The Lagoon, Bacolod City

The Lagoon

               One famous spot in Bacolod City to take time out is the Lagoon settled in front of the Provincial Capitol Building of Negros Occidental. For me, the Lagoon alleviates the strong and authoritative figure of the building, which some of my friends call 'The Mansion'. Some health conscious people come here as early as 5 o'clock in the morning to walk or jog around the Lagoon. After office hours, people start to gather around the Lagoon to relax and cool off due to their long stressful hours at work.

                      At the right side, facing the Capitol building is the playground. Some parents bring their kids mostly every weekend in the Lagoon to have fun and utilize the available recreational facilities. Below are the following photos of the facilities present in the recreational area.

The slide

Shown on the left photo are the aligned large vehicular tires for the kids either for hide-and-seek games or for whatever purpose they want it to be.

The left photo shows a father conversing and assisting his daughter while playing.

Still on the right side of the Lagoon facing the building is a statue of a woman with the country's national animal, the carabao. It is coated with bronze in order for it to be visible even at night time. I guess, the color bronze basically made the statue more clearer and intense during the night time in contrast with the color of the incandescent lamps used in the pond.

Anybody is allowed to feed hundreds of fish in the pond

                          At the left side of the Lagoon facing the building are the statue of a man with a carabao, which is positioned opposite to the bronze lady with the carabao,  and the skateboard area for young people.

This is the skateboard area. This is normally utilized by some groups to practice their dance steps, arnis, etc. Currently, this is mostly occupied by teenage skaters who strive to be the best of their group by showing off their exhibition moves.

                 This monument is found in between the Lagoon and the Capitol building. This is to honor the heroism of the Negrense veterans during World War II.

This part of the Lagoon is where there are rows of concrete benches near the monument, I call this area the Lovers' Lane. Obviously, the young sweethearts and couples color the Lagoon red everyday.

               At the very entrance of the Lagoon is this statue shown on these two (2) photos. I honestly do not have any idea of the true meaning of this statue. I surely believe that this has a purpose though. My guess? To immortalize one important event that once occurred here, or to commemorate a person who brought honor and pride to the province.

                   My prime reason to be here is simply to capture the beauty of the Lagoon at night. Honestly, I was not really interested in this place, and I did not bother to come here for some reasons. However, when the New Government Center was built and became one of the city's favorite hang outs, the Lagoon also kept up and improved the area. Colorful lights were installed in the Lagoon to expose the beauty of the fountain.

The bright lights that add illumination to the pond

Provincial Capitol Building of Negros Occidental

                       A number of street vendors positioned themselves outside the Lagoon gates selling appetizers such as balut, pinoy, peanuts, cotton candy, etc. readily prepared to fill out the hungry stomach of some bystanders nearby.

The Lagoon is situated along Lacson St., the business district and the busiest part of Bacolod City, meaning, all people passing by Lacson St. can hardly ignore the showy fountain and the crowded Lagoon.

Truly, more fun in the Philippines!

Until next time, God bless!