Part 2 - Exploring Iloilo City and the Famous Miag-ao church
After a little more frolicking in the beach, we head to the cafeteria for our last taste of the good cuisine that Raymen Beach Resort has to offer.
We left the resort few minutes before 12 noon on our way back to Iloilo City. Luckily, yesterday's multi cab driver was waiting for us as I couldn't find his number on my phone.
We stopped along the hi-way to buy "the best" mangoes this country has to offer. It wasn't cheap though considering that we were right in the heart of the mango capital of the country. A kilo ranges from 70 to 90pesos depending on the size. We opted for the 90pesos a kilo variety. Overall, we bought 10 kilos separately packed into two boxes. I was shocked to find out the box cost the same as a kilo of mangoes. But what the heck, as long as it can contain the mangoes until tomorrow's departure back to Manila.
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| Posing with Nica and Ela with Guimaras' famous mangoes |
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| The most famous mango stall in the island, that is according to the driver. Well, their stall is indeed in the picture of the expensive mango box :-) |
It was a little past 2pm when we reached the Sarabia Manor, our home for the night in Iloilo City. Sarabia Manor is one of the more famous hotels in Iloilo. It had always been a desire of mine to check out this hotel because of the good reviews I've heard in the past. Boy, was I disappointed. Check out my entry at trip advisor.com for the detailed review of our horrible experience in this hotel -
Sarabia Hotel, Iloilo City.
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| Forced the kids to pose in the hotel's sort of grand staircase |
I was so tired and knew that the kids were too. So we headed to SM City to have dinner. When out of town, SM malls always provide a haven to the tired tourists. After dinner, took the kids to buy some grocery items, picking up whatever they fancy - I ended up paying almost 1000pesos for candies, biscuits, cookies, drinks, etc. , kids! :-)
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| Alexa wanted the same shirt as that of her ate Ela and ate Nica |
Following morning, we were ready to explore the city. After a not so hearty breakfast, we were off to see the sights I remember from my previous trips. Ultimately, mom wanted to visit the UNESCO Heritage site - Miag-ao Church.
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| Breakfast...from the looks of it no one seemed to be happy with it :-( |
Good thing I managed to negotiate with the taxi driver who gave us a ride from the ferry to the hotel. It was an Innova so we had more space. Richard, the driver, was so generous at accepting my offer of 2000 pesos to drive us to Miag-ao (with stops in between) and take us straight to the airport to catch our flight back to Manila.
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| Molo Church |
First stop - Molo Church. We went in for a while to utter a prayer of thanks. The plaza in front was under renovation. The Molo church has somehow managed to retain its rustic facade but the restoration was very much evident specially inside.
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| Racso's Woodland |
Second stop - Racso's Woodland. My first and last visit to this place was more than ten years ago when it was only a few months old. The place boasted of one of the best collection of animals and a well tended mini-theme pool park. However, I was appalled to see the deterioration of the place. There were only a handful of the animals left. The stink was unbearable in several portions of the resort. The only thing beautiful about the place is the entrance with a canopy of flowering vines.
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| Inside the Water World section - just old dirty aquariums |
I learned that the owner has a new "baby", a farm in Guimbal town. Hence, the neglect of Racso's. I wish that they would bring back the beauty of this place. I pity the animals in their current state. Or better yet just let the animals loose in the wild. I think they will survive better in the open.
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| An ostrich couple in the background |
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| The facade of the Guimbal church |
En route to Miag-ao, we passed by a church in the town of Guimbal that caught my attention. When in Iloilo, the attraction are mostly the old churches. And the Guimbal church is just a beauty.
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| The facade of the Miag-ao church |
A little over two hours, at past 10am (which felt like noon already) we arrived at our ultimate destination - the Miag-ao church, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Amid the scorching sun, I forced the kids for a photo op in front of the church.
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| The famous carving - newly restored |
It seemed that the facade was just recently cleaned. It did not have its rustic effect, instead it was a glimmering ivory color. I was very much happy that it being a UNESCO site has helped the intricate limestone carving survive the test of time. We stayed for 15 minutes then hopped on to the car back to Iloilo. But since it was nearly noon, I just had one last stop to make.
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| The kids posing in front of the Tatoy's signage |
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| Enjoying the food at Tatoy's Restaurant..tuna belly, grilled pla-pla, lechon manok, clam soup, grilled squids, and more. |
Once visit to Iloilo will not be complete without sampling the cuisine of "
Tatoy's Restaurant" in Villa. Tatoy's is famous for its lechon manok and -of course - seafood. The old huts along the beach still stands but it now has a bigger restaurant space with ample parking just across the road. It's a must for any visitor to Iloilo to drop by and sample the good food at Tatoy's.
We reached the airport around 2pm for the 330pm flight back to Manila. As expected the flight was delayed due to traffic above NAIA. When will this problem fixed? Your guess is as good as mine.
NEXT ADVENTURE: Solitary Travel to Malapascua, Island in Cebu
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