Bacolod Cycle Tour, Part 1

So we move on to the second day of the Visayas trip, our Bacolod Cycle Tour. After that pretty exhausting first day in Iloilo, we finally had some much needed rest. 

We woke up early the next morning to find the perfect cycling weather, cool and gloomy. After our morning rituals, we left some of  our things at the hotel so as not to carry too much stuff for this part of the trip. We went out and stopped  by the Jaro Belfry and the nearby church to take some pictures while the streets were not too busy, and headed off to the pier to catch the early boat ride headed for Bacolod via Weesam Express.

After purchasing our tickets, we bought some food to tide us over until we reach our destination. When the boat came, we prepared to board. It was then when we were presented with our first problem, we had to pay extra for our bikes. Beforehand, we asked the ticket office if we had to pay extra for our folding bikes and they said no. And now at the loading gate, they said we had to? An argument then ensued, which led to negotiations and in the end we still had to pay, but at a reduced rate. I do hope that these operators get their policies in order, that would spare visitors/travelers some unneeded grief.

After that was settled we boarded the ferry and settled down for the brief 1-hour crossing. When we arrived at Bacolod we were met by Ivy’s relatives, she still wasn’t feeling well enough to bike with us so she decided to visit them instead. We loaded up our things in their van, suited up and cycled out to SM for breakfast before heading out to our the Blue Roof Inn (another bike friendly establishment, allowed us to bring our bikes into our rooms) to check in our things.

With that done, we cycled out to the bus terminal a few kilometers outside of the city proper, found the correct bus headed for Victorias City and settled down for the 42km trip to our first destination. We decided to start from the farthest place and cycle back to Bacolod City, stopping by places of interest along the way. We reached the bus stop in a little under 2 hours, we unloaded our bikes from the compartment and officially started our tour.

The eight of us; Mae and I, John and Ice, Cleo, Juls, Rey and Jason moved out and proceeded to the Victorias Milling Company where St. Joseph the Worker Parish Church, more popularly known as the Church of the Angry Christ, was located. The VMC is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, sugar refineries in the country, and around the place we can still see traces of its former glory; old houses, railroad tracks, and even an old train engine!

When we got near the premises we stopped by the guard house and asked for permission to enter the compound, went in and headed straight for the Church. Upon arriving we first stopped by the Carabao Sun Dial located just outside the church, had a couple of pictures and moved on.

We went inside the Church, said a short prayer, and proceeded to take pictures inside and outside of this unique and awe-inspiring place. Pictures don’t just do the place justice however, it will have to do for now. Heading back out we passed by the refineries, and stopped by the old train engine and had a couple more pictures taken before moving back out on the road going to our next destination.

Up next on our itinerary, the Silay City Heritage Zone, and The Ruins. To be continued!

Coming up: Bacolod Cycle Tour Part 2

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