March 29, 2013 - Since it was a long holiday
vacation, I decided to visit a friend whom I’ve met in Hong Kong and spend my
Holy Week with her together with my bf in Iloilo.
I’m happy because even we had a short time bonding in HK we have established a really
nice friendship. After a long preparation and planning for this trip, finally
the time has come. WELCOME
ILO-ILO CITY!
We left home at 1:30am; it was two hours ahead
of our departing time to make sure that we will not miss our flight because
it was holiday we doubt that we can quickly hail a taxi. Upon arrival at NAIA
Terminal 4, we fall in line directly to the counter for the check in process;
after then we proceed to the boarding gate. I bought a cup of coffee to resist
my drowsiness while we’re waiting for our boarding time. Thanks to WiFi I
surpassed the lengthy hours of waiting. The gates opened pass 4:00am-- a little
late than what is stated in our itinerary, not shocking ZestAir ee. “haha.. I
don’t have enough rest so I was asleep in the entire duration of the flight.
Excitement arouse on me when the aircrew announced that we just landed at Iloilo International
Airport. I paused for a
second to thank God for the safe trip.
Day 1
Jewel and her boyfriend Euzel fetch us at the airport with their private car. We had our breakfast in Jollibee Jaro
before we head to our first destination- in “Concepcion”. Concepcion Iloilo is a coastal
town located in the northeastern part of Iloilo,
approximately 2.5 to 3 hours travel time from Jaro Iloilo. Concepcion is popular for their white sand
beaches and Island Hopping, it was the best fun activity you can do there, that’s
why I’m very excited for that new experience. It was a long, tough, and rough
drive going to Concepcion
but it doesn’t matter much because we arrived safe at 10:00am. Upon arriving, we
stayed at JUNBEE Resorts for the whole day to have some rest. I fell asleep
tightly and woke up at 1:00pm to have our late lunch. We ordered “Sinigang at
Pritong Isda” no meat that time because in Catholic; they don’t eat meat or any of
a kind during Holy Week especially on Good Friday. After having our lunch I was
still feeling sleepy so I can’t help myself but to sleep again. I was asleep
the whole day, letting the time healed my tired body from the long road travel.
Day 2
We woke up early to prepare for our first adventure- the
“Island Hopping”. I was getting excited and nervous because I don’t know how to swim.
Haha! Our first stop is the Agho Island, one of the several island gems of Concepcion
Iloilo, located 7 nautical miles northeast of Concepcion town proper. There’s no
accommodation in that area so if you are planning to stay overnight, you should
bring your own tent and better to bring your foods; but don’t worry too much
because a sari-sari store is available. You can drop by there if needed.
As I stepped on the sparkling white sand of Agho Island,
I felt relieved from too much stress of work. It’s not that perfect coz some
areas are unclean, thought it was, I believed that even the best has its own flaw;
the good thing in Agho is that it’s not that crowded like Boracay yet they
portrait identical kind of beauty. We strolled and walked around the beach, perceived
the loveliness of surroundings and felt the warm greeting of the ocean.
After a short while of observing the scenic
atmosphere of the place, we consumed first our lunch before we all decided to
swim the welcoming sea.
We hanged around, took a short rest and feel
the refreshing air of Agho while we’re waiting until our foods were digested in
our full stomachs.
Despite of our language barriers we enjoyed a
lot each other’s company so much. We went swimming, we went playing, and we were laughing as
if we knew deeply each other.
“It is much
happier when you are with your love ones, holding hands together, enjoying each
other’s company in discovering the wonders and exploring the vastness of the
world”.
We left Agho
Island at 1:00pm to move into Sandbar Beach. Unfortunately, we just passed it
by because we need to pay Php200.00 for the boarding fee plus the entrance and
the cottage; it was costly on our side since we already enjoyed swimming awhile
and we can do nothing there but to take pictures. Furthermore, we can’t really
enjoy that momentous time due to the high tide instance. So, we have decided to go
home, what’s the most important was that we witnessed how Sandbar looks like.
Thank you Agho
for letting me experience another beauty of the nature.
We took our shower, changed clothes; prepared to
leave the area, drove back to the city then.
Another 2.5 to 3 hours drive before we reach the
town of Jaro Iloilo.
We had our snack at “Jicels and Theas” Manduriao Iloilo, where my first
impression was a big huh?? I don’t have any idea why they chose this place; it
was just like an ordinary canteen with a simple table and chairs nothing unusual.
Then my curiosity was answered when I ordered wanton and siopao. Sarap!. The
price is economical but the taste is magical. They were also serving siomai and pansit. I highly
recommend this dumpling restaurant for those who will visit Iloilo. Please don’t miss the chance to drop
by there.
After that we looked for a place to rest, there
are a lot of hotel-type properties in Jaro to choose from. But we prefer Vista
Inn located in Tabuc Suba, Jaro- the most convenient one, as we’re based in the area
of Jaro.
We planned to experience
Iloilo’s lively
nightlife so we went to Smallville Complex- a popular dining and nightlife
destinations of most Ilonggos if they wanted to spend a fun night out in the city.
Unluckily, most of the bars and restaurants that night were closed so we just hanged-out in CALTEX. Haha.
Day 3
J&E will attend christening so my bf & I
decided to hang around in SM Iloilo City while we were waiting for them. At that
time, we had our chance to try the famous Batchoy, a noodle soup made with pork
organs, crushed pork cracklings, chicken stock, beef loin and round noodles.
You can get your La Paz Batchoy at any restaurant in Iloilo, but the most popular is Ted’s and
Deco’s which has branches all over the city.
Immediately after experiencing the savory of La Paz Batchoy, we started to travel again at
past 12:00 noon going to San Joaquin Iloilo.
Iloilo was rich with old Spanish made churches, so a trip
to Iloilo will
not be completed without paying a visit to its most jewels churches. Their
architectural designs are truly impressive. On our way to San Joaquin we passed
by the town of Oton,
Tigbauan, Guimbal and Miagao; so excitingly, I will not fail to see those
churches personally.
1.
Tigbauan Church
Tigbauan Chruch was unique in the country because
of its Latin American churriquesque architecture. The church
of St. John
of Sahagun was built in 1575 but devastated by an earthquake in 1948. Tigbauan’s
facade was styled in the Mexican plateresque. Its altar was adorned with a magnificent mosaic and the wall was also
flanked by the tile mosaics of the 14 Stations of the Cross.
2. Guimbal Church
Guimbal Chruch was one of the oldest
churches in the country built in 1774 by Father Campos, made from coral stones
and adobe stones called “igang” that’s why it has a yellowish color. It has
undergone some reconstruction after it was destroyed twice, during Second World
War and during 1948 earthquake but still it’s remain impressive.
3. Miag-ao Church
One of the four baroque churches in the Philippines
included in the UNESCO World Heritage list. Constructed in 1797, one of the
country’s architectural gems because of its unique and imposing designs.
I’m not being able to take a photo of San Joaquin Church coz it was under construction at
that time. It was disappointing but thankful coz I saw it in my own bare eyes.
But since San
Joaquin Cemetery
was along the main highway in San Joaquin town
we never fail to witness it. Influenced by Baroque architecture, the Campo
Santo was truly fascinating for its sumptuously designs.
For almost on the
road we reached our destination the GARINFARM, with the word FARM it can be
boring but I learned that there was something special within. Garinfarm was
described in three words; Agriculture, Pilgrimage and Leisure.
Upon entering you need to pay Php150.00 for the entrance fee.
We couldn’t wait to see what’s within the farm. We were so much excited towards
of what we could see, of what we could feel, and of what we could experience.
Coming in, we’re welcomed with a green environment and quite unpleasant smell
from animal dung. It was a good place for farmers and agricultural
enthusiasts where they can learn new and modern agricultural techniques.
Garin farm also takes you to a journey from creation to ascension.
As we climbed the 400-steps
stairway, we see different life-size statues that portray significant events of
the life of Jesus Christ. We were surprised to see this coz we expected only
the giant cross in this Pilgrimage. Our
objective was to reach the top of the rise where the big cross was standing firm.
Climbing the staircase was not just easy as we believed at first; as we walked
along and the crowd became bulky, that’s time you could feel the tiredness, the
thirst, and the muscle pains- we were almost torn out. But it was a fulfillment once
you reach the top.
We stayed for about 10 minutes to gain more
energy before going down. We felt the refreshing scene of surroundings. At the
summit, we could see the whole landscape of the Garin Farm, the mountains and
the town of San Joaquin Iloilo.
This is what's good in Garin Farm, after those
tiring sacrifices you can give yourself a revitalizing treatment because Garin
Farm also offered several recreational activities that you will surely enjoy.
Take pleasure at their man made hilltop lagoon for fishing, boat riding
(kayaking, pedal boat or rubber boat), horse riding, zip line and swimming at
reasonable prices.
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| Kayaking | | | | | | |
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| Goat Feeding |
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We left the Garin farm and brought with us the
memories and adventures we had.
It was 6:00 in the evening when we reached the
city; we went straight to the restaurant named “BREAKTHROUGH” to fill-in our
cramping stomachs.
One of the popular restaurants in Iloilo where you can dine-in
fresh seafood’s ranging from fish, scallops, shrimp, crab and lot more. It was
a great ambience where the setting is located along the sea, very relaxing as
you can see the serenity of the ocean.
We ordered inihaw at sinigang na isda, baked talaba and a lot more I can't remember exactly the menu. Could you
believe that we eat more than we pay? Absolutely, in our order I expect that we’ll going to pay
ranging Php2,000.00 – Php3,000.00 but I was shocked when our bill was just
Php1100 plus only. Can you imagine how cheap it was? So, I am very much
suggested this place it will meet the customer satisfaction.
Day 4
This was our last day in Iloilo. But this time we will go to Bacolod (Click here for the Bacolod trip)
After that exciting trip to Bacolod we spent our remaining hours in
Plazuela de Iloilo, a Spanish inspired concept that wanted to be a world-class
business hub presently. The ground area was occupied by restaurants and other
establishments while the second floor was reserved for the call-centers, BPO
and commercial purposes.
We hang out at Starbucks and had some coffee and
waffles, spending our remaining time in Iloilo
before we headed to the airport.
Another bunches of experience, learning, and memories. I
will truly missed Iloilo
especially Jewel & Euzel who made this trip more memorable and enjoyable.
Till next time.. Goodbye Iloilo !!!
xoxo.
sherryrose :)
