One of my goals is to travel to as many destinations within the Philippines. It's such a shame that at this age, I've only been to CamSur, Boracay, Quezon, and Cebu. I need to travel more within my own country!

I decided my next stop would be Bacolod. My very good friend Karin is based in Bacolod City so she was my tour guide. A few hours after I landed, we took a  SuperCat ferry (450php) to Iloilo. We stayed there on my first night and went back to Bacolod on my 2nd night.

There's really not a whole lot of things to do in Bacolod other than join the Masskara Festival activities. Unfortunately, the main events started 2 days after my departure. That's why we decided Iloilo would be a nice sidetrip so I won't get bored.

The ride was bumpy. I wanted to reach for the discomfort bag twice but I just closed my eyes and tried to sleep. The ride is an hour and a half. We took a cab from the Iloilo port and checked in at the Smallville 21 hotel.





Our room was pretty decent. It's a standard studio room with 2 double beds. The rate we got was P1,500 - cheaper and the room looks much better than the one I had in Hong Kong hehehe...

We spent the day going around the area which apparently is the most popular strip of bars, restaurants and coffee shops. There were a lot of options for music and food too. The best part is that everything is affordable! Your 500php will go a very long way in Iloilo. Not bad!







Note: if you're on a diet, DO NOT go to Bacolod or Iloilo. They have irresistible desserts which will surely make you put on some weight before you fly back to Manila.

We partied all night and went back to bed a few hours before the sun was about to rise. I completely forgot that my friend is a 'normal' person (and does not work in the graveyard shift) so her stamina is weaker than mine haha. We left Iloilo at 1030am and had lunch at the Bacolod Chicken House. I think you've never really  had an authentic Barbecue chicken until you've tasted the way Bacolod Chicken House (main branch in Bacolod) does it.










Calea has all sorts of desserts that will surely satisfy your sweet tooth. I honestly couldn't finish my slice of Choco Mousse because I was already full from our chicken inasal meal. It was a bad idea to go to Calea on a full stomach. You'd definitely need to bring your appetite so you can try a lot of their sweet offerings.

The Bacolod-Iloilo was short just like my Cebu trip but it was so worth it! The best part is that I did not go over my budget!