Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Travelogue Part 1 - San Carlos

Going to San Carlos (Negros) for my latest project was fairly easy enough at the beginning, although I had a lot of work done in the office on the morning of my trip. There were a lot of loose ends that I had to tie up. I also had a lot of work delegated to workmates before I was able to leave.

The plane ride was a breeze. I had a bad cold which made popping my ears for the pressure change quite a difficult ordeal. Then came the highlight of the trip – the car ride from Bacolod to San Carlos. The trip was fairly short – about an hour and a half for a trip of about 85 Kilometers. We passed through endless sugarcane fields and up the mountainous pass. Kanlaon volcano was to our right.

The ride took place at about 6pm to 730pm. This is where it gets interesting. I was always psychologically affected by twilight. Twilight always depresses me. The view of endless terrain with nary a soul in sight, not even a lamppost – made me all the more anxious. For all intents and purposes, I was on the brink of panic.

And that was just the beginning.

Upon Getting to San Carlos, our host provided us with accommodations smack right out of a Shake Rattle and Roll movie. We were billeted in an old hacienda manor reeking of “haunted house” aura. The house was located in the middle of sugarcane fields with only a dirt road as access to the highway. Except for a housekeeper who stays in a small house behind the manor, my companion and I were all alone inside the manor.

The décor of the house reeked of old Spanish era ambience. I swear I could just imagine old lola Basiang sitting on the wooden rocking chair in the living room. Every old urn looks like something a monster would call home.

I slept soundly though.

No comments: