Bacolod-Silay International Airport: A Survival Guide

Bacolod City has a new airport. It's in the middle of a sugarcane field and surrounded by majestic-looking mountains in the East. Sitting in the departure area becomes an otherworldly experience as the clear glass window frames mountains, sugarcane fields and coconut trees. But when I arrived there, I had no idea what to expect or what it looked like. As I was feeling a little shy, I told everyone not to bother picking me up. Besides, I wanted to see how the transport system was like. This new airport is a little tricky as it's in Silay City, around 30 minutes from downtown Bacolod City. Fortunately, there are several options available.

So here's a little guide for all of you who have not yet passed through the new Bacolod-Silay International Airport.

How to Get Out of the Airport

• Get someone to pick you up.
• Take a taxi. When you leave the baggage area, there will be guys right before the other door going outside holding placards with "Taxi" written on them. Approach them and tell them you need a taxi. They will give you a sort of receipt which you will give to the driver waiting outside. Standard rate going to Bacolod City is around PHP420.
• Take the Shuttle. Right next to the taxi guys will be little counters marked "Shuttle" and there will be ladies there who will take your payment and give you a receipt. The shuttle is only PHP100 (and don't pay anything more if someone insists otherwise). Shuttles are basically vans and don't be surprised to find 4-6 other passengers there with you. These shuttles have official stops like SM, Robinson's Place, and such, but don't be shy to ask the driver to drop you somewhere specific, like your hotel. It's perfectly okay and they're actually willing to do so. But the farthest that they can go is the downtown area.

Shuttle Me to the Airport

Options for going to the airport are basically the same:

• Get someone to bring you to the airport.
• Taxi.
• Take the Shuttle. There are shuttles/vans parked at SM City Bacolod and Robinsons Cybergate (in front of the old airport). They leave the terminals 2 hours prior to the departure time of flights but some say that there are also vans that leave every hour. Again, don't be shy to tell the driver if you're in a hurry. Fare is also PHP100.
• Colorum SUVs/Vans. There are colorum SUVs parked at the Silay City Plaza. Fare is PHP50, but you can have the van for yourself and not wait for other passengers for PHP200.
• Take the tricycle. Weird, huh. But yes, you can get a tricycle at the Silay City Public Market for PHP10. Another option is a multicab going to Guimbalaon, but it's not a recommended option. Jeepney fare from Bacolod (i.e., Mandalagan) to Silay is PHP10-12.

Additional photos of the new Bacolod-Silay International Airport are posted in Flickr.

Free Wi-Fi Hotspots in Makati

Metro Manila can be one of the most boring places out there. It depends on the day, or my mood, but it's usually kind of boring. To compensate, I play around on the internet, discovering new stories, concepts and applications, reading other travelers' stories. But it's much more enjoyable when I don't have to pay for the internet, that is, when I find a free wi-fi connection.

Here's my list of free wifi connections in Makati City. There are other lists out there as well, much longer and wider in scope and you may want to try those out as well. But I encourage you to go around and discover on your own.

• Bel-Air Village, Baranggay Park [WiGo]
• LKG Food Tower Odyssey [WiGo]
• PBCom Tower, Food Patio [WiGo]
• Power Plant Mall (Block 9, P1, R1, R2, R3 but there's none at Starbucks) [WiGo]
• Shakey's Rada, Jaycem Building [WiGo]
• Enterprise Center, Food Park [WiGo]
• Bo's Coffee, Dela Rosa St [BOs delaRosa]
• Greenbelt 2
• Starbucks Glorietta 4

These I haven't tried yet but I had some leads that they have wifi. Well, most likely they'd have it.

• Hotel Intercontinental, Makati
• Manila Peninsula (lobby area)
• Makati Shangri-la Hotel, Makati

Stone Mountain Park: Sculpture and Laser Show

"Hi, are you guys Filipinos?"

After living in Atlanta, GA for a few weeks, it was the first time that someone asked us that question. We all look at the American woman and her daughter behind us, smiling. We are on the train that goes around the Stone Mountain Scenic Railroad, a 5-mile trip that goes around the base of Stone Mountain. We acknowledge them and she exuberantly invites us to meet her Filipino husband. When we got down the train, we all follow her to the picnic area. A voice inside me is saying that we shouldn't talk to strangers, but I trust my other girlfriends' instincts and follow along.

We meet the husband, a missionary from Samar. We talk a little bit and listen to the wife talk about how she used to go to the post office in Samar to deliver and mail letters to her mother in the US. They then invite us to go and visit Myrtle Beach. Great.

This is Stone Mountain Park, "America's favorite picnic ground" prior to the Civil War. The main attraction here are the activities around the stone mountain, also called "the largest deposit of merchantable granite in the world." In short, it's a mountain that is actually made up of solid stone. On the northern face of the mountain, there is a gigantic carving of Confederate generals Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson and Confederate President Jefferson Davis. This is the world's largest piece of sculpture.

After walking around and taking the cable car to the top of the mountain, we get hungry. So we pile up on the car, go out of the park and find a Chinese restaurant that offers a buffet spread. When you have six people who have different tastes, Chinese food is the only food we can all agree on. Chinese food is also generally cheaper in the U.S.

The buffet is good, there is a wide selection and there is a desert bar which includes fresh fruits and ice cream. We all think we are in food heaven. Who knows how many plates of food we have consumed that day. Who was counting anyway? What I don't forget up to now are the mountains of orange wedges piled high on our plates.

After the heavy early dinner, we go back to the park to catch the laser show. Parking space is nowhere to be found and we go around the parking area several times. Two of my friends are already threatening to literally move the motorcycles parked nearby. Then our prayers are answered and we finally find the prized parking space.

There is a big crowd in the picnic area. We find out that guests sit on the grass; others brought a picnic blanket, while others have picnic chairs. The sound-and-light laser show includes lasers beamed on the side of the mountain, fireworks and music. Of course, country music too.

On the way home, we sit in silence and wonder at the day that went by. Why was that Chinese buffet so cheap when we ate so much?

If you want to read more on the park, more info can be found at the Stone Mountain Park website.

Goya Dark Mint as Pasalubong

In the Filipino culture, there is a concept called "pasalubong". It's the traditional practice of giving a gift to your host, friends or family when you arrive at another city or place. Actually, the gift itself is also called the pasalubong. It is a tradition that is so much a part of the Filipino culture.

For so many years, expats and migrant workers bring along an extra bag or balikbayan box just for the gifts. Travelers and vacationers who go to other countries do the same thing. But there's never been a local brand of chocolates yet that can stand head to head with the likes of Hersheys, Ferrero Rocher or Milka, that travelers can bring to other countries.

Flashback fifteen plus years ago. Kids then loved Goya, that local brand that brought us Curly Tops and Flat Tops. There was no need to refrigerate them so even the neighborhood tiangge had it. It was cheap too.

Now back to the present time, where everyone has been blogging and twitting about the new Goya Dark Mint (dark chocolates with mint). Or maybe it's not new, maybe it's been there for some time now and it just slowly entered the conversation. Whatever. People love it, I love it and there's been a mad rush ever since to find them. One Dark Mint-holic from Davao went grocery shopping last week and when she saw no Goya Dark Mints, she panicked and thought they ran out of it. It turns out they just transferred it to another shelf.

The new Goya Dark Mint comes in an export-ready packaging and it's only PHP25.50 (at Landmark). Are we witnessing the rebirth of the Goya brand?

There have been a lot of people who have been saying that they will bring this as a pasalubong when they go to other countries. It doesn't really matter what you bring as a gift. As they say, it's the thought that counts. It's the fact that you thought about giving something to your friends and family. Different cultures may have different ways of showing gratitude but it's still all about sharing.

Goya Dark Mint is only one of the new pasalubong trends coming out. There was a commercial that claimed that it was Goldilocks, ang pasalubong ng bayan (the gift for everyone). What other interesting pasalubong ideas and/or travel gifts do you have? Care to share them? Send me a message. Or drop a note.

Globility

While reading posts on the net, I came across this write-up on a cool family (The Jenss Family Travels) that will go on a year-long trip around the world. They call the idea for the trip as Globility, that is, the "quality of being open to a world of cultures and experiences." Why this caught my attention? It's quite interesting. I look forward to reading their travel stories from different parts of the world.

Read on... As a friend of the father, Rainer Jenss, says, "Set your intention and the universe will conspire to show you the way."

Back Lot Tree

I always feel blessed when I see this picture. We were riding the tram that goes around the Universal Studios lot in L.A., and since we were on a studio tour, we were restless. There were a lot of information that were being given to us, so many facts and so many interesting things to see. I could never remember in which particular part of the lot that tree stood, but I can remember that it was in the middle of a cicular driveway. There was something about the tree’s shape and the way that the light fell on it that I was compelled to just take a picture of it anyway. Everytime I look at it, I feel thankful for the blessings given to me at that particular moment. Who knew that light and shadow could ever work together like that?

On Sunday, there was a fire that destroyed parts of Universal Studios Hollywood back lot. It is said that even the popular King Kong exhibit was burned down. I hope that the tree is still there, standing proud and playing tricks with the light.

If some areas were destroyed, maybe there will be additions to the park soon. Change can be a good thing. What new attractions do you think can we expect to see this year and next year?

Sunset from Midtown Atlanta

I have no idea what to write about that picture. I just wanted to share it… Call it nostalgia if you will. Vacation sunset meets industrial/residential area. Hehe.

That shot was taken facing western Atlanta, and if I moved my camera just a little bit to the right, I would have included Atlantic Station in the shot. Atlantic Station is one of the area’s newest premiere entertainment, residential and business hotspots.