The year has just started and what is the best way to start it with than another escapade.
This trip came sooner than I expected.
Caryl Oriel, a colleague and a friend suddenly mentioned to me about having a trip in the Visayas region when we were having a conversation about travelling.
Without second thoughts, I agreed to join her with the agreement that the trip would fall on my rest days.
I then looked for promos from different airline and lucky enough, there was one from Cebu Pacific. We decided to just go to Iloilo and do some side trips to the places near it. The ticket costs P1,238.72 per person for the round trip. I purchased the ticket in the end of January and payed it through BDO ATM.
I tried to convince a lot of friends to come along but none agreed. It was only me and Miss Caryl.
It is my first time to go on a trip where there are only two people. I usually go on trips with a large group.
We have only 2 weeks to prepare and I don't even know what to expect on those places. I was in charge of the itinerary and it took me 3 days to prepare one. The reason why it took me too long, it's because I have to check on the different jeepney routes in Iloilo and double check it in Google maps.
You can check out this site for transportation guide in Iloilo
http://www.exploreiloilo.com/iloilo-jeepney-and-bus-transportation-guide.html
That's what's stressful at times when you are having a DIY (Do It Your) own trip and not from prepared itinerary from travel agencies.
I was even having second thoughts on adding Boracay in the itinerary since it would cost much.
What I just put in mind at that time is that the place is just near the destination that we are in, why not just go there and not have to come back another time.
The day has finally arrived for the much awaited trip. After our shifts, we then headed to the airport. I actually did not mention this to my friends but we re booked the flight because we were late. I was thinking that our flight was 9:30 AM but instead it's 9:20 AM. We arrived at the airport at 8:45. The check in time for Cebu Pacific is 45 minutes before the flight.
We re booked our ticket and have to wait for another 2 hours for our flight.
It costs us almost P2,000 pesos for the re booked ticket. It is another first time experience for me.
We both were unhappy but the mood changed after we got into the plane. Our excitement filled the air.
The flight takes about approximately 20-30 minutes.
We arrived there around lunch time.
The Iloilo Airport is one of the modern airports in the Philippines. The structure is quite the same as the Ninoy Aquino International Airport but much cleaner and organized.
When we arrived, we then headed outside to check on the van that would take us to the first place we would be seeing in Iloilo.
In the airport, the means of transportation that you would find are the taxis and the vans for hire or v-hire. If you would rather take the vhire, you will have to ask the people there where it is. I have read online that the van for hire or v-hire fare would cost P50.00-
P 75.00.
Our fair from the airport to the Jaro Church is P50.00 each.
The Jaro Church is one of the tourist spots in Iloilo. It is across the Jaro Plaza and the Jaro Belfry. It is also known as the Nuestra Señora de la Cadelaria (Our Lady of Candles). This is where Graciano López Jaena, a Filipino journalist who wrote the La Solidaridad was baptized.
There is a balcony at the top of the church where one could go up to and see the Madonna and child. On the right hand of the image, she is holding a lighted candle and on the left side is her child. This is almost a life size image and was said to have grown over the years. It is believed that the lady of candles brings protection one’s path if the person asks for her help.
These are the images inside the church where you could also see the different saints.
Across the Jaro Church is the Jaro Belfry tower which is also located in the Jaro Park.
Historically, it serves as a lookout for sea raiders.
After taking pictures in the area and praying too, we then headed to the pension house where I have booked. It is the Ong Bun pension house. I have read lots of blogs stating that its the best pension house in Iloilo for budget travelers.
If you would like to book a room, you can check out their website
We were having a hard time finding a jeepney that would take us to the pension house. We weren't following the itinerary I prepared since there are some last minute changes to it. We just asked from one of the barkers in the area to help us find a jeepney going to the place. We took the Tagbak jeepney and payed P8.00 fare. There was even a guy named Raymond who assisted us and helped us when we were asking questions on the jeepney that we need to take on our next destination.
He said that he usually comes to Cebu since he has a business here.
When we arrived in the Pension house, we got the key to our room. I have reserved the deluxe room which costs P580 per day. The deluxe room is an air conditioned room with television and bathroom. They also have cabinets that you can place your things on and also some utensils like glass and thermos. One doesn't need to worry about towels since they provide it.
This place is really affordable and very clean.
After leaving our things in the pension house, we then headed to our next destination which is the Miag-ao Church.
We took the Miag-ao jeepney which is just located a few meters away from our pension house. The fare is P47.50 and it takes about an hour to reach it. It is located away from the Iloilo City Proper.
We met a girl in the jeepney who knew that we were not Ilonggos and gave suggestions to us to check out the different churches which is before the Miag-ao.
The Miag-ao Church is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. This was a fortress in the olden days. The structure of the church is also made of yellowish limestones.
After Miag-ao, we took a jeepney going to Guimbal Church. The fare is P 15.00.
The Guimbal Church is one of the oldest churches in the Philippines. It is made of adobe stones and coral stones from Guimaras. It also has a belfry tower to watch for Moro pirates.
We then headed to Tigbauan church and the fare is P 10.00.
This is one of the unique churches in the Philippines because of its Latin American architecture.
We then took a jeepney going to Molo however there wasn't one that passed by. Instead we took a jeepney going to Villa and the fare is P19.00 and then stopped at the terminal to take another jeepney going to Molo. The fare is P8.00
Molo Church is a reminder of the Ilonggo artistry. It has a Gothic-Renaissance architecture. The church has a lot of women saints on it and is said to be a "women's church".
It is also said that this is the church that Dr. Jose Rizal passed by before his exile in Dapitan.
After visiting the different churches, we headed to SM Iloilo to buy the Starbucks mug that my friend Jennifer told me.
In front of the SM Iloilo is the Plazuela de Iloilo which has different restaurants, bars and stores.
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| The Plazuela de Iloilo Fountain |
We also had our dinner in Ted's Old La Paz Batchoy and got to taste its specialty which is the La Paz Batchoy.
This La Paz Batchoy is a noodle soup with a combination of pork organs, vegetables, chicken stock, beef loin and round noodles.
This batchoy costs P68.00.
After having our dinner, we went back to our pension house. It's another day tomorrow and another destination.
