Photos et lettres des Philippines, de France et d'ailleurs

September 30, Samboan:

My excursions of October began on September 30 when I went to the invitation of Fabrice for the fiesta of Samboan. It was the same itinerary as when I went to Roland in Lucia, although Samboan is at least 8 kilometers further. I was alone to go there and I arrived a little early which enabled me to walk a little and to take some pictures of my host's beautiful residence by the seaside.

(The beach house of Fabrice)

Fabrice is one of this handle of local successful French businessmen  and the ingredients are always the same ones, work, rigor and respect of the others. His company manufactures wooden toys which are sold everywhere in France, in Europe even in the world and employs more than 200 people. He is married and is father of 2 children who follow a correspondence French schooling with the assistance of a French tutor. For that he even made a small school building.

Later around noon the guests arrived and then we were able to taste the famous lechon baboy or roast pig so dear to the Filipinos. Among the French guests Roland and Claude were present but his daughter and son-in-law as well who just had just come from Tahiti to visit him. There too was Michel whom I know since 2001, former career soldier and then embassy staff, he lives in Amlan, 22 kilometers in the north of Dumaguete.

(On the left, Roland's son-in-law, his daughter and Michel)

(Third from the left, the wife of Fabrice)

(From left to right, Georges, Fabrice, Claude and Roland)

And finally last but not least, Georges the guy of Marseille who lives in the Philippines for more than 25 years and who once earned his living in baking bread for the tourists in Puerto Galera on the island of Mindoro.

(Mindoro, Puerto Galera-Sabang)

All the best things have an end and too soon it was time to go back and I made the return trip in company of Michel and Georges.

October 1, road trip in the North of Negros:

The following day around 7:30 am, at the wheel of my old Pajero. I set off towards San Carlos in the North of Negros and 200 km far from home.

(My old Pajero with its countless failures)

The traffic was heavy as far as Bais, Negros Oriental sugar cane's capital, and then it became fluid after the junction of the mountain road leading up to Bacolod via Mabinay. The road skirts the seaside and sometimes the landscapes are nice but what is especially remarkable it is the monoculture of the sugar cane which made and always makes the wealth of a small portion of the inhabitants of Negros.

(Sugar cane field)

It was also harvest time with swarms of workers in the fields provided for only tool with a machete to cut the stems and called here the bolo.

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( The harvesting of the sugar cane)

On the road it is a ceaseless comings and goings of trucks in more or less good condition to supply the mills with the sugar cane and when we are driving, we don't stop passing or overtaking these vehicles of which good numbers are stopped on the shoulder but also right in the middle of the road, with flat tires or a lifted hood.

They are responsible for the damaged roads full of potholes and ruts where the sugar cane is cultivated, meaning almost everywhere. What a pity they don't use anymore the little trains which railroad lines still exist.

(One of the trucks on its way to the sugar mill)

However I have noticed two great changes compared to my previous journey back to the first days of January 2008. First of all now the damaged roads are being reconstructed with no more asphalt used as material but with concrete which should better resist the bad weather and the trucks. One can thus say that it goes in the good direction because in January the majority of the roads of Negros were demolished around the plantations and now they are under repair.

The second change is the new alternation of cultivation of sugar canes and rice.

(Side by side, a rice field and sugar canes)

It is true that the explosion of rice prices and the stability of sugars undoubtedly explain that. It was high time as it seems incredible that this country is not self-sufficient in rice, their basic food. Although with their massive population growth, it becomes difficult to feed 92 million inhabitants.

At 1 pm I finally arrived in San Carlos, a medium-sized city of Negros Occidental. With its 30.000 inhabitants. It is a pleasant place where I like to go. The city is calm with little circulation, broad streets and all seems anticipated there for a future economic development. I took my lunch at the restaurant of the Skyland hotel where I often book a room and asked them permission to park my vehicle there for one night because I intended to cross the strait separating San Carlos from Toledo on the island of Cebu.

I thus went to the port with its modern and oversize facilities for such little traffic. There I could also have also left my car for just 35 pesos a day because of their huge empty parking lot.  Then I awaited two hours for the departure time of the fast craft which makes the crossing in 50 minutes and I arrived around 4:30 pm at Toledo, city without much interest in my opinion and I spent there the night in a new hotel for 800 pesos with hot water in the bathroom but no soap. The only thing that I appreciated in Toledo was my dinner in a seafood restaurant of which I alas forgot the name.

(New Toledo building near the pier)

Toledo, the sea at 6 am)

The following day at 6:30 am I crossed back over and took my breakfast in Skyland before starting off again. I had decided to drive the mountain road connecting San Carlos to Bacolod after 87 kilometers as I wanted to take some pictures remembering the beautiful landscapes I had seen the previous year. I spent the whole morning to make 70 km stopping unceasingly to enjoy the scene spread out before me on this mountain road at the ends of the earth and which reaches nearly 1000 meters at its highest point.

Then instead of continuing towards Bacolod I took minor roads which were to make me join the highway to Dumaguete. At a gas station they had told me that they were built out of concrete but had omitted to say that they were also broken up. Therefore it took me a long time before finding the main road and I was lucky that my Pajero awaited my return to the house before having overheating problems. I would have felt bad all alone and broken-down in the middle of nowhere. It is with relief that I took the direction of the South to Kabankalan then towards the East through the mountain to Mabinay and Bais and finally again in direction of the South and Dumaguete.

I arrived at the house at 8 pm completely exhausted after my 550 kilometers drive in two days including the 350 of the last day. Tired but glad to have made it and impatient look at my pictures.

View from the mountain road)