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It has been a long time since we had a family outing and I’m so happy to say that last April 22 we had one at the Nursery in Don Salvador Benedicto for my aunt’s borthday. It was not a planned outing as we didn’t even know if the trip will push through until the very day of the outing.

My cousin Nang D called us around 7:00AM to inform that they’ll fetch us around 8AM or earlier instead of my nephew. So my aunt told my nieces to pack and have breakfast first. They were all getting ready while I was still in bed deciding if I’ll go with them or not for I’m not feeling well that time and I still have lots of tasks needed to finish. But when I heard Nang D’s voice I jumped out of bed and put all my things in the bag in less than 2 minutes while shouting that I’ll go with them. Since we can’t fit inside the car, we decided to seat at the back of the pick-up and brave the scorching sun. But luckily it was a little cloudy that morning so we did enjoy the cold fresh air and the view along the way.

My trekking buddies, woot! wooh!

Don Salvador Benedicto is an hour drive from Bacolod City. One could ride the Ceres Liner going to San Carlos City via Don Salvador for Php70 more or less. One could say that this mountainous Municipality of Don Salvador Benedicto is the little Baguio of Negros. But as I said in my previous post, unlike Baguio, Don Salvador Benedicto is really a laid back town – no night life, no buildings, no crowded places and most of all no tourist traps. Yes! It’s a hidden gem of Negros where one could relax and unwind without the hustle of the city life.

Bonfire & Picnic Area

When we arrived at the Nursery we setup our things for the picnic near the bonfire site. Then my nieces, nephews and grandchildren tour the place. hey! I’m not that old but because my cousins are way older than me, more or less twice my age, so I got 4 apos already. We also learned that the pool was under repair so we don’t have a choice but go to the falls if we want to swim. But the kids were able to swim at the knee dip area of the stream while the adults were arranging the picnic area and cooking the food.

They so love each other

Anyways, after taking a few minutes rest we decided to go to the small falls with the kids. It was really funny as the kids were really excited and giddy to go see the falls but along the way when they saw the trail and a lot of snake stories they were like leeches sticking to your body. Cassey was almost crying from the fear of snakes and the unknown but I’m proud to say that she made it to the falls. The trail is really easy but imagine 2, 3, 5, 8 and 11 year-old kids trekking it you’ll really be proud of them. They were the ones walking and climbing the rocks but of course with our help and except with Yummy who’s only 2. Arky who’s 3 years-old doesn’t want us to carry her even if it’s a little hard. She’s a risk taker like her Mom and she’s very adventure even in that age. Well, we just stayed for 10 to 15 minutes at the falls as the water was so cold that the kids’ teeth were chattering after swimming for less than 5 minutes. Well, the trek back was really smooth as everyone were already kind of familiar with the trail and the kids were not afraid any more.

Picture, Picture

On our way back, our tummy were grumbling since we didn’t follow what my aunt said earlier. So when we arrived at the picnic area, thank God everything was already set so we had our lunch right away. After a hearty lunch we just relaxed and chatted to catch-up with the latest tid bits under the tree. And all of a sudden MM, who’s on the main cottage shouted my name and asked me if I could take her picture. I was like “uhmm… what’s with her? She must have something that she doesn’t want us to see like a snake. hmm… “So I told her “sure, just come a little closer.” And guess what? I was right. She was holding a snake and she wants me to take her photo. Well, I’m not afraid of snake but my niece has a phobia with it. So I didn’t tell anyone. I just took MM’s photo but all of a sudden somebody shouted “snake” and my niece Inna jumped, screamed and cried her heart out. To some, she may look OA ‘coz of her screaming and shouting but I understand her as its a phobia and she told me that she’s trying hard to over come it but she can’t seem to stop her self from screaming. Well, everyone had a good laugh. The kids were so curious that they kept on touching the snake, especially Arky who squeezed it. Then after the kids had their photo op with the snake they went to see the very grumpy monkey who hates anything female. Then we decided to go back to Bacolod to have halo-halo at chowking.

Well, all-in-all the trip was really relaxing and so worth it. Don Salvador Benedicto has everything for everyone from fresh cool air, yummy fruits to coffee lovers and trekkers just name it they got it. So if you want to have a great getaway from the hassle and bustle of the city life go to Don Salvador Benedicto. It is also a great way to bond with your family.

* 1st & 3rd photos were grabbed from lagawan’s previous post.