Foot and Fire

Yellow Orchid at La Vista Highlands, San Carlos City. *** Yellow-Orange Gumamela bloom at La Vista Highlands, San Carlos City *** Yellow Gumamela bloom at La Vista Highlands, San Carlos City *** Sticks of what looks like tiny bamboos at La Vista Highlands, San Carlos City. *** Pink Santan at the Municipality of Don Salvador Benedicto. ***  Little purple bells, Municipality of Don Salvador Benedicto. ***  Red flowerettes. Municipality of Don Salvador Benedicto. *** Not a bloom. This is a young Balete or Lunok.  Sipaway Island, San Carlos City. *** Pink hardy blooms. Sipaway Island, San Carlos City. *** Pink Flowerettes. Sipaway Island, San Carlos City. *** Santan. Sipaway Island, San Carlos City. *** Pink Bromiliads. Sipaway Island, San Carlos City. *** Green Leaves with spikes. Whispering Palms,  Sipaway Island, San Carlos City. ***

People's Park is one of the places to stroll around if one has an afternoon to spare in San Carlos City. For an entrance fee of P5.00, one can walk or jog around the park filled with miniature structures around the city of San Carlos. In fact, it is one of the featured tourism spot in Negros Tourism website .  *** A gold-crusted engraving of what I can surmise as the city's history. *** A portion of the wall with gold engravings. *** One of the miniature buildings in the People's Park. *** Still one of the miniature structures. *** A Giant clay jar. *** The old train. San Carlos City is also a buzzling place of sugarcane industry.  *** *** A modern structure inside the park. *** By the seawall. One can stroll by the sea. *** People's Park opens from 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM ***

Laphet thoke is another symbolic dish of Burma, albeit a snack. It consists of pickled tea leaves soaked in oil eaten with an assortment of fritters including roasted groundnuts, deep fried garlic, sun dried prawns, toasted sesame and deepfried crispy beans. Laphet is served in a traditional 'oat' - a lacquer container with individual compartments for each ingredients. Lahpet was an ancient symbolic peace offering between warring kingdoms in the history of Myanmar, and is exchanged and consumed after settling a dispute.

My parents had a blast watching the breathtaking view of the Marapara and Kanlaon mountains and greeneries while sitting in the coffee area of La Vista Highlands in San Carlos City. *** The view of the mountains first enticed the owner Architect Albert Garbanzos  to buy and develop the property as he likened what he saw to Mt. Fuji of Japan.  According to the story, the original owner of the land  sold the 24 hectare property to him because of his good purpose of developing it into a resort and of preserving at least 10 percent of the land by planting trees. However, that is only half of the story because the original owners felt good about him and  it was as if the "diwata" or a mountain fairy has already told them whom to sell the land to.   (Continue below) *** This is what we came for. Although the sun is up at nine o'clock in the morning,  the breeze coming from the mountains was cool and refreshing. *** To find water source,

Bukayo is the popular food fare in Sipaway Island  since the island is littered with numbered coconut trees. In the photo is a hot and just-cooked bukayo.  When each piece cools down, it hardens. *** Chay Nene's Bucayo is prepared straight from her kitchen. *** Salbaro is a local bread cooked with coconut milk and flour. Also called "pan de bisaya." *** Little bandi, peanut in solidified sugar syrup. Peanut Lumpia, peanut mixture wrapped in lumpia wrapper. *** Baked peanuts (above). Less oil salted skinless peanut (below).

The beach front. Since it's already low tide, sightseeing is the only way to enjoy. However, we were so happy to find a spot for dipping and swimming. So we did while waiting for our lunch. We paid P300 for the entrance and set lunch.  There is no need to call ahead for this offer they have for the day trippers only. *** The entrance to the resort that whispers to us to come in! *** They have bicycles for rent. It is easy to get lost in the Island of Sipaway... The usual route to the resorts are paved, that is the good news. However, there are no road signs  and the paved road is escorted by coconut trees on both side.  Well, this is one fun activity to do, if you happen to book for an overnight stay in Sipaway. *** Giant Machete statue at the entrance of the pool. *** The pool is available for the overnight guests. But the ocean is open for the day trippers. *** They have a zoo which I did not explore. ***