not have

daily schedules. In Ormoc, our arrival was timed

to catch the Cebu Ferries which travel to Cebu

City only on Fridays and Sundays. In Bacolod

City, Negros Navigation only had RO-RO service

for Iloilo on Wednesdays (used to be Saturdays

but schedules change).

We could not afford the time to wait three days in Bacolod. With the help of Toyota’s

Ariel de Jesus (our guardian angel for this trip), the Revo boarded a ferry in Cebu City

(coordinated by Toyota Cebu’s Dodo Cuenco). It would arrive in Iloilo City the next

morning where Toyota Iloilo’s Remy Peña would supervise the Revo’s clearance.

Cebu City to Dumaguete by Super Cat Ferry is a no-hassle

experience. It is a comfortable two-and-a-half hour ride,

passing Tagbilaran in Bohol for about 15 minutes.

There is a comfortable pre-departure area with food stalls

and restaurants and orderly boarding procedures. A ticket

costs P306 per passenger.

Inside the ferry are plane-like accommodations: upholstered

seats which recline; a food tray; and courteous waiters and

waitresses taking orders.

Restrooms in the ferry are clean, a cabin attendant stands

outside to make sure it remains that way all throughout the

journey.

A rented van owned by Joe Marie Santillan met us at the

Dumaguete wharf, where we set the trip meter at zero. We entered Bacolod at Km

223.

I had chosen the Bais-Mabinay road to cross the island because I was impressed by

its condition when I took it two years ago. Also, the easy accessibility of that road is

quite significant. In the ’70s, Mabinay was the center of the Communist movement

and NPAs roamed the area to Bais so openly, civilians and the military kept out of the

way.

Today, the road is a safe and fast route for those

traveling across Negros Oriental and Occidental.

Part of my impression of the place was formed by a

mountain resort in Mabinay. It is known as the

Highlands Resort. Turn left at Km 82. (We were there

at 11:05 a.m. leaving Dumaguete at 9:20.)

Highlands is definitely not as sophisticated as the

resorts in Luzon but it is quite extraordinary. You

enter it through a road winding through a forest of

ipil-ipil trees and a lake. It lies within a 48-hectare

man-made forest, its facilities are scattered around

five man-made lakes. The resort, owned by Benedicto

Terambulo (who I have not yet met in the two times I have visited the place), opened

in 1989.

Rene Zerma, a waiter at Highlands, said the place has nine cottages, and nine

resthouses for day picnics. The cottages rent out at P800 to P1,500; the resthouses

at P150 to P300.

After a long lunch (long, because the kitchen was not

ready to feed guests that day), we continued on to

Bacolod. We arrived at L’Fisher Hotel in Bacolod City

at around 4 p.m.

L’ Fisher Hotel is well-known for retaining a distinct

Ilonggo home ambience complemented by an efficient

and courteous staff. The hotel has 70 air-conditioned

rooms, a pool, a coffee shop, fine dining restaurant,

and a ballroom with state-of-the-art audio facilities

which is a favorite reception venue for weddings.

Adjacent to the hotel is an air-conditioned shopping

center (also owned by the same company that owns

L’Fisher) offering boutique shops and popular Chinese

cuisine.

My companions on the cross-country trip, Anjo Perez and Aris Ilagan, chose to be on

their own for the evening. Meanwhile, I had to visit a beauty parlor and my folks, in

that order. (I had been looking for a parlor since Legazpi but those were always

closed when we entered the towns after 8 p.m.)