One of the coolest thing in Bacolod for me is the new business my cousin, Edgar opened just before I came home. His shop is called Autolab and can be found at Lopez-Jaena Street, just in front of Lizares’ private cementery. This cementary by the way was once featured in Ripley’s Believe It Or Not s the cementary is oddly located in the middle of a busy street and intersection.
As you might have guessed from its name, the business has something to do with installing car audio system and selling car accessories. I never took up that hobby because of financial constraints – in short, I can’t afford it. But looking closely at how the speakers, subwoofers and other devices are installed is really interesting. And when you hear the heart thumping sound at full blast, it’s just amazing.
For now the place still needs a lot of work, furniture and cleaning but I would hang out there once in a while and it really feels so cool. I also get to meet some old friends I haven’t seen for a while and they are surprised to find out the owner and I are cousins– though I am not as surprised the other way around because I am well aware that not only is my cousin, unlike me, has loads of PR, but also Bacolod is just a very small world.
Hopefully, someday, I would be able to learn more about car audio setup, accessories, etc. and eventually take up this very cool hobby. It’s really gratifying to see a nice looking and sounding car, plus, chicks love it too.
I really love travel and adventure. I was very much into that during my mountaineering days back in 2002 to 2006 so I felt very much deprived when I accepted a job in Kuala Lumpur back in 2007. “If I cannot climb, I would definitely travel.”, I keep on telling myself.
But I was out of luck, the first few months after moving in KL in February 2007, I still have little extra money for travel. Before I knew it, I was buried deep in work. When I was able to get myself together to travel, I found out that the monsoon season is already on and most beaches in east Malaysia are closed to tourists. I have to wait several more months before I could visit those beaches.
I did bought myself a Lonely Planet: South East Asia travel book/guide and made some plans. But luck still doesn’t seem to be by my side as I left for a three month assignment in Kuwait. When I got back, I was very eager to resign. It’s now or never, I thought.
Now when you have not been travelling or climbing for a long time, you get to experience this kind feeling of inertia wherein you would like to put off an activity to another time. So when a weekend came where I was available to travel and all the plans have been set, it took a considerable effort for me to force myself to go. It did not help that elements seem to be against me.
I quickly packed the things I’ll need. But when I reached the ground floor, I realized I forgot something. After coming back up to retrieve the thing I have forgotten, I felt my stomach went bad. As I was relieving myself, I remembered the time I was still a kid, the family is going to the beach. We haven’t gone far from the house, when someone realized that the pot of rice was forgotten and we have to drive back to get it. Midway of the journey a tire went flat. My grandmother took that as an ominous sign and cancelled the trip. I was again seriously thinking of postponing the trip.
But I was determined not to be stopped. I went to Plaza Rakyat (People’s Plaza) terminal in downtown Kuala Lumpur where I was to take a bus to a town called Lumot. A friend once described Plaza Rakyat looks like an old Bus Terminal somewhere in Quiapo. And when I got to the place, that description couldn’t be more accurate.
Old as it is, Plaza Rakyat terminal is far more better than old terminals of Quiapo or anywhere in the Philippines. The system is efficient and not much crooks around. Though there are still annoying barkers who would hassle tourists asking them where they are going and trying to get one to take the bus lines of their choice. Anyhow, I got on the bus and took the two hour trip to Lumot.
This is my first long road trip in Malaysia after the taxi trip I had when I arrived. Kuala Lumpur International Airport is quite a distance from the city proper and would take a little more than an hour by taxi or bus. (The more efficient way of getting to and from the airport is taking the train.) I noticed that the highways are clean and wide. The bus is spacious not like the cramp ones back in Manila and will take a rest stop after about an hour of travel. All in all the travel was quite pleasant.
I arrived at this little town called Lumot. I got myself a ticket to the next ferry to a little island known as Pulau Pankor which is described by lonely planet as “a delightful kampong island with a jungle-clad interior and pristine beaches. It doesn’t make much noise along the traveler’s grapevine but is an excellent diversion if burning up a few days before a flight home.
The trip was a lot more comfortable than I expected. The port and the ferry are relatively nice and clean compared to those I was used to in the Philippines, notwithstanding the fact that the trip is just a mere 20 minutes. On the way, I saw a Malaysian Navy ship yard and a couple of fishing villages.
I followed Lonely Planet’s advice to take Teluk Nipah resort as it says that this is the place popular to backpackers. I then looked for the accommodation places that was recommended and settled down at Nazri Nipah Camp. I had a simple A frame with private bath for my shelter. The resort is nice and simple and the attendants are friendly.
After settling down, I immediately went to the seaside and took a dip. There are some locals also spending their weekend at the beach and I was a little surprised to see that the Muslim females still wear their tudongs (a cloth covering the hair), including long sleeves clothing and long pants while bathing in the ocean.
After a while I was hungry and I went to look for places to eat. I choose a Chinese Restaurant that serves seafood. It’s a bit pricey but heck, I’m on my first holiday for over a year. After dinner I bought some beer at the outdoor restaurants just in front of the beach and watch the sunset which comes at about 6:30pm in this part of the world. When it’s a little dark I went back to Nazri, bought some more beer and got a book in the common area and read and drink by on a hammock. Places which cater to backpackers lodging usually have books, board games, etc in the dining/common area.
The next day I took a simple Malaysian breakfast of bread, eggs and coffee. After that I tried to hike around the area. Nothing much to see except the beach and thickly covered forest. In the Philippines the areas heavily populated like this which is covered by lots of trees would have been bare a long time ago. I went back to the beach front and spent the whole afternoon reading again. By late afternoon there are locals fishing by the beach. I saw a hawk snatch a fish from the sea. I bought a beer and continue to just relax at the beach. Ah simple island living!
At night the same seafood restaurant was my dinner place and got some beer near the beach. As I was walking in the street I spotted this hornbill which I noticed seem to be just flying around the area. I also noticed previously it nests on a very tall tree a little further back from where I was staying. The bird then landed on a cable just where I was and somehow just stayed there. It seem to want me to take a picture. I took my camera out and quickly snapped a picture. The bird then flew away. I spent the rest of the evening finishing the book I was reading as I was going home the next day.
The next morning I got up late and took a quick hike to the nearby beach. In hindsight I should have taken more pictures. The trip back home is uneventful. But I am travelling again!!
Among the first things I did after I went home to Bacolod back in early 2007 was to seek out old drinking buddies. Unfortunately, because of circumstances beyond my control, the old gang wasn’t there anymore. Either they had turned a new leaf, moved on, moved to other places, or just too impoverished to afford drinks on Friday nights.
I was already expecting my stay to be a bore when I was invited to a gathering of some high school friends. To make the long story short, I meet some old friends who still do enjoy conversations over food and drinks. And their hang out is this little kitchenette (carenderia) in San Juan Street just behind the old Bacolod City Hall.
Beb’s Eatery is just a common carenderia, they have chicken, pork, etc to grill, rice, drinks, tv, karaoke machince – the usual. The thing that makes this place special is that at night it is managed by my friends. Furthermore other friends hang out here for food, drinks, smoke and conversation. So this place became my regular hangout especially during Fridays and Saturdays.
This is the place where I got to meet other people who share our favorite pastime. Old classmates who are based in other places already also drop by whenever they are in town. They know they’ll just find us here whenever they want to unwin. I do hope other friends will discover this nice little place, there’ll be a lot more drinks and conversations and fun. I wonder though how long our liver can hold. 
My contract in Singapore wasn’t renewed after it ended. I was told to expect another project in a few months, and since I do not want to go back to Manila after the floods and all, I guess I’m stuck in my native Bacolod – for now.
Call it fate, luck, destiny or what have you, but Buhay-Bacolod is the most accurate description of my current situation. So please join me as I try to write (they key word is try) about my experiences while staying in Bacolod.
What’s the big deal you say?
Well, I have been away from home since late 1999. I went to work in Taiwan during the Y2K season. After that I went to Manila to start a carreer in IT which was a very good move as IT was and still is paying very well.
I stayed in Manila for about seven years. Except for important events I was barely coming home to Bacolod especially after 2002 when I started mountaineering as a hobby (I spent all my vacation leaves on climbs).
2007 I left Manila for a job in Kuala Lumpur. I was able to go home after a one year adventure in Malaysia and visit Bacolod again. By this time I haven’t been home for about four years and have things changed!!!
Kids have grown up, some families have grown rich, others are not as lucky and still others almost stayed the same – including ours. We still live in a single bedroom house with a couple of native huts, lots of trees in the backyard and a small store in adjacent lot facing the next road. No running water as the water pressure is too weak during day time and a healthy diet of fish almost everyday – rural living as you can get in the city.
Oh well, this is truly home.
