Mumbucal Morning

Saturday, January 23;

Today we are going to make a short trip to the Mambucal Resort. It was designed by a hotelier in Bacolod as a place to take the guests at his hotel for a day. Outside the city they could picnic, swim, and relax in a beautiful setting. It was a hotel competitor who then began the original Calibago Resort for the same reason.

The drive to Mambucal is very pretty . Just before the gates you drive through an army base - the 33rd Infantry Headquarters. There are offices, a group of little cottages that appear to be married quarters, some shops and a school. It was very quiet and we did not notice many people about.

Mabucal was the opposite. There were many family groups filling the picnic shelters. The pool was full of happy, shrieking young people. There was a spa with its own pool fed by a flower rimmed waterfall. You could stop by for a massage, manicure or pedicure at very upscale prices. You could rent canoes and paddle the lagoon for the afternoon or zip line across it. A second large pool was almost empty - it may be for the people staying in the cottages rather that the day trippers.

We wandered about the property fascinated by the large numbers of bats hanging from the trees and soaring overhead in the middle of the day. I can see why the picnic shelters all had roofs!

Our goal was the Butterfly Garden. Riza and Leroy had visited it a few times before. They have gotten to know the owner and his wife and were greeted warmly. They visited the butterfly garden first before it was moved to Mumbucal from the owner’s farm where it began. The gentleman and his wife are raising the butterflies that are endangered and releasing them back into the wild. The day before had been a release date so we were not seeing the garden at its busiest. It was still a very interesting place and we scattered, each following our own selection of butterflies to watch and get pictures if we could. As we were leaving, Leroy and Riza were trying to clear butterflies out of the way of the door and ended up with some sitting on their fingers. What a treat!

As we walked about, the smells coming from all the picnics were very inviting and we began to get hungry! Since no one invited us to join them, we had to go looking for lunch. We had decided to try the Bacolod Golf and Country Club. A very good choice!

We drove up a country road to a very nice clubhouse and were shown to a table overlooking both the tenth and the eighteenth hole. It was interesting to see the golfers group up and start off. Each had their caddy to pick up after them and drive their cart around the course. The tenth hole appeared to be a bit of a challenge. There was a heavy wind blowing and it was a narrow strip between the clubhouse wall and a ravine. Without being too obvious I could not see how each player did - other than by the look on their faces.

The steward recommended their tenderloin steak and French fries. It was local beef and we were not sure how tender that would be. Since other choices did not actually seem to be available we all decided to give it a try. It was very good! Riza and I have decided we need to investigate the Burgos Meat Market early one morning.

Our last stop of the day was at yet another garden center! This one was set in a park like area in Panad. Each vendor has a separate narrow strip of land set up as a lovely fenced garden to explore. We walked the full length examining each little garden we passed to see if there was anything absolutely required at Caliago! We did not find any Canna Lilies for my raised bed. We did see a very interesting display of Bonsai. We found one vendor dedicated to fruit trees - durian, mandarin, limes, banana, rambutan and many more. One or two of the vendors are familiar with Leroy and Riza. From one we bought two lemon trees already carrying fruit. That and a few small daisies was all for this time.

The look on Caesar’s face when we drove in with more trees was quite funny. But he was all smiles when he saw they were lemon trees and he knew exactly where they should go. They were planted with the fruit safely tied up in no time!

As we arrived home, we saw that there were men in the village milling the logs for Anna’s home with her overseeing the job. I wanted to get some pictures but I was not sure how I would be received, poking a camera into their village. Riza walked me over and explained to Anna. She was delighted and posed for me with the children, with her logs and then invited us to her home. Many of the people followed along. Apparently, she was considered very fortunate to have a “British” visit her home and be her friend.




Caesar’s wife, Genevieve, is a qualified high school teacher, a very confident, outgoing lady. She saw us in the village and came out to introduce herself to me. For now, she stays home raising her family and teaching the small ones in the village who cannot go out to school. I would love to sit and talk with her one day.

But this evening, I retire to my special vantage point by the river and watch the activity of birds and people as the sun sets in another marvelous show of red.