En Route to Roxas City
After more than 24 hours of waiting, we finally left Masbate for Capiz. It took us around nine to ten hours of sailing thru the mildly rough sea before we reached Roxas City.
The boat stopped on some sandy shores of some small islands to pick up sacks of dried fish. I presumed that those goods were to be sold in Panay Island and maybe it would reach our kitchens sometime in the future.
This is also one thing that I enjoy about travelling. I get to observe how goods are made, transported and sold in different parts of the country and the world.
After countless hours of sailing we finally got a glimpse of Panay Island. We entered a crisscrossing waterway lined up with lush mangroves. The view was amazing because you get to see some water birds such as herons and kingfishers flying near the mangrove trees.
As soon as we reached the port, we immediately boarded a tricycle that would take us to the terminal of vans going to different parts of Panay. Upon reaching the terminal I noticed that they have a direct van going to Boracay, but we didn’t took it yet because we were keen in seeing Iloilo and Guimaras first.
Some facts about Panay Island from Wikipedia
“Panay is an island in the Philippines located in the western part of the Visayas. Politically, it is divided into five provinces: Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Iloilo, and Guimaras, all in the Western Visayas Region. It is located southeast of the island of Mindoro and northwest of Negros, separated by the Guimaras Strait. Between Negros and Panay Islands lie the island-province of Guimaras. To the north is the Sibuyan Sea and the islands of Romblon; to the southwest is the Sulu Sea and the Panay Gulf.”
The Best La Paz Batchoy
After three or four hours on the road we then reached Iloilo City. It was a little late already and we’ve decided to take a jeep that would take us to the center so we could find a place to stay. We walked around the plaza near Nuestra Senora de Candelaria looking for a cheap hostel. Most hostels that we found were charging more than P700 per night for a double room which was way above our budget. We’ve decided to stop by Ted’s for awhile to rest (Ted's and Deco's: recommended by my Ilongga friend) and to try their La Paz Batchoy.
After a few minutes of waiting we finally got a glimpse of the famous batchoy. It’s like a feast for the senses. The smell got me really hungry and the saltiness and spices of the soup were just perfect for my taste buds.
(This batchoy is from Deco's, too bad we forgot to take Ted's batchoy's picture)
After the batchoy treat, we then resumed our hostel hunting activity and went to downtown for a possibility of finding a cheaper hostel, but we didn’t find any. We went back instead to the small hotel we saw along the way and got a good deal.
Vista Inn was a new hotel and their soft opening promotion was only P555 for a double airconditioned room which I thought was a good value for our money compare to the other hostels that we saw. The rooms were really clean and spacious and the staff were really nice and courteous.
One thing that I noticed as well when travelling around the islands was that it’s hard to bargain with the hostels unlike in some Southeast Asian countries I’ve been to. I don’t know why most hostel owners here would rather have an empty bed instead of a discounted bed.
After a long journey over sea and overland, we’ve decided to take some rest.
For more travel information about Iloilo, visit Gigs Ilonggo.
For more travel information about Iloilo, visit Gigs Ilonggo.
