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| The shoreline of Sugar Beach. |
From the new airport at Silay City, it took us
an hour just to get to Bacolod City. The last time I went to Negros Occidental,
the airport was along the highway of Alijis and a few minutes away to south
terminal of Ceres Liner. From the terminal, it was a 4-hour bus ride to San
Jose, Sipalay City. Long and bumpy. I was excited to see my relatives. I know it would be warm
and fun to be there. It’s been ages since I have stayed there for summer. The life that I used to long for was there,
light and slow. I know that my summer will be up for days on the beach. It was
a Holy Week and the timing was impeccable. There was a town festival when we
went there and there has been a week-long celebration at the town proper.
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| Dance Competition during the Pasaway sa Sipalay. |
The Town Festival
We went to Hacienda Montilla to
see an exhibition of APV and motocross. Lots of people from different barangays
went to see the event. We went to a Tiangge (flea market) that sells different
fried fish and Ukay-ukay (surplus
products). Then, there was the Barungoy
Festival, a long stretch of table with all you can eat barungoy. Barungoy is a
kind of flying fish that are abundant in the town and one of the main sources of their income.
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| The city hall under construction. APV trail upfront. |
The festival wouldn't be completed
without the much-awaited dance competition with all the barangays of Sipalay.
We even watched the dance rehearsals of San Jose before the competition itself.
It was still early in the morning when we went to the town proper, a 45-minute
tricycle ride from San Jose, to witness the competition. There was a street
dance parade of the competitors in their colorful and innovative costumes
around the major streets of the town that ends at the town gymnasium.
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| APV Exhibition during the town festival. |
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| Sipalay Mine. |
San Jose
The place was used to be a
bustling place of trade and industry. There were lots of people from different
places in the country that went there for work because of the nearby copper
mine. These past few years, the place became less busy ever since the mining
operations stopped. The once open-pit mine has accumulated tons of water from
the nearby mountains making it a lake-like pool. The lake is so deep that it
would be very dangerous to go near it. The town folks told me that the depth could fit a number of cargo ships.
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| Cartagena Beach. |
Cartagena Beach
One of the reasons why I go to
Sipalay is because of the beautiful beaches the province has to offer. We
always go to Cartagena beach during family outings because of the ease of going
there. It’s an hour ride through the winding road of San Jose to the beach. It
is not so secluded because the beach is used by fishing boats. If you are
lucky, you can have a few catch by helping the fishermen pull their nets from
the sea. We bring our cooked food and grill some fresh catch for our lunch. There
are picnic tables and huts for rent for a day use. You can see fishes with its
clear blue water. The beach has a mix of gray sand and pebbles but turns to
white on a hot sunny afternoon. However, there was no fresh water to take a bath
after you have swam. We usually go home either wet or salty of seawater.
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| Fishing boats at Cartagena Beach. |
Sugar Beach
From the town proper, Langub
Island can be reached from an hour and a half ride of motorboat. But we chose
to go there through Hacienda Montilla. From the jump-off, you can ride a canoe
and be at the island for 30 minutes. The sand is fine, white, and sugar
granule-like. The water was clear bluish-green. Long ago, I remember that the
island was secluded, but now, a number of resorts made its way to the beautiful
place. There were lots of tourists, both locals and foreign, when we went
there.
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| The road to Langub Island from Hacienda Montilla. |
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| On our way to the beach. |
Campo Quino
A hidden paradise in Sipalay, the
cove is covered with hills on both sides of the beach. The sand is so fine and
white. The water is clear but there were seaweeds a few meters away from the
shore making the beach messy during high tide. There are private rooms and
pavilions that can be rented. The beach can be reached by motorcycle and an
hour away from the town proper.
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| The white fine sand of Punta Ballo. |
Punta Ballo
If there’s any beach among
Sipalay’s pride, it would be Punta Ballo. The beach is a perfect setting during
sunset. The sand is white and the finest of all the beaches in the area. During
low tide, the water can be below the knee for meters away from the shore. It is
the jump-off for scuba diving and snorkeling with its beautiful marine
biodiversity. Former President Gloria Arroyo used to come with her husband to
dive here. There are a number of resorts along the shoreline with classy
accommodations and restaurants. Some resorts even have scuba diving equipment
for rent.
Sipalay City
Another beach worth sunset-watching would be the beach at
the town proper. It is a 3-kilometer shoreline of light gray sand and pebbles.
The town is busy everyday as people from other barangays come and go as the Public
Market, schools, hospital, and the old municipal office are there. In the evening, the
shore can be a place to relax and take a dip. Along the stretch are restaurants
and videoke bars that enliven the place at night.
I know that I haven’t seen much of Sipalay City since there
are still places there that I haven’t explored yet. As expected, the people
there were nice and warm. I hope to go
back soon.
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| Sunset at Sipalay. |
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