FOR researchers on folktales and rituals, the people of Hda. Adela Folklore Village will welcome you. The children of the cane fields will greet you through their dancing and singing.
The adults will chant traditional hymns, perform rituals for the wake of the dead, recite ageless riddles, and tell stories about their experience with the spirits of nature serenade you with songs from the past and blare out lyrics from the cane fields. A guided tour via carts drawn by carabaos, a game of “pabitin” or a cockfighting demonstration will tickle your ribs as you enjoy eating young buko, munching sugarcane and cracking pili nuts.
Of course, visitors can always expect that they will be surrounded by grinning children who are amused by new faces.
Railroad enthusiasts always thirst to see the “iron dinosaurs” (steam locomotives fueled by bagasse) at Hawaiian – Philippine Company. These locomotives are very rare (more than 80 years old). Tourists can still charter them to traverse haciendas. This would be complemented by a guided tour on the mill, the muscovado factory and winery. Before leaving, don’t forget to buy several packs of muscovado sugar. HPCO muscovado sugar is a healthier alternative to refined sugar.
A bagoneta ride from Crossing Luguay to Mambag-id offer tourist a chance to see the countryside – passing small villages, cane fields, and fish ponds. Visitors will encounter a bucolic scene, the scorching heat of the sun, the migratory birds in formation, and the lowly fishermen’s march to the shoreline.
If you want a long shot from the sea, mountainous Patag awaits you. It is 32 kilometers away from the city proper. Load your backpack with everything you need for a trek. The old hospital which has been converted into a rest and recreation area welcomes you. The zephyr from the century-old trees will fill your lungs with pure oxygen. The fog from the peak of Mount Silay and the Mandalagan Mountain Range will descend and meet your brow.
The mountain folks will prepare you foods of the fairies – sayote soup, takway adobo, fern salad, pickled horseradish, and eel from the stream complemented by cold spring water. Your highlander guide will orient you on the “dos and don’ts” of the wilderness. Be ready to traverse the ascending and descending trails, and cross rivers and streams.
After all these thrills, your trophy awaits; when you reach breathtaking Pulang Tubig waterfalls, Dumalabdab waterfalls or the long journey to the enchanted Tinagong Dagat. Rappel until you reach Sulfatara, the sulfur valley accented by geysers and bubbling ponds.
Be ambitious! Dramatize a daring hike to the secret trail of World War II soldiers who fought a bloody battle in the last stronghold of the Japanese Imperial Army. Patag is an important historical landmark. Miles of man-made tunnels still dot the hills and thousands of shrapnel are still buried in the trunk of trees.
Silay does not stay in its primal instincts. Like brave toreadors, Silaynons move forward in trendy and fashionable charm to captivate what awaits them in the future – prosperity! This is manifested by the presence of the state-of-the-art international airport that boosts tourism, trade, commerce, and industry.
But, in all our dreams, we never forget our cultural heritage, our Christ-centeredness, and our determination of keeping our souls, wishes, hopes and aspirations one.
See you in Silay on November 3 to 11, 2018 for the International Rondalla Festival.