TravelswithCharie

The Ruins, Talisay City In a residential neighborhood of Talisay is this evocative architectural demonstration of love - The Ruins. When Maria Braga died in an accident in 1911 while pregnant with her 11th child, her husband, Mariano Lacson, built this house in her memory. There's no mistaken whose house this belongs to. The double M (looks like E backwards) on the columns and pillars are the initials of Maria and Mariano.  Mariano Lacson and Maria Braga The house which is reminiscent of European villas, is made of concrete which has the look and feel of marble as it was mixed with egg whites rather than water. The tiles were imported from Spain and have withstood years of exposure to the elements. The four tier water lily fountain is original to the property as is the sugar mill smokestack that is topped by a tree, a not so subtle reminder of a tower in Lucca, Italy. Tiles from Spain A house rule strictly followed by the family including Mariano him

What a great opportunity I had to visit Bacolod when my friends from Los Angeles were visiting their hometown! I took a local bus for Iloilo that stopped in numerous towns along the way. It was an interesting but long ride with vendors coming up the bus and peddling in a sort of mantraspeak their " puto, bayebaye, bingka ". I bought the bingka, a mini version of bibingka (a rice cake). Two hours later the snacks for sale were " balut, mani mani, mais ". Arriving at the bus terminal in Iloilo I jumped into a taxi for the port and took the fast ferry to Bacolod. It was just an hour and 15 minutes away. But before boarding the ferry, I bought some mais (corn) as I was starving. In Bacolod I was met by my friends and we drove to Los Feliz Alegria Resort in the outskirts of Murcia (where there is a large outdoor market). Our gracious hosts, Julie and Joe Torres, are the owners of this lush and secluded resort where the swimming pool is fed by cool spring waters that t