
Felix Constantino Cata-Al
One of the excursions from Salaya Beach Houses takes guests to Valencia, of course, not to Spain, but here on Negros. The heritage of the colonial era is omnipresent. The small town is home to a slightly bizarre sight: The Cata-Al World War II Museum.
As a five-year-old, Felix Constantino Cata-Al began digging out World War II relics with a shovel. His fascination for this epoch stems from the loss of his favourite uncle in the war. Since then, he has accumulated countless finds, discovered of course also human remains and ensured that the skeletons of about 30 Japanese soldiers were led back to their homeland. It is no wonder that Cata-al regularly receives a high level of foreign visitors and his showcases are also richly decorated with letters of thanks from survivors, relief organisations and government agencies.
From his collection, a private museum has been created, which is open every day except on Sundays and can be visited free of charge or for a small, voluntary fee.
If it does not rain, the excursion can be combined with a visit to the spectacular Casaroro Waterfalls. In the rain the descent on the then slippery stones is too dangerous.
The journey time from Salaya Beach Houses to Valencia is about 40 minutes.