Mountain Ride
I spent my vacation leave at my home town in Negros. Need to relax for a while from the busy environment at work, get some fresh air and of course spend my Christmas and New Year together with my family and siblings. We went mountain biking to “Hacienda Antonio”(a sugarcane plantation farm), a place still located in Barangay Hibaiyo few kilometers from the coastal road. The name itself derived from the owner of this farm way back how many years and handled by the Antonio Clan at present.
Hacienda Antonio Administrator’s Office. This is the Main Office where Farm Trusted Administrators (“Cabo”) used to work. During payday, farm workers gathered here to get their salaries every 15 days.
This is the primary source of income for some locals living here where they used to cut and load sugarcane into the truck you see in the picture. They called these workers as “Karga Tapas” which means “Karga = loading” and “Tapas = cut”. I took this picture at exactly 1:00 but unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get some shots for those workers as they went to their nearby houses for an hour lunch break.
The picture above is a local carrying “Kumpay” (it is used to feed their cows and carabaos). Still came from sugarcane.
Habal-Habal
The only means of transportation here is to take a “Habal-Habal” ride from the town. Habal-Habal is a term they used for a customized motorcycle with some additional parts added like the “Kargadera” (a series of steel bars welded at each side for passengers to step on it. Fare depends upon how long your destination would be.
Bulky and Muddy road
Due to short rain this morning, just expected a bulky and muddy ride to the mountainous side of the place and I was right.
Overflow Bridge
This is the Overflow Bridge. Wonder why it is called overflow?. Some locals said that during heavy rain, flood would overflow/overlap the pavement of the bridge which is not easy for those habal-habal drivers to cross the river as they might be carried to the water flow current but thank God, we haven’t experienced that even though it rains this morning and not so heavy.
As we go along the bulky road, we met some locals washing their clothes. This is where they used to fetch water and carry it all the way up to their nearby houses. Life here is totally simple and different compare to towns and cities. You only hear birds chirping, waters flowing and fresh air blowing to your ears. So, it’s a nice place to take some rest from work right?.
Still a wide space of sugarcane plantation
We are now at the foot of the Mountains. Experience an up and down way to the top.
Some locals leave here and everyday they take this inclined path to their houses.
We are almost there
Hda. Antonio Sugarcane Plantation
Last shot
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