Wild in Negros! Don Salvador Benedicto and Environs

January 30, 2011 at 9:38 am (Places, Relatives, Surprises, Traveling)
Tags: discoveries, indulgences, plans, The Philippines, travel, weekends

Self spent two days gallivanting in the wilds beyond Murcia and Marapara!

Passed her family’s farm.

Rode in same black SUV she used last month, to Dumaguete and Hinoba-an!

Villanueva cousins are just wild!  Wild!  Wild!  Non-stop talking!  Non-stop meet and greet in Don Salvador Benedicto and Murcia!  Had two free lunches!  Met a famous architect (the owner of the resort self and cousins spent the night in)!  Confided in the architect her dream of building a real Negrense house in family’s lot just outside Santa Fe Resort! And he had the good manners not to act as if he thought she were crazy!

It was cold –  brrr, brrr, brrrr!  –  in La Vista Highlands Resort.  It’s only been open a few months:  Cousin Mae knew about it from her son, who is close friends with a local family.  In just one of many surprising occurrences on this trip, self and cousins stopped to view a waterfall that is a favorite tourist destination.  There were only two other people at the viewing area, and one of them turned out to be a relative, the son of self’s Manang Elenita.  Negros Occidental is either a very small place, or the Villanuevas are a very big clan.

The architect-owner of the resort gave us a tour of his fab house, which included a demonstration of his customized disco sound system (complete with flashing disco lights)! There we were, in deepest darkest night, lights from huts shining dully through a sea of black, and throbbing in our ears were the sounds of an English dance band at maximum volume.

Self had such a crrrazy weekend!  Can you imagine:  she and cousins even stopped to snap a picture of this very “Narnia”-looking Lion (erected by the Lions Club), on the road through the mountains!

The Lions Club Announces Its Presence (Just Outside Don Salvador Benedicto, Negros Occidental)

Self and Crrraaazy Villanueva Cousins!

Now self is back in her room in L’Fisher Chalet!  Love, love, loooove being here.

The writing awaits.

Stay tuned, dear blog readers.  Stay tuned.