Max's Chicken-All-You-Can!

We finally fixed all our schedules and were able to get a table in a Max’s branch right across the office.  I was pretty excited because it was my first time to try the unlimited chicken offering.  And as always, fun times with this group start with a bet.  Cold cash awaits that one lucky person who will be able to finish the most number of chicken servings.  I don’t know why I even bothered betting since I’m a light eater. Hehe.

I was actually up to a good start, I loved my first chicken quarter and finished it almost immediately…and then another quarter appeared and disappeared…and when the third piece was put right onto my plate I literally turned green.  They were laughing at me because I was almost teary-eyed while trying to finish off the last bite.  So that was it, I was the first one to wave the white flag.

JM managed to finish 8 pieces so he took home the cash prize.  But WG still holds the record for eating 9 pieces of chicken last week.  As for me, well, let’s just say that I’m not getting near any chicken dish for a quite a long while.

Iloilo: The Churches of Molo and Jaro!

I’ve always wondered why the Molo Church or St. Anne’s Parish is referred to as a feminist church.  And I guess it’s because it houses a lot women saints.  You can see the statues lining both sides leading to the altar.  The only gothic church outside of Manila and is said to have withstood a lot of earthquakes and became an evacuation center during World War 2.  It was declared a National Landmark by the National Historical Institute, making it one of the most photographed churches in the Visayas.

The Jaro Cathedral is said to be the only cathedral built in Panay in 1864 and is one of the churches in the Philippines with its belfry separated from it.  You can find it across the highway.  Actually, the belltower was the first thing we saw when the airport van dropped us off in Jollibee where we had breakfast.  The church is partially hidden from our view so we were wondering why there’s a belltower and no church. Hehe.  You will see in the church’s main entrance a flight of stairs on both sides leading you to the statue of the Nuestra Señora Dela Candelaria (Lady of Candles).  According to legend, the limestone statue of the Lady of Candles is continuously growing that it had to be transferred to its present glass house when it could no longer fit in its former place. Also said to be the only religious icon in the Philippines to have been crowned personally by a Pope during his Papal visit in 1982.

Southern Iloilo Heritage Tour Part 3: Guimbal, Tigbauan and Oton!

We were up pretty early that day because we had to finish all the churches in our list.  Our flight back to Manila was scheduled early evening so we knew that we had enough time.  Took the public transport and experienced true-blue Ilonggo hospitality all over again.

First stop was Guimbal Church.  Another beautiful old church that’s yellow!  It is said that this yellow sandstone church is made from adobe stones and coral stones quarried from Guimaras (I cringe!)  There used to be a playground built in 1975 right beside the church.  Sayang lang because it’s not being used anymore.

Next stop was Tigbauan Church.  It’s unique in the country according to exploreiloilo.com because of its churriquesque architecture.  I tried to research what churriquesque means…kasi I’m sure tatanungin ako ni A.  And I don’t want to invent an answer but I swear, wala akong makitang meaning!  I may be looking at the wrong sites but for the life of me talagang wala akong makita.  So, A, wag mo nakong tanungin please?  Hehe!  Pero mag-invent na din ako, kunwari may alam. Haha!  It must be because of the Mexican influence that’s visible in the church’s façade.  Mexican…burrito, quesadillas, enchiladas, churros, churriquesque. Pwede diba??? Hahaha!  Other than the unique façade, this church also boasts of a beautiful interior made up of colorful stone murals.  The church interior is adorned by beautiful mosaic that was said to be made by a local artist in the last 2 decades.  There’s something wrong though with the way the 2 belfries where constructed, sayang lang because they could have done better so it blends in the general look of the church façade.

And then we’re in Oton...I’m sure A didn’t want to take a picture of the church but there’s not much else to see so he had no choice. Haha!  I just liked the Balete trees right in front of the municipal hall.  So eery.

And just like that, we were done with the Southern Iloilo Heritage Tour.  The rain started to fall on our way back to Iloilo City where a couple more churches await Magellan and Pigafetta.

Southern Iloilo Heritage Tour Part 2: Miagao!

Miagao is home to Santo Tomas de Villanueva Church, one of the top 10 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the Philippines and one of the 4 Baroque Churches that made it to the list.  I’ve been longing to see this church for a quite a while because for someone who’s been to Iloilo a number of times, I don’t know why I never bothered to spend time to see this church.

A and I may have seen way too many churches in our trips and I guess that’s the reason why Miagao church to us was just okay.  There is no doubt that it’s grand with the carvings and the fat (hehe!) watchtower belfries and really beautiful but we agree that this church lacks that umph.  I can’t really describe what we’re looking for but all I can say is that an old church must look really old, not dilapidated, just old.  And Miagao church to us is…well, clean!  Yes!  It’s like the façade was just sandpapered.  I really don’t know how to describe it.

But the trip to this municipality with 119 baranggays (whoa!) was definitely worth it.  It was dark when we finished touring the church so we decided to head back to the city and just return the following day to finish the rest of the churches in our list.

Antique: The Impromptu Trip!

The truth is that we had no idea what to expect out of this trip because it’s not an item in our itinerary, therefore, it was not included in the research.  I just know that I was already starving when we got there and lunch was in order.  The trip to San Jose just took us an hour and a half and that made me wonder why the “ale”  from San Joaquin said that it was “sobrang malayo pa!” .  A said that maybe the “ale” doesn’t travel that much so for her it was really that far.  Hay naku, knowing how much time we spend being stuck in traffic here in Manila…the Antique bus ride was definitely a short trip.

There are a couple of things that I vividly remember about Antique and one of them is Evelio Javier.  I had no idea who he was but the tarpaulins scattered around town made me assume that he was a public servant who was assassinated during the Marcos regime.  And I was right!  He was a lawyer and a politician who was brutally assassinated in February 11, 1986.  And according to Wikipedia, his assassination fueled the fire to start the People Power/Philippine EDSA Revolution on Saturday, February 22, 1986.  Hmmm.  I must be out playing with my friends when that happened because I really had no idea.

Yes, kelangan talagang may walis at dustpan!

 

The other thing that I remember is the chicken inasal that we had for lunch that day.  Chicken never tasted that good.  Well, maybe for 2 very hungry travelers.  We were looking for a Spanish colonial church around town but we didn’t see any.  There was a church alright but A could not bring himself to take a shot.  Well, let’s just say that it would not make the cut, anyway. Hehe!

And if there are things that I find hard to remember about this Antique trip, there’s one that I’ll never forget.  On the way back to Miagao, Iloilo, while the bus was cruising the winding highway…I noticed this goat that’s standing by the roadside.  First thing that came to my mind was that our bus would hit this goat…and we did!  I heard a loud thump as we passed by the area where the goat was so I looked back and saw the goat limping and screaming loudly.  I was so shocked because we hit a domesticated animal that appeared to be pregnant.  The bus didn’t bother to stop but I overheard the conductor tell the driver to be careful because the residents know which bus hit their pet.  Actually, I just guessed that that’s what they talked about…I was eavesdropping lang because they’re talking in their dialect eh. Hehehe.

Next stop…Miagao Church.

Southern Iloilo Heritage Tour Part 1: San Joaquin!

Armed with a map and sunny attitudes, A and I decided to take the public transport towards Southern Iloilo.  We came up with a brilliant idea to head straight to the last town which is San Joaquin and then just take public transport back to the other stops going towards Iloilo City. 

The town of San Joaquin is pretty laid back, much like Cavinti, Laguna.  You will not miss the church as it’s the usual stop of all public transports.  The church of San Joaquin was built in 1859 and was completed in 1869.  It’s a beautiful church made of coral stones and limestones.  The carvings in the church’s facade depict the celebrated victory of Spanish cavalry against the Moors in the battle of Tetuan.   Too bad that it was closed when we got there but we somehow managed to take a shot of the church interior.

After spending a few minutes taking pictures around the plaza and the kidney break at the town hall, we hopped on a tricycle to take us to one of the grandest and well-preserved cemeteries in Iloilo and perhaps, the Philippines.  A and I are also into cemeteries nowadays, please don’t ask why.  Hehe.  Said to be built in 1892, this cemetery’s design is characterized by baroque architecture  with oriental touches.  I was awed by the grand chapel right at the top of terraced stone steps.  It’s the focal point of the cemetery because aside from being right smack at the middle, its reddish color pretty much stands out by the sea of white tombs.  Really beautiful and should not be missed when in San Joaquin. 

A and I stayed there for quite a long time, mostly because we took a lot of pictures and we were also waiting for a bus that would take us to Antique.  Yes, another itchy feet attack so A and I messed with our schedule and inserted Antique in the itinerary.  So next stop…Antique.  Hehe!