Welcome to Sipalay! The Jewel of the Sugar Island.
Sipalay or officially known as the City of Sipalay is about 175 kilometers south from Bacolod City, over three hours by car or about 5 hours by bus. Once you reach Sipaly, you will be welcomed by this mosque-like structure which is their city hall.
There are about ten beach resorts in Sipalay. We only went to three. Our first stop is the Perth Paradise Resort. It's situated on the side of a hill and it overlooks a very stunning and relaxing view of peanut kisses shaped islands. Yes, these islands look like floating peanut kisses.
As you enter the gate of Perth, you will see this view on your left. A short boardwalk to a dock where guests can go ride a boat to go island-hopping or enjoy kayaking leisurely. It's safe to go kayaking because the water is very calm. No waves at all.
Then, you would have to go up about two flight of stairs to get to the main part of the resort and where a stunning view awaits.
They have an infinity pool with a view that is just so amazing. Whatever the pool lacked in size, it more than made up for its priceless and very very wonderful view. It's picture perfect and it's like looking at a postcard. You better take in this view and immortalize it for eternity.
But that's not all, there's more. You can go up to their lookout point where you'll have a 360 degree view of the sea, the other islands and the hills surrounding Perth. So, brace yourself to be astounded once again.
You have permission to go all-gaga on taking loads of pictures and selfies. No one will ever fault you for it.
One reminder though, going to Perth is probably the most difficult and arduous road we've ever took. And I mean this literally. The road going to the resort is a bit of challenge. You will need all your driving skills and calm. It's a very rough and narrow road with a very steep drop on your left and an unprepared swim in the sea to your right if you miscalculate steering the wheel. So, consider yourself warned.
And one more thing, parking space is very limited. You will have no choice but park you car vertically or park in a bit of a slope. But no worries, the resort people knew the challenges going to their resort so they have people who will assist you in making sure you don't make an accidental plunge and also find you a parking space. But all these challenges, the sweat and the nerves going there will be forgotten once you see the view. It's all worth it. But I hope your heart can still take it taking the journey back down the rough road again.
After Perth, we went back our way to visit Tinagong Dagat. Actually, we were supposed to go to Tinagong Dagat first but we missed the turnoff. Must be the reason why it's called Tinagong Dagat. Many people have probably missed the turnoff also. Did you get the joke?
Anyway, the road going to Tinagong Dagat and parking is not as hard as Perth. It's an improvement but this time, you'll have to walk a few meters uphill. Yes, the resort is also situated on a hill and you'll have to cross three connected bridges made of bamboo and there's one hanging bridge. It's actually just one long bridge but then I noticed that there were three different portions of the bridge and the materials used were not all the same. Not all bamboo. It's sort of a hodgepodge of a bamboo bridge, a hanging bridge and there are also cemented areas where you can rest between each bridge. So, it's one of the reasons why to me it seemed like three connected bridges.
Anyway, once you've crossed the bridge, you will see a building with a sign that says Latasan Island Resort. It's still part of Tinagong Dagat.
I just can't resist benches and flowers, so I had to make sure I have a picture here. You do agree, the flowers are beautiful, right?
They also have a pool with a view but not as stunning as the one in Perth. You will still see the peanut-kisses like islands also but the view is a bit different.
Then, you'll have to climb steps here also to get to their vantage point. Don't worry, the climb will also be so worth it. If you think you have seen everything when you saw the floating peanut kisses, believe me, it's not all there is. In here, you will see an island shaped like a turtle. Isn't it amazing? Only in the Philippines.
And we have to thank our very creative guide for some of the very impressive pictures here, especially the panoramas. Our guide, a boy who's about 10 to 12 years old, has become very adept in taking pictures and knew exactly the spots where to take them. Unfortunately, we were not able to get his name but we did reward him for his skills with extra tip and a large back of Pica chips to share with his two other friends. I think, the other boy thought he won the lottery when we handed him the bag of chips. It was like Christmas came early and it melted our hearts because for us, a bag of chips is just a bag of chips. But to them, it seemed like it was the highlight of their day and we were so glad that in some way, we made them happy.
We just took picture after picture in Tinagang Dagat also. We didn't do any water activities.
I have something to confess though...
Something happened when were leaving Tinagong Dagat. We blame it all on the avocado ice candy we were eating. We were all distracted. We didn't cause any damage but I think it was the closest thing we did to feel like we were criminals.
We backed into a parked SUV. Good thing, we hit his large tires and the back of the car, our car, just bounced on it. Thank the rubber gods for those giant tires. No dents on the enormous SUV and no additional dent to our already dented backside. I mean, the back of the car. And note, there was an eye witness. One of the bystanders saw us and he also went to check if we did any damage to the SUV. He was actually the one who said that there was nothing (So, we were on the clear. No harm, no foul. No case, so we don't need a lawyer.) and he also pointed out that our car was dented. Well, it was an old dent when my friend and her brother also had a similar experience. We were actually talking about that experience when we were leaving Perth. As fate would have it, a similar thing happened only an hour or two after. This is definitely one of those trips that we will never forget and I have one more thing to add to "My Funny Friend and Me" compilation part 2.
So, it was lunchtime when we got off Tinagong Dagat and we drove back to the main part of the city to eat lunch. Our friend said we would eat by the Poblacion beach. This is their public beach with a shoreline. Perth and Tinagong Dagat didn't have shorelines. There are restaurants fronting the shoreline so it would be fun. But when we got there, not one restaurant was open. Guess, they only open for dinner or late afternoon.
So, we just drove back to Bacolod. We thought we would just stop by Kabancalan and find some place to eat there. We didn't stop for any other places except for Mila's in Hinigaran. This is a very famous pastry shop and restaurant for their buko pies, bibingka and bitchikoy. We bought one whole buko pie, potato cake, fruit pies and chicken pies. Sadly, we didn't get to try their bibingka and bitchikoy because we didn't know that those were their specialties. Our friend who was from Bacolod stayed in the car and she only told us to try the buko pie. But I was really curious about the bitchikoy. It's their version of a donut with cheese inside. Well, at least, I know what to buy when I go there next time. The buko pie is really good. It's very smooth and it has yema or custard which is what makes their buko pie different. The chicken pie is good but not that impressive. I wasn't a fan of the potato cake either. My friends like it though. But I was really hooked on their fruit pie. I can taste the fruit on my first bite and it's not the canned fruit type but the real fresh fruit. More fruits than pie crust. I should have bought more than three pieces if I knew they were that really good. I will definitely go panic-buying on Mila's fruit pies next time.
So, the next time you're in the Bacolod City area or anywhere in Negros Occidental, try to visit Sipalay. Or if you've been to Sipalay, share your experiences also.
Up next is the third part of our Bacolod trip...Lakawon Island. Watch for it on my next post. Thanks for dropping by.
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