Promising myself one slow travel before the year end was one of my agenda in the last quarter, it was also a long-planned visit to a friend who wanted a meet up sans official duties. Well, just a year ago I was in the city for few hours as a pass-through to Bacolod City for some official trip. That was more convenient since CEB has daily flights to Iloilo City from Cagayan de Oro. The City of Love is one of my favorite cities, and I was truly looking forward for that last weekend in October for the visit.
Something Old
I love visiting again and again because of Iloilo’s great culinary choices, which are my favorite such as KBL, paella, callos, arroz valenciana and scallops! Where every food is namit gid, right? Such that my first stop when I got downtown from the airport was Ponsyon (by Brealthrough) at La Plazuela, for dinner with my friend.
It was drizzling on that Sunday but first things first. We attended the 8am mass in Molo Church (Church of St. Anne Parish) for a start, for some reason my visit in the city is not complete without coming here. I guess I got attracted with its gothic architecture just like those old churches in Europe! The showers didn’t stop as we wander a bit in Molo Plaza, crossing to the nearby Molo Mansion. Old structures never failed to amaze me. We decided to take our late breakfast in one of those small cafés that lined the mansion compound, while waiting for the rains to stop.
We hailed a jeepney to Villa-Arevalo district to revisit Camiña Balay nga Bato (Avanceña Ancestral House), as usual we were shown around after the short video to the delight of my friend. She is based in Iloilo but she never got to come in the old house which dates back in 1865 when the Philippines was still a Spanish colony. This house is really ancient with rich cultural heritage – the pillars, walls, windows, furniture & fixtures, the grand staircase which was tilted steep for protection. We learned that you need to climb up the stairs sideways holding long skirt to prevent from falling! So, we went up to the kitchen and dining area for our bites, with some lessons on the ilustrado way of sipping the tsokolate! This is the best part of the house tour! We requested for refill enjoying the delicious hot tsokolate, chatted longer at the long table until more guests came over. I guess they had the best tasting hot tsokolate, they had a trade secret in its preparation and the organic tablea are from their own cacao produce.
Our very late lunch cum dinner (past 3pm) was in my old time favorite Healthy Kitchen, they have transferred to another location which is just walking distance from Festive Walk. That same healthy plant-based food I kept coming back in my previous visits in the city – fresh fruit lemonades, vietnamese fresh spring rolls (wrapped in rice paper), quesadilla, arroz a la cubana! 😊
At the airport while waiting for my flight and after buying pinasugbo and bandi for pasalubong, I got hot La Paz batchoy for my late lunch and it was just good as it was. Yes, always namit gid! 😊
Something New
I am a museum junkie so if ever I got the chance, I love to visit even briefly. Indeed, there was lack of time. I was planning to revisit the Museo Iloilo but nil, I was aiming for the Iloilo Museum of Contemporary Arts (IloMOCA) which is something new to me! I need some thing to stir my curiosity of colorful works and I read good reviews on the exhibits. The Festive Walk is a new commercial district by Megaworld in Mandurriao, just a kilometer from SM City which was new to me, though it was not necessary to see the complex I need to be there due to IloMOCA. I guess the place was more flashy during the night but I was there in broad daylight for the exhibits. The museum is housed in Casa de Emperador, a three-floor modern building, far from those ancient structured museums. The first museum in Visayas and Mindanao dedicated to modern and contemporary art.
It was fortunate I caught up with their “Lamang Dagat” exhibit featuring local young artists to promote awareness in marine protection and conservation. I was glad how widespread the marine world protection issues got attention from all walks of life. The young generation awareness could harness more efforts for the movement, after all the future belongs to them! I spent more than three hours for the exhibits, it was a rush indeed and I wish I could spend more time just sitting on those benches but maybe next time. I guess choosing your priorities where to spend more is the game inside museums, one can never get enough time.
Obviously, ILOMOCA was the highlight of this trip. As I was packing for my trip home, I peeked from my hotel window and I saw Guimaras Island just beyond. I guess it was a sign to cruise for the island again, maybe I can get a chance next time when I‘m in the city once more. Who knows? 😊
Disclosures:
- Entrance fee at Camina Balay nga Bato is PhP 150.00 inclusive of refillable hot tsokolate!
- Entrance fee at ILOMOCA is PhP 150.00 for adults and PhP 120.00 for students.
- Molo Mansion has no entrance fee, it housed a Kultura souvenir shop.
- Healthy Kitchen Café is located at Abeto St., Mandurriao just walking distance from Festive Walk
- Vans going to and from the airport are available to save transportation costs, way to go for backpackers as it’s much cheaper than taking the taxi
Life in the Great Beyond 