Exploring Panay Island - Kalibo, Roxas, Pan-ay

Kalibo is not even a city, yet their airport has been classified as international.  This is probably due to the fact that it is the alternative entry point of tourists bound for Boracay, especially those taking the jet-liners as compared to those taking the turbo-props that go directly to the Caticlan airport.

Indeed the airport facilities (during this visit) are being upgraded to international standards, the reason why the baggage conveyors are not functioning.  

I took a tricycle from the airport to the town proper which is just 10-15 minutes away.  There are not taxis here - the tricycle  serves the purpose.

I'm here to explore the place prior to the Ati-atihan Festival -- know the schedule of the upcoming festival, where to stay and dine and the places to see.  

After depositing my stuff in the hotel, I visited the Municipal Tourism and the Ati-atihan Foundation offices and from there, the first half of my objective has been achieved.

The Sto. Nino Cathedral and the Kalibo Museum are just across the plaza, so I headed for these places to check them out.  The old bells at the church grounds will surely catch the attention of any first-time visitor to this place.  These are church bells dating back to the 1800s - impressive!

If not for the museum, I would not know that the late Cardinal Sin is from this place.  The Kalibo museum houses several socio-cultural and religious artifacts.  Several paintings from the local artists were on display at the time of my visit and are for sale. 

Saylo Cuisine came highly recommended, even from 30,000 feet up above.  I was sitting beside an off-duty flight attendant of Cebu Pacific airlines who was coming home to Kalibo and she mentioned the restaurant during our conversation.  It's located mid-way between the airport and town proper.  

I sampled various specialty of the restaurant -- food tripping.  It's their fried 'tamilok' though that topped among the food I ordered.  

fried tamilok

In one of my Palawan trips, I sampled raw 'tamilok' dipped in vinegar, so it was not my first time with the 'tamilok', but my first of it being fried. How was it? Hmmm.... it's up for you to discover...

Their turon is also something to look forward to and their halo-halo con bucayo.  

turon

Aside from the food, the ambiance of Saylo is what makes it worth visiting and dining in Kalibo.

halo-halo con bucayo

Latte Cafe is also a good place to go for snacks in Kalibo.  There's one in the airport road, a few blocks from Saylo and a smaller branch in the city center near a hospital.

The following day, I headed to the municipality of New Washington which is around 30-45 minutes from Kalibo.  

I wanted to visit the Sampaguita Gardens, home to the Precious Moments doll (with those signature tear-drop shaped eyes) designed and created by Sam Butcher.

At the center of the gardens is Jojo's Christmas Cottage which is a Victorian cottage that offers Christmas Everyday Experience. 

It has a Precious Moments store in the ground floor and the Jojo's Christmas Cottage Museum of Christmas in the upper floors showcasing Precious Moments collectibles. 

The Sampaguita Gardens is one of the better places to go as a side-trip during the Ati-Atihan festival or when coming from Boracay.  

If you plan to get an ati-dancer doll as a souvenir during the Ati-atihan festival, get one from here.

Its unique and worth the price.  I got mine here.

I'm sure this place would be dazzling with lights during night-time and during the cold BER season in time for Christmas.

Since the entrance fee to the resort is consumable, I decided to have my lunch (a huge burger) here before heading back to Kalibo.  Entrance to the resort is free during Mondays.

That night, as per recommendation by another guest staying in the same hotel I'm in, I headed to Bagobos Resto-grill to have my dinner.  

The food was okay.  They have a stand-up comedian and singer who made the place alive.  Expect mosquitoes around due to the garden setting they have.  

It's the Bakhawan Eco-park that I was not able to go for lack of time.  One good reason to visit Kalibo in the future, during the Ati-atihan festival.

Roxas City is around 2 hours from Kalibo via van-for-hire.  The roads are paved and the van sits only 3 to a row so it was a pretty comfortable ride.  

I stayed at a hotel a block away from the ancestral house of the late President Roxas, so it was the first place that I checked. It's not open to the public - it's a residence. I initially expected it to be like a museum with memorabilia of the late president and his family inside.

The Panubli-on is the museum of Roxas City.  It is similar to the Cagayan de Oro in a way since both used to be water tanks that served the place decades ago.  Located just across the City Hall, this circular piece of architecture offers every visitor a comprehensive view of what Roxas City, previous and current. It was constructed in 1910.  

The Balay Kapisnon houses handicrafts made of the capiz shells.  It was here where I met a former salesman assigned in the Northern Mindanao areas and who is currently one of the officers of the the city tourism.  

If not for him, i would not be able to take the following image of the city center, highlighting the Spanish bridge, the fountain and the cathedral.  This was taken from the rooftop of the new city hall.  

The Capiz bridge was built during the early 1900s and has remained strong and firm since. It connects the commercial center of the city to the main thoroughfare, traversing the Panay river.  

At night this bridge gives the city its old-world charm due to the lighting on the bridge. The Immaculate Conception Cathedral is one of the oldest in Panay island.  

If I had not been asked by a fellow visitor if I would also be going to the Sta. Monica Church the following day, I would have not known about it.  After reading about the church from the Wikipedia, I aborted my plans of going to Olotayan Island and see the church instead.  Good decision for me!

Sta. Monica Church is one of the most oldest baroque church in the country, built around the 1700s.  It is located at the municipality of Pan-ay, province of Capiz. By tricycle (a multi-cab is too big for me), its around 30-45 minutes from Roxas City.

What made this church well-known aside from the rich history it holds (declared a National Landmark), was one of the bells in its five-level belfry.  It is  said to be the biggest and the heaviest Christian bell in Asia weighing 10 tons, around 7 feet in diameter and 5 feet in height.  It was cast around the 1800s using 70 sacks of coins.

The inscription reads :

“Soy la voz de Diosque llevare y ensalzare desde el principio hasta el fin de este pueblo de Panay para que los fieles de Jesus vengan a esta casa de Dios a recibirlas gracias celestials”

-

“(I am God’s voice which I shall echo and praise from one end to the other of the town of Panay, so that the faithful followers of Christ may come to this house of God to receive the heavenly graces.)”

Indeed, when the bell sounds, it can be heard kilometers away to the surrounding towns of Pan-ay.

The bell seen in front of the convent is a replica.  One has to ask special permission from the convent office to be able to go up to the 5th level of the belfry and see the original. 

There are 9 bells in the belfry and the center of them is the the "Dako nga Lingganay", Hiligaynon for the 'big bell'.  

The climb to the belfry is steep through a metal stairway.  On the way, Ryan, the guide assigned by the office pointed out the mechanism of the original clock installed in the late 1870s. Unfortunately it is no longer working.  

He also pointed out the original wooden planks of the old stairway leading to the belfry.  Awesome to think that here I am inside this structure erected more than 300 years ago...

This wooden truss was part of the roof that was installed in the late 1870s and has been in place until only recently, around 300 years after. 

For such a wood to be part of the original roofing, it should have came from a very huge tree, probably a hundred or two years old at that time it was cut, making the wood to be between 500 and 600 years old to date! Impressive.

The church interior is very simple but amazing due to the antique intricate carvings (retablos) and religious statues it has.  There are also grave markers of prominent personalities buried inside the church, typical among old churches.  

On the ground floor of the adjacent convent is the Museo de Santa Monica containing historical artifacts and memorabilia dating to the earliest arrival of Christianity in the area.  

You enter the museum through the original doors of the church dating back to the 1600’s. 

those posts were the original ones from the old convent

I wont post the pictures of what's inside the museum mainly for security reasons.  

Inside is a small exhibit including two altars made entirely from pure precious metals. These altars we taken from the original church’s ruins over the years from the 1600 and 1700s. There are also several tabernacles which were in use in the church over the years. There is also a selection of priest's vestments embroidered with threads from pure precious metals. 

I said this in my previous post about the Sta. Maria Church of Ilocos Sur (http://throughthelensalr.blogspot.com/2012/12/ilocandia-adventures-sta-maria-ilocus.html ) and I'm saying it again, 'there has got to be some degree of preservation that needs to be done for these artifacts and memorabilia to last for the next 300 years or so."  Paging, again, National Historical Commission.

Indeed, this first visit of mine to the Panay island was informative, educational and an eye-opener.

P.S.

This trip happened before the Ati-atihan 2013 which got posted much earlier (http://throughthelensalr.blogspot.com/2013/02/hala-bira-ati-atihan-2013-tribal-modern.html).



thank you for reading ...

No Surfing In Baler - Last Day

I had a restful sleep the previous night and woke up late. 

After freshening up, I went to the resorts restaurant and I seated myself near the veranda to have the best view of the Sabang Beach.  I had a hearty breakfast - double serving!

I decided to just check on two locations in the outskirts of Baler that morning so I can spend the rest of the afternoon and evening  in the resort and Sabang beach areas.  This would give me ample time to relax in preparation for return trip to Manila and ultimately back to CDO, first hour the following day. 

The unique stone formations and the long stretch of beach covered by smooth rocks were the main attractions at Ampere.  It's around 25 minutes drive by tricycle from Baler, at the municipality of Dipaculao.  Ampere Beach is locally known as Bunga Point.  

I arrived at Ampere mid-day, with the scorching sun way up high.  Accordingly, the best time to visit Ampere is during sunrise, but I was too lazy to wake up that early for this trip.

 

One would be tempted to swim or dive into the clear-bluish water but visitors are advised not to do so due to the huge waves that  lap the shores and a few boulder stones.  

I did not stay long at the beach since I can already feel my skin getting sunburn.  

On my way back to Baler, I dropped by a Dragon Fruit garden and bought a few pieces for dessert and snack back in the resort. 

It was my first time to see a dragon fruit plant up and close.  

The famous Balete Park was just a few minutes from the Baler poblacion.  The park is famous because of the Millennium Tree which is a Balete tree more than 200 feet high and about 600 years old.  

One has to see this tree in person to be awed by its size - its HUGE!  The roots of the Balete has grown in such a way that it has formed chambers around the main trunk.  

These chambers has become a maze which allowed one from going in through one part and exiting to the opposite part. 

One visitor commented he did it in around 15mins.  

If one has no fear of heights, then tree climbing would be another activity in the park.  

Getting up to the peak was aided by the tree's trunks and exposed roots.  There were a few local kids present who made the climbing look simple, but in truth it can be a arduous task for any city slicker. 

It was lunch time already as suggested by my grumbling stomach.  I had to ask the tricycle driver (who earned Php300 for this morning trip) to bring me back to Bay's Inn and call it a day.

See you again Baler.

Thank you for reading.

No Surfing in Baler - Day 1

"Sa crossing lang po (please stop near the intersection) ..." was the sound that awakened me from my deep slumber on board Genesis' Joy sleeper bus. Peering through the window I saw a couple of structures with one signage reading Baler, Quezon.  The famous Baler town at last!

Having left Cubao 12midnight and arriving around 5am, it was like a 6 hour overnight trip. Having made my research weeks before, I decided to take the Joy Bus of Genesis Transport.  The bus has wide seats that can be reclined and an on-board comfort room.  There was even a stewardess who handed out some goodies as we left Cubao. One way fare was 695.00PHP. I would recommend that you make prior reservations for the tickets.
 

I took a tricycle from the bus station to the Bay's Inn which was my home for the next two days while in town.  The room I reserved has been ready and after leaving my things I went straight to the beach front to see the sun rising from the horizon and for early breakfast. 

Sabang beach was wide! Facing the sea, to the left were the resorts area and going to the right were a few surf shops and the village houses of the fisher-folks. 

A few meters from Bay's Inn to the right was the then under construction Costa Pacifica Resort, the first high-end resort in Sabang beach (romured to be owned by the Angara's).


No, the're were no thundering waves in the sea. The sea was even calm.  It's July still.  Surfing season wont start until September and ends February, where accordingly 9-12 foot waves will show to the delight of the surfers from all over the world.  I did not come to Baler for the surf, but to see the place and the people.
 

It was during the late 70's that the locals started learning about surfing.  It was in Baler that most beach/surf scenes of the movie Apocalypse Now directed by Francis Ford Coppola was shot (not in Vietnam as many had thought).  

Most of the actors and crew left their surf boards behind after the filming. A few local teens picked up some of those boards and having no one to teach them, gathered together and took upon themselves to learn surfing. The rest is history, so to speak.

After breakfast, I went off exploring the beach front and beyond, that has become busy with tourist and locals walking to an fro.  Most of the surf-shops were still close. 

A lot of hammering and pounding was on-going though at the soon to be opened Costa Pacifica Resort.  I cant help but remember and draw some parallelism a few years back when I was in Palawan.  Sheridan Resort was also at it's completion stage at the Sabang (gateway to the Underground River) beach of Palawan.

This life-guard station, was empty for now.

 

I passed-by the local tricycle station and inquired about the rates for a tour around Baler later that afternoon.  I suggest you talk to tourism accredited tricycle drivers for they had been trained on how to be tour-guides at the same time.  For a whole day tour, expect to pay between 500.00-600.00Php.  I spent 300.00Php for my half-day tour.

I was unmindful of the heat from the mid-day sun as I was soaked up observing the various activities going on beach.  My attention however, was caught by this group of villagers pulling their nets to shore.

I hurriedly went closer to observe the event.  One doesn't get to see this kind of activity everyday especially if you're in the city.  I arrived just in time when the net has been fully pulled to shore and the villagers dividing their share of the catch.  Bayanihan in another form.

I did not come close to the group so they wont get conscious of my presence taking some pictures.  This little girl however, unexpectedly came close to me and showed me her share of the catch.

 
Some of the villagers went-off and headed to the poblacion to sell their share in the market.

These soon to be dried fish will be sold to the markets and reach the various parts of Luzon.  Dried fish is one of the money-making industry of the town.

These were the kind of images I hoped to capture whenever I am in some fishing-village.  Baler did not disappoint me. 

I finally found what I hoped to see - a light house.  In this case, more of light-post.  A fishing village has got to have one, especially in this part of the country that's facing the Pacific.

Having fully explored the nearby fishing village I decided to head to the poblacion to continue my exploration.  I decided to walk and passed by the very clean Doungan River. 

The place-marker found in front of the newly constructed municipal hall gives every visitor an encapsulated history of the Baler.

Near the municipal hall was the Quezon House containing several memorabilia  of the late President Manuel L. Quezon and his wife Aurora Aragon.  

Even the presidential car used by the late President was here, restored to its full grandeur.   

The caretaker gladly opened the doors to the glass house allowing me a closer look at the interiors of the vintage vehicle. 

Look at those  'power-buttons'. Classic! 

A block away was the Museo de Baler, housing several historical artifacts showing the significance of Baler the during the Spanish colonization. In front of the museum was the Quezon park with the statue of the late President Quezon at the center. 

Inaugurated in 2002, the museum’s historical mural, a cold cast that covers the facade, was created by sculptor Toym Imao, son of National Artist for the Visual Arts Abdulmari Imao. 

The work was commissioned by the former Sen.  Edgardo Angara and the Baler Historical Committee. The museum was put up partly to commemorate the Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day and relive the Siege of Baler.  

It took me a while to notice that a vintage car was in a glass house beside the building.  It's the MacArthur car. The vehicle used by Gen. Douglas MacArthur during his tour of duty in the Philippines.  

I had lunch right beside the Quezon park where a line of 'carenderias' offer various home cooked local-dishes.  I spent no more than a hundred pesos for a hearty lunch that got me sleepy after.  

Good thing my afternoon tour wont start until 2pm. Enough time for some siesta back at the resort.

First stop was the Ermita Hill and Park. This place probably had the best view of Baler town proper and the Sabang beach at the foreground with the sierra madre ranges as the background.

The Baler fish port and a portion of the Cemento Beach were very visible also from this part of town.  

The park was just an open space with several concrete huts, ideal for family picnics and dating.  There was a mini-zoo nearby and a trail leading to the a hill with a cross. 

Just at the exit coming from the Ermita Hill was a bronze sculpture depicting the flight of the towns-folk fleeing from a tsunami that hit the town decades ago.  Many perished.  

 
I did not stay long in the place and went off to the Cemento Beach. White sand, seashells, and crushed corals carpet the stretch of Cemento Beach. From this beach, surfers can wade towards the Cobra Reef. 

From October to February, waves tower up to 14 feet high, making for excellent and challenging surfing, as local and international surfing experts can attest. The area is recommended for expert or professional surfers as the waves break at the reef.  The area is also suitable for snorkeling and wall diving during the calm season from April to June.  

Why Cemento, because its in Bgy. Cemento.


I had to abort my visit to Digisit Beach since there were roadside landslides.  The tricylcle driver assured me that it's perfectly passable but my guts were telling me, no. So we headed back to the town proper and called it a day.  I just relaxed and sipped fresh coconut juice in the resorts restaurant while people-watching on the beach.  Several surfers were already on the water.

 
It was a full moon that night.  I spent a few hours in the beach after before 'hitting-the-sack' and getting a good night sleep.

Thank you for reading.

Feel free to message if you have any questions regarding travel to Baler.