ILOILO - BACOLOD - GUIMARAS
Iloilo, Philippines
I have many relatives in Iloilo. This is my grandmother's hometown. Iloilo is a developing city. We found many old Catholic churches there. Just like any other cities in Visayas, Iloilo was also immensely influence by Spaniards. They introduce Christianity to Philippines and it is very visible in Cebu city, a neighboring city.
In this picture, it is the Jaro cathedral.
When we were there we attended a wedding. We also visited and heard mass in one of their churches, this is San Jose church.
This picture was taken near San Jose church, there was a park across. It is a monument of Rizal. Jose Rizal is considered the national hero of the Philippines.
This is where we stayed in Iloilo. It is one of my relative's houses. It's so amusing listening to the people of Iloilo talk because they have a sweet accent.
Knowing my travel itineraries, I would really love to go to the beach. At first, I wanted to go to Isla de Higantes but it's a little bit far considering my elder companions so I chose the ones in Concepcion, Iloilo.
This is in Agho Sand Bar. There are lots of sand bars and vanishing islands in the Philippines. We had to use a boat from Concepcion to see this beauty. The seafood were fresh and cooked well.
It's difficult not to admire this marvelous beach so I decided to snorkel. When I went deeper, I realize that this sand bar is like a mountain under because it's very steep down there.
Going here was just my ideas. We had to take a bus, rode a jeepney and rent a boat. It was quite easy and adventurous knowing that everything is on the internet.
Next stop, Bacolod. It is just a boat ride from Iloilo. It took us three to four hours to get to Bacolod.
This is Campuestohan Highland Resort. In the background, you can see fountains, pool, backdrops and trees.
I was with my mom, aunt and sister. The driver of the car we rented took our pictures.
As you can see, there are many creatures with us. Do you recognize them? :D
That's Kung Fu Panda, who knows him? :D
There are many scenic views we were able to see there. This is just one of them!
On our way, we were able to capture the mount Kanlaon.
We went to a hot spring which is found in Mambukal Resort. "Bukal" in Hiligaynon or Cebuano means "boil". It was so hot that it really felt like that water was boiling. Yet, it was very relaxing.
We also did not miss the chance of going to the famous Calea pastry shop. Many people told me that their cakes are yummy and affordable. It was okay for me. They have wide variety of pastries.
Of course, this is the Ruins by night. Many people take pictures of it during day time. However, it's also nice to see it at night.
This is inside the Ruins. It is said to be the ancestral home mansion of the family of Don Mariano Ledesma Lacson and Maria Braga Lacson. it is a mansion and was built in early 1900s and inspired by Italian architecture.
It has too many historical facts on the wall.
We also went to the city hall of Bacolod. Nearby, we were able to dine to some restaurants and tasted their delicious Bacolod chicken. It was delicious and I wanted more after!
Last stop was Guimaras. It very near Iloilo. It took about 15-20 minutes by boat from Iloilo. This island is famous for their sweet and yummy mangoes. So, went to there tourism office to check for mangoes because we went around the island but couldn't find one. We haven't tried because according to them the mangoes aren't ripe yet. No one sold mangoes in the market. We were sad but we proceeded to our tour around.
Despite the disappointment of nothing having tasted the best mangoes in the Philippines, we were thrilled to see mangoes trees around the island. It was cool.
We also saw some of the windmills in Guimaras. It is said that there are 27 windmills in total together with wind turbines amounting P6.7 billion were constructed in San Lorenzo in the island Guimaras.
I think to go back to the three places because there are still loads of tourist attractions we've never been to. Explore them yourselves! <3
