Do you know that vegetable farming can earn you more per square meter than sugarcane farming? At least that’s true in the case of Fresh Start Organics Farm in Silay City. What started as just a demo farm to showcase their organic fertilizer product is now a showcase of sustainable farming and one that is very productive also.

While the rest of the country was glued on their television for the Pacquiao-Marquez fight last November 13, the bloggers who attended the Philippine Blog Awards Visayas were toured at Fresh Start Organics Farm in Silay City.

We were met by the owner Ramon “Chin-Chin” Uy, Jr.  and he first introduced us to his army of workers, the African Night Crawlers. Their name sound ominous but these earthworms are the best friend of an organic farmer. They eat decomposing organic matter and convert them to vermicompost which were proven to be more superior to conventionally processed compost.

African NIght Crawlers at Fresh Start Organics Farm

These worms have a voracious appetite. A gram of worm will also eat an equivalent amount of waste. They also mate incessantly and can exchange their sex in order to maintain balance. If there are more females, then some females would turn to males and vice versa. Just keep them happy by feeding them and they will do the rest.

Chin-Chin is your modern day farmer who approached farming in a scientific way. He feeds the worms in a mix of 25% nitrogen from plant source (green) and 75% carbon from animal manure and dry plant source (brown). They have developed their own blend of vermicompost and bokashi compost which they sell at P300 per 50-Kg bag.

ChinChin Uy of Fresh Start Organics

I’m very interested in Fresh Start Organics farm because their methods are sustainable and simple enough that you can also implement it in your small urban garden in Bacolod. For pest control, they implement crop rotation and companion planting. Sunflowers are planted to attract pollinators while lemongrass is planted to repel insects.

As proof of the healthy soil and effective pest management, rows of different kinds of lettuces grow very healthy and ready for harvest.  The bloggers had an opportunity to harvest some of the lettuces which are then washed under running water, drained and packed in zip locks. The lettuces just need to be washed to remove dirt and can already be eaten since they are free from chemicals and pesticides.

Bloggers harvesting lettuce at Fresh Start Organics Farm

The herbs are so lush and healthy I envy them. I can’t seem to grow my rosemary at home very well and the staff gave me some tips how. There were also tarragon, basil, coriander, stevia, and other herbs. There were some bloggers who ate stevia for the first time and were surprised how sweet it is.

Some bloggers also milled around the vegetarian pig which is munching on madre de agua. This plant is a good source of protein and is used to feed livestock and even chickens. Everything in the farm are being utilized, nothing is wasted. Produce which are not sold are either processed or fed to the pigs. Those who can’t be fed to the pigs are fed to the worms.

I already knew that Chin-chin will be treating the group for an organic lunch at the Balay Negrense including a lechon of one of the grass-fed pigs from his farm. This I kept to myself as a special surprise to the bloggers especially those who were really delighted with the idea of a vegetarian pig.

There was a cool breeze blowing as we took refuge from the heat of the sun at the rest house in the middle of the farm. This is life for me since I dreamed of having a farm like this too. If I’m free to do what I want, I would rather spend my days travelling, blogging, and gardening.

Most of Negros Island’s beauty remains hidden from the rest of the country. This boot-shaped island is blessed by nature with fascinating places waiting to be discovere.  Bago City in the Province of Negros Occidental on the Western side of the Island is probably one of those places that when God gifted the mortals with natural treasures, received a lot.

Bago City’s upland area sat at the foot of Mount Kanlaon where it has numerous springs and waterfalls thus the city has several mountain resorts both privately and publicly managed.  One of the government run resorts is the Buenos Aires Mountain Resort which recently reopened after it has undergone renovation for almost a year.

Located near the foot of Mount Kanlaon in Brgy. Ilijan, Bago City, Buenos Aires Montain Resort has several accommodation and pool choices for visitors. The resort is less than 45-minute drive from Bacolod City and the roadside view is very idyllic. Unlike most part of Negros Occidental, it is in Bago City where you’ll see a lot of rice fields side by side with sugarcane plantations. Bago City is considered the rice granary of Negros Occidental.

I played tour guide to my cousins from Iloilo when they had a weekend vacation in Negros Occidental a few weeks ago.  My nephews and nieces haven’t been to Mambukal yet, so a day tour of Mambukal is a must. It was a long weekend so most resorts including Mambukal were already fully-booked but we were lucky Buenos Aires has an available room enough for nine people.

Buenos Aires offers various accommodation to choose from. There are picnic huts for daytime visitors and cottages for overnight guests.

My cousin requested somebody to book for us at Buenos Aires earlier. When we arrived at Buenos Aires at half past three was when we learned that we were booked in a non-aircon dormitory because it’s the only room available. However, the kids were complaining of the heat so we decided to request to be transferred to an airconditioned room. Fortunately for us, somebody backed out from a booking so we were moved to one of the newer Family Cottages (P3,500).

The cottage has two aircon rooms, one with two double deck beds and one with a matrimonial bed. It also has a large sala-dining area with a TV, refrigerator, dining table and sink. The bathroom was also spacious. The cottage also has a balcony at the back overlooking a river.  The sound of the water cascading over the rocks is very soothing it will lull you to sleep on a warm afternoon. That’s exactly what we did after a shower under the cool mountain spring water of Buenos Aires.

We brought our own food for dinner but there are also food stalls at the entrance of the resort. The food are mostly home-cooked and there’s Chicken Inasal right off the grill for pulutan.

The following day, the kids and teens had so much fun frolicking at the pool since they had the pool for themselves very early in the morning. I explored the other parts of the resort and was awarded by a beautiful view at the top of the hill where the resort Hostel was located. To the East, the summit of Mounta Kanlaon peeks through the morning mist and to the West, the plains of Bago City.

Although there is not much to do in Buenos Aires unlike Mambukal, it’s a nice place to relax on a weekend. The resort is well maintained, beautifully landscaped, quiet and very accessible from Bacolod City. It was all worth the travel we made.

Going to Buenos Aires Mountain Resort

From Bacolod City, take the Road Star Bus at the Bacolod South Terminal (Sambok) to Ma-ao, Bago City (P40/person). From Ma-ao Public Market, take the tricycle to Buenos Aires Mountain Resort (P150-hire).

There’s also an alternate route going to Buenos Aires from Mambukal Resort in Murcia. If you’re from Mambukal, turn left at crossing going to Sitio Manghumay. There’s a sign that says “going to Pataan” but to make sure you won’t miss it, ask the locals once you reach the army headquarters.  When you reach crossing Sitio Pataan, the road to your left will lead you to Pataan Mountain Resort while the road to your right will lead to Kipot Falls and Buenos Aires Mountain Resort. Follow the road to your right until you reach a crossing to your left with a sign leading to Buenos Aires and Rafael Salas National Park around 6km from crossing Sitio Pataan.

View Going to Bago City via Murcia in a larger map

Buenos Aires Mountain Resort
Brgy. Ilijan, Bago City
Negros Occidental

For Booking & Reservation, contact:
Bago City Tourism Affairs Office
Tel. No.: (034) 461-0540
Telefax: (034) 461-1028
Front Desk:  (0917)301-4251

Buenos Aires Mountain Resort Rates:

Overnight Facilities

Daytime Facilities

More Photos

[Show as slideshow]

[View with PicLens]

The Negros Occidental Orchid Society Inc. held its 9th Waling-Waling Festival in a week-long exhibit of orchids and plants starting Aug. 15 and ended today, Aug. 21 at Robinson’s Place-Bacolod. This is a yearly event since this magnificent orchid blooms during in July to September after the monsoon rains.

Waling-waling with scientific name Euanthe sanderiana orVanda sanderiana is endemic to the Philippines specifically in Davao, Cotabato and Zamboanga. The festival aims to awaken old enthusiasts, inspire new hobbyists and promote public awareness on the value of the waling-waling, one of the symbols of the richness of our culture.

Waling-waling is already considered endangered since it is very rare in its natural habitat. Because of its beauty, it’s hailed as the “Queen of Philippine Orchids“. It is rather expensive so I can only afford to buy small seedlings priced at P50 each. It will probably take several years to see them bloom but I can wait. That’s one of the things I learned as a neophyte gardener, you should have a lot of patience but I know it will all be worth it.

The festival also featured other plants such as succulents and cactus, bromeliads, bonsai, and fruit trees. Those who don’t want to wait years for trees to bear fruits, bought grafted fruit trees such as batwan which is priced at P250.

I’m glad to see a lot of native Philippine plant species at the festival since I’d like to add them to my small garden. There was Medinilla magnifica locally called Kapa-Kapa. I already have one bought from Don Salvador Benedicto at P150 last year. It’s easy to grow and mine has produced really beautiful flowers which incidentally are also edible and has medicinal properties according to Marketman.

Medinilla magnifica (photo from www.botanicgardensblog.com)

My biggest find was the Jade Vine (Strongylodon macrobotrys). Locally called tayabak, the jade vine is a related to the pea family and another endemic plant in the Philippines which also considered rare and endangered. Don’t worry, the one sold at the festival were cultivated and not harvested from the wild.

I tried to haggle for P300 but the seller won’t budge so I gave in and bought it at P350. I suck at haggling. But I don’t mind buying it at P350, I just look forward to the day when I will see my first bloom of the claw-shaped flower.

Jade Vine (Photo from Wikipedia.org)

The Waling-Waling Festival is an annual event so if you were not able to visit this year, wait for announcements on this event next year which will be held in August 2012. The Negros Occidental Orchids Society also hold other garden shows all throughout the year.

I always look forward going to San Carlos City via the Negros Translink Highway where you pass by the Municipality of Don Salvador Benedicto. Good roads, cooler climate, and a beautiful scenery will keep you awake for the whole trip.

Don Salvador Benedicto’s cooler climate will remind you of Tagaytay or even Baguio City. Whereas Baguio is the Summer Capital of the Philippines, Don Salvador Benedicto is the Summer Capital of Negros Occidental . This is why some people would refer to DSB as the “little Baguio” of Negros Occidental.

Just like Baguio, it also fogs at Don Salvador Benedicto and  San Carlos City mountain areas. When it happens, visibility is limited to a few meters so be extra careful when driving especially if you don’t often travel this route. The roads traverse the side of the mountains and sometimes has sharp curves. Any wrong turn and you’ll end up several meters below.

Of late, travelers are greeted with a lion statue along the road of Don Salvador Benedicto. I recently traveled to San Carlos with a guest and upon seeing the statue, he requested to stop by so he can have some souvenir photos. This lion is quite small compared to the one in Baguio which elicited a comment from our guest, “Little Baguio nga kasi yung lion little din.”

The statue is within the park and community center constructed by the Bacolod City Host Lions Club in partnership with the Kaohsiung Port Lions Club in Taiwan and the Ichon Lions Club in South Korea. There’s also a viewing deck where visitors can see the scenic backdrop of the mountains and a bucolic view of the river and rice terraces below.

The statue is already getting a lot of attention from passersby and a lot of people have posted photos of it in social networking sites and blogs. However, I have to agree with Errol Gatumbato, the statue seemed out of place at the North Negros Natural Park (NNNP). I know the Lions Club has many projects in the area which benefited a lot of people in the community. I just wished they hadn’t built the lion statue. Besides, there’s already a marker which claim it as a Lions Club project.

I would prefer seeing a statue of the Visayan Spotted Deer since it’s endemic to Negros and it’s a good way to raise awareness on environment protection. The Visayan Spotted Deer is already endangered due to the destruction of its natural habitat but a remaining few still lives at NNNP.  They are so few in the wild that it’s now considered the rarest deer in the world.

Negros used to be 90% covered with forests but only around 4% remains today. The North Negros Natural Park is considered one of the top 10 most important forests in the world according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), yet it is also one of the most threatened. The survival of the Visayan Spotted Deer hinges so much on the survival of NNNP.

If ever you see a statue as tall as 10 feet amidst the lush mountain backdrop, you would naturally ask what it is and why it’s there, wouldn’t you? Anyone would recognize a lion but sadly, not everyone can differentiate the Visayan Spotted Deer from the deers of the world.

It may not look as imposing as a lion but the  Visayan Spotted Deer represents the vulnerability of our forests and the role we have to play in saving it.

I have been a blogger for half a decade now. What started as an easier way of writing non-personal journals ignited my passion to write many issue-related, often inspirational blogs. Just a couple of months ago, a fellow Negros Blogger Glady Tomulto inducted me although informally to the world of Negrénse blogging culture. While blogging is the consequence of the internet age, the roots have been deeply rooted in the Negrénse love for the latest news and reminiscing recently concluded trips to some parts of the country and the globe. Negrénses are always keen for the latest and adventures, surely a natural-born talented Negrénse would never run out of stories to tell. This is a trait I have found in quite an interesting way. Simple overhears at Starbucks Podium, board room meetings in the middle of Ortigas Center, friendly chats over mounds of sweet treats at Calea in Lacson St. and breathtaking moments around serenely beautiful sugarcane fields of Negros develops quite a story. Some consider the blogosphere as abounding in hearsays and simple thoughts but how does it really contribute to the sweet, rock-solid society in which Negros is built?

While news on paper, online and on air are a daily staple, blogs thread in areas these traditional means of information communication deem unreachable. Prime example would be war developments in Libya to the countless anonymous blogs in restricted China. Blogs relay infos when official means are cut. In a few minutes, you can register an e-mail, sign-up for a blog service account and voila, you are now part of the unlimited information source of the World Wide Web. For an island society that is built in peacetime like Negros, blogging offers another perspective of Negrénse life that is often of limited availability in major media outlets. Even given the lack of publicity about Negros tourism for example, tourist especially foreign tourists flock the shores of Negros to discover attractions North to South. The diving attractions of Southern Negros thrive with foreign tourist even when there is lack of ads from the government. At closer look and interview with these foreign tourists, one can discover that they came to the knowledge of Negrénse treasure throves not from the Department of Tourism but from reading reviews and blogs of native-born Negrénses.

Late May 2011, I finally decided to join the acclaimed Skyscrapercity.com (SSC) forum as I have learned that it is an online forum teeming with information about Bacolod City and Negros Occidental at large. The information posted are by no means meager for many have inside informations about the latest projects rising around the Metropolis of Bacolod City. While information circulate in a small circle inside forum threads, these provide important pieces of information that is helpful for bloggers like me in drafting articles that point to the profitability of business in Negros Island. I have known of some companies whose employees, particularly some General Managers, use forums like SSC to gather starter data for the improvement of a number of facilities notably that of Mactan-Cebu International Airport for example. A number of real estate companies have also been in touch with these forums to have a general idea of where to or not to invest in a city concerned. Like blogging, “foruming”, a consequentially formed new verb, has also been of little note to some expert research until as of late.

As people and a number of institutions have seen the information drive of blogs and online forums, many have taken steps for its development. It is a sure that blogging and foruming have helped developed a completely new society where people are being liberated from traditional media that has since hostaged informations at director’s whim. My hope is that communications experts can at least produce a paper on these two new phenomena. I have since proposed in a group of forumers that they develop a simple pamphlet on the avantages of forums and why people should grab the opportunity to access unlimited amount of information. Gladly, Negros Bloggers are making a headway in promoting blogging among the crème de la crème of the Negrénse intelligentsia with the upcoming Visayas Blog Awards at the imposing Ruins in Talisay City. While blogs and online forums are not celebrities like Facebook or Twitter, I am hopeful in its development as a highly-effective communication tool but until so bloggers and forumers will continue to be a small circle within the Negrénse Intellectuales. Certainly, the promotion, life and preservation of the Negrénse Alta-Sociedad rest in this small group of people.

Some people who have read my About Page might have asked “Why does she blog about Negros when she’s from Iloilo?” I’ve received comments such as, “Taga-Iloilo man na sya gali.”

I also asked myself why I would blog about Negros before I started ExperienceNegros almost 3 years ago. My answer was, why not? I find this island truly beautiful and since I already made it my home, why not tell the world about it?

I was once asked by a reader what makes one Negrense. I think that even transcends birth. Come to think of it, the native inhabitants of Negros are the Negritos and foreign encroachment have long pushed them up the mountains, if they survived at all. Most Negrenses now have ancestors who are not from Negros. To be a Negrense I think is to love Negros and to do what you can for its good.

To those who are still skeptical as to why somebody from Iloilo should blog about Negros, why then, if you’re born Negrense aren’t you blogging about Negros? That is my challenge to you.

Let me take this opportunity, albeit already late, to greet the Negros Bloggers a happy 2nd year anniversary. I was one of the pioneer member of the Negros Bloggers and we were not all born in Negros.

If you blog and you’re passionate about Negros, you are welcome into our fold. Negrense by birth, by blood, or simply by choice, it doesn’t matter. There are still so many things to write about Negros. And as Lloyd Tronco puts it, “Negros bloggers are charged with a vision to get our rich Negrense heritage on the web”.

Campomanes Bay is around 10 minutes from Punta Ballo. It is an excellent  site for water sports such as diving, jet skiing, kayaking or even just boating and island hopping.

Campomanes Bay has an Ecoport which caters to medium-sized sea craft. The bay has an enclosed shape and the islets that dot the bay entrance provides the port with calm waters even in bad weather. The entrance of the bay has a wide expanse of corals and shipwrecks MS Jojo and SS Panay make the Campomanes Bay an excellent dive site.

Campomanes Bay Ecoport

Boats can be rented from Punta Ballo beach resorts at around P700 for a two-hour tour. Going to Campomanes Bay, you will see beautifully designed vacation houses along the mountainside.

Vacation Houses at Campomanes Bay

There are also karst cliffs along Campomanes Bay which can be an excellent site for extreme rock climbing. I was told by my triathlete friend Bang Agustin that Campomanes Bay was once the venue of an extreme sports event.

Karst Cliff at Campomanes Bay

For those who are not into diving, a boating trip at Campomanes Bay is recommended. You can make a stopover on one of the islets and enjoy swimming or snorkeling. You can even see the corals and fishes below the surface even from the boat.

One of the Islets at Campomanes bay

Although declared a Marine Protected Area, there are some signs of vandalism in some islets at Campomanes Bay. Cave formations were defaced and trash were left on the islets.

Cave in one of the Islets at Campomanes Bay

A lot of locals in Sipalay City depend on tourism for their livelihood so even if you are just visiting, please be responsible tourists and do your share in protecting our natural resources.

Sipalay City in Southern Negros Occidental is a top tourist destination because of its pristine natural beauty. The Jewel of the Sugar Island, as Sipalay is known, has long stretches of white sand beaches which are not as crowded as other Philippine beaches. The privacy that Sipalay beach resorts offer to tourists make it a perfect getaway.

One of the most frequented by tourists is the Punta Ballo beach area located at Barangay 4 where its white sand beach stretched to almost a kilometer. Punta Ballo is around 30 minutes from Sipalay city proper and can be accessed through a concrete road. Public and private resorts dot the area and its pristine waters and its rich marine life is truly inviting for swimming and snorkeling.

Sipalay has 44 dive sites which include coral reefs and ship wrecks. This is why Sipalay has some of the best diving resorts in the country.

Punta Ballo Beach, Sipalay City, Negros Occidental

List of Resorts in Punta Ballo, Sipalay City

Artistic Diving
Website: www.artisticdiving.com
Email add: info@artisticdiving.com
Contact No. : +63 – 919 – 4095594

Easy Diving
Website: www.sipalay.com
Email add: christian@sipalay.com
Contact No. +63 – 910 – 4926622 / +63 – 918 – 8886999

Nataasan Beach Resort
Website: www.nataasan.com
Email add: amiel_1976@yahoo.com, divetludie@aol.com
Contact No: +63 – 918 – 559 – 0215

Robinson Cruse Beach Resort
Website: www.robinsoncruse.com
Email add: info@robinsoncruse.com
Contact No:09203318508

Hello my dear readers! Thank you for visiting Experience Negros!, subscribing to our feed, liking us of Facebook, following us on Twitter and forwarding our posts to your friends and relatives. I may not become a millionaire because of this blog but knowing I have you reading my blog is enough to make me feel like one.

I want to make this blog accessible to you anytime, anywhere you are. As a way of keeping in touch with you and to keep you updated, I created a Nokia Ovi app at Nokia Ovi for you download on your Nokia Phones. The application is FREE! Download it now from Nokia Ovi Store and get updates from ExperienceNegros on your Nokia phones anywhere, anytime.

Click the image below to download ExperienceNegros Ovi App now.

A taxi driver told me that most of his Tagalog-speaking passengers who went to the Azkals-Mongolia football game were quite surprised to see a lot of taxis in Bacolod. This reminded me of a former officemate who told me that she was irritated when somebody from the head office asked her if there are taxis in Bacolod.

I feel both amused and irritated when some people show surprise upon seeing there are a lot of taxis in Bacolod City. Bacolod City is a highly urbanized city with a population of around 500,000 and you ask whether there are taxis in Bacolod? That only shows how little a person knows of the Philippine countryside and that doesn’t even require you to have visited the place to know. One friend commented that they probably think we swing from tree to tree wearing g-strings.  I posted this observation on Facebook and I got flooded with comments from friends having a similar experience.

Without the intention of being ethnocentric, I think we have to educate some of our countrymen from Metro Manila on a lot of things. Besides, we probinsyanos have been at the receiving end of discrimination from them so many times that I believe it’s about time to free them from their ignorance.

Here’s our friendly advice to avoid making the same faux pas in the future:

• Travel outside of Metro Manila. Not only to Rizal, Cavite or Laguna but to the provinces in the Visayas and Mindanao. There are also a lot places in the Philippines which are probably cleaner and have a better quality of life than Metro Manila.
• When you do travel, please research as much as you can about the place you’re going to. Google is a friend so use it. It’s so ironic that you claim to have access to the latest technology yet you don’t know how to use Google to your advantage.
• Shed some of your haughtiness and treat us probinsyanos as your equal. We may speak Tagalog with an accent, but like you, there are a lot of us who are also civilized, educated, well-mannered and cultured.