NEGROS '10: Forest Camp and Florentina

NEGROS '10: Forest Camp and Florentina (May 1, 2010)

We made it back to Dumaguete from Siaton, and we were supposed to board the after-lunch ferry to Siquijor. However, it was SO FULL! Apparently, Siquijor was celebrating its fiesta, so the timing couldn’t be worse. Everyone was going to Siquijor. With that, we decided to postpone the Siquijor trip and bring Mayr to the place we keep coming back to – Forest Camp.

F O R E S T  C A M P

Free back massage from nature

Forest Camp is situated just in Valencia, which is very near Dumaguete. It’s a charming little campsite where people get to swim in the rapids from the nearby Casaroro Falls. The place is a haven for nature lovers, and there were “mini-falls” around the area where we got free back massages. 

This trip happened in the middle of summer, so it  was actually such a pleasure to dip in the crystal clear and very cold water. The climate in Forest Camp is also naturally cool, due to its elevation and the fact that the place is surrounded by trees and other beautiful flora. This opportunity to unwind with nothing but nature to disturb us is one of the reasons why Forest Camp has always been a favorite destination.

F L O R E N T I N A  H O M E S

Florentina Homes and Gabby's Bistro

After sufficiently dipping ourselves in ice-cold water, we headed towards dinner. Florentina Homes is a place where you can find internationally-themed apartelle-style rooms. When I first saw the place, I loved it to pieces. It was so artsy-fartsy and quirky. The apartment complex features a restaurant, a coffee shop, and an ice cream shop. We ate at Gabby’s Bistro, the in-house restaurant. Servings were huge and the food was sumptuous.

F R E E L A N C E  A T  P A Y A G

From Florentina Homes we went to Payag sa Likod, a restobar with a live band. The live band happened to be Freelance, Bulay’s party band. By the time we got there it was already packed, so we stayed at the back. We could hear Bulay’s all-too-familiar voice from back there clearly, and it was quite nostalgic to see her sing and perform again. We couldn’t party all night because we had a very early Mabinay call time the next day, but all in all it was a good night indeed.