Pardon me for initially thinking when I first heard the phrase “Slow Food” that it was the Ayurvedic way of consuming food literally in a slow and calm manner. I have heard the term "Slow Food" numerous times since I first encountered it. While it shares similarities with the Ayurvedic approach, emphasizing a healthier approach to food consumption that maximizes the benefits of natural ingredients, it also means something else, a movement where at its heart, is the advancement of local foods, traditional gastronomy and organic food production.

Festivals or fiestas have fundamentally become an important part of life across the Philippines' many provinces. These grand celebrations not only highlight local traditions, but they also effectively provide an opportunity for local residents to bravely showcase their talents in cultural performances. Festivals successfully bring together residents and visitors from all over the world to celebrate life and deeply promote local culture.

The Panaad sa Negros, which originally began in 1993, is exactly one such festival that everyone should absolutely attend.

Famous beat writer Ken Kessey unofficially formed "Merry Pranksters" in the 60's. It is composed of a group of people bonded by a singular thread that weaves them all together. Theirs was a choice of an unconventional lifestyle, of living communally and taking road trips across the United States (while high with something - LSD?). It was a set-up that have provided them a rich set of experiences, that somehow made it into works of literature, as most of them are writers in the said era. To know more about these gregarious people, reading Tom Wolfe's "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" should be a good start.

The Philippines is revelled with festivals all-year long. With each having its own unique theme providing different kinds of experiences. One of the most popular is Masskara festival, which is held every month of October for three weeks in the "city of smiles" Bacolod City.

After a night of booze-filled merry making in the streets of Bacolod, we took a side trip the next day to Mambukal Mountain resort located at Minoyan, Murcia near the foot of scenic Mount Kanlaon. We left early at about 9 AM, went straight to Libertad market and had a quick breakfast at "mabuhay kape", a simple coffee shop that serves perfect native coffee at only 10 pesos per cup.