negros roadtrip 2012

we are ending the year with our annual post-christmas trip of negros.  no specific itinerary - just go with the flow...  but we would have wanted to visit the beaches of sipalay but a day before the trip, i tried calling up for reservation but got so surprised that all of the 5 beaches i contacted were fully-booked!  i did not know it can get that busy for beaches on a cool december... 

anyway, we pushed through after booking a night in campuestohan - the only single room available.  but before that, we made a quick stop at The Ruins - a now famous landmark in bacolod...  

the place did not disappoint.  especially with the nice pictures the hired cameraman took of us! 

pitstop #2 is campuestohan highland resort - 45mins drive from bacolod city.  it has the tagaytay-ish feel and we love the log cabin we stayed in.  quite a new mountain resort - so still has so many to improve on.  nevertheless, we enjoyed our stay - more so the kids as it has a huge playground and nice kiddie pool.  

it was so good to have communed with nature as well...  

there was no concrete plan after campuestohan so we thought of driving up negros oriental to visit family in tanjay and dumaguete.  i haven't gone there for almost 5 years already so it was worth the long drive via mabinay.  

pitstop #3 was the old house of my lolo and lola where my dad grew up and where we spent most of our summers as kids.  so much memories there...  too bad the house was almost torned apart.  it has been abandoned for quite a time now... hope one of us cousins can win the lotto so we can put up the same house again for our kids to enjoy in!  

we had to pass by the rizal park in tanjay also to meet xia's baby cousin (2nd degree) for the first time.  look, she's wearing xia's baby clothes :)  

pitstop #4 was dumaguete!  we gave uncle jun and auntie eva a surprise call that we're coming to visit that same night.  so we arranged a dinner at moon cafe in the new robinson's mall.  we also had to go to the freedom park to see the lights set up in their capitol.  and just drove around the famous boulevard. 

 

stayed overnight in uncle jun and aunt eva's beautiful home :)  and met another 2nd cousin, kuya sean.  

i have been dying to go to a beach and swim so we were looking for one.  we decided to stopover at amlan's paradise beach resort.  it was a gloomy day though so we just decided to enjoy the place and the food!  

we came back home via san carlos so we technically went around negros occidental and oriental.  it was a goood loooong ride with so much fun and laughter shared inside our trusted innova :)  

cheers to more roadtrips in 2013!