siquijor island

credits: -videos shot in siquijor island
-software used for video editing was sony vegas 6 movie studio
-music is homebase by dzihan and kamien
-videos were edited, directed, and produced by wencel angeles

bacolod, masskara, inasal, atbp. part 01

the word masskara means two things. “mass,” a collective english word, and “kara” or face in spanish. masskara then became “a mass of faces.” the festival first began in 1980 when the province of negros occidental relied on sugar cane as its primary agricultural crop, and the price of sugar was at an all-time low. in april 1980, the inter-island vessel don juan carrying many negrenses, including those belonging to prominent families in bacolod city, sank. there was a great loss of life. 

bacolod, masskara, inasal, atbp. part 02

october 20. we left the executive almost lunch time. we were so tired from last night's events in lacson. we had a hearty meat at tf, which stand for food trip. ricky ordered beef teriyaki, sizzling squid for james, and pork teriyaki for me. tf is located right next to the bacolod executive inn. their food is satisfactory, but they're surely hot and affordable.
 

after lunch, we went to lacson to find a laundry place where we can drop off all of our dirty clothes. we had a hard time looking for one since it would be the closing of the masskara festival the following day and most establishments would be closed. we were lucky that we found a laundry place along lacson street corner ramos street. we headed right away to the plaza to witness the masskara competition, barangay category.

dumaguete city

rizal boulevard in dumaguete city is a 780-meter strip of wide beachfront promenade. this was one of the first places i've visited while i was in dumaguete. my friend, dave, used to live here and now he is currently working in cebu island.

october 22. we arrived in dumaguete city at 3:30am. we were so tired that day. good thing that the dumaguete lodging house is only a 5 minute walk from the ceres bus terminal. we were so not in the mood to be nice to the attendants, all of them were males. i’m not sure if we came in such a bad time or if it was just our fate because the building was currently under renovation. our room had no window, it smells like tarnish, it was so hot, and it only has a common bathroom. we had no time to argue so we took the room and slept right away. i woke up at 7am and i was sweating like a pig. i got up right away and went to the bathroom for a quick shower.

we went to the dumaguete public market building 3 and looked for a barbershop to get my head shaved. there i met a very nice and friendly barber. let’s call him john for that’s the name i saw on his seat. too bad i forgot to ask to have our pictures together as a souvenir. afterwhich, we took pictures of the silliman university, founded 1901, is a vast 60 hectare land, which also happens to be the largest university in the entire visayas region. also within its grounds, it has the ethno-anthropology museum which contains a wide array of ancient artifacts, archaelogical findings and ethnographical collections. we also took pictures of other landmarks like saint catherine of alexandria church, quezon park, rizal boulevard, and the city’s only belfry.

isla del fuego

siquijor was christened by the early spanish settlers christened, as the "island of fire," referring to the eerie luminescence generated by swarms of fireflies nestled among the foliage of the molave trees that crowd the island. laid-back, serene, and mystical, the island of siquijor is a haven for the weary soul.

october 22. we rode a slow boat, hoping that we would see some whales on our way to siquijor. we were unlucky. hopefully, on wednesday, when we leave siquijor for dumaguete, we will see some whales. the ride was almost an hour and 10 minutes. it was a lot slower compared to a fast raft which could take only 45 minutes, but it was so much fun. the ride was kind of smooth and it wasn’t bumpy at all. it was my first time to ride a boat, and i can proudly say that i never threw up, hahaha.

see you soon, negros

this is the official logo of the masskara festival. click here to get the complete schedule of the activities.

i will be leaving manila via cebu pacific on october 17th to visit bacolod city to attend their annual masskara festival celebration. i've been planning to attend masskara for about 3 years and now, i just had the chance to do it. i will be touring bacolod city and its nearby cities from october 17th to the 21st. i will also be visiting dumaguete city for a day, and then ride a fast raft to the beautiful island of siquijor.

tour me

this blog is about my philippine travel. i love to eat filipino food. i love swimming in philippine beaches. i love meeting my fellow filipinos. i love my country very much, and it shows. every now and then, i make sure that i request for a leave from work for at least 7 days, and try to get away from it, to be free, to relax, and to enjoy life. i love traveling to different places in the islands which i've never been to or even heard of. so some of you might ask, how do i do that?

first, i search the internet or sometimes i read travel books and magazines. other times, i'd ask a close friend where his province is, and how is it like being in that place. it would normally take me a month or two just to do a full research about a specific place. i usually ask the same questions during research; how to get there, what to expect, what to bring, what to eat, where to stay, what to see, what my itinerary would be, and how much.

second, i usually ask a friend's friend to tour me or hire a professional tour guide to show me around the place. if my friend is currenty living in my destination, i would ask him if he can personally tour me instead of just giving out directions.

third, i pack my bags, prepare my equipment (camera, camcorder, batteries, recording medias, etc.), leave, and enjoy.

so, if you are living somewhere in the philippines, and you feel like being "charitable" to me, and would like to tour me in your area, brag about your province and email me at ask.wencelangeles@gmail.com. it would be nice to have a local with me to show me your beautiful place. please tell me things about yourself, the city you live in, and why it should be featured.