Day 1: Iloilo City, Iloilo - Solo Backpacking Western Visayas

October 2017 - Molo Mansion, Iloilo City, Iloilo - Philippines

I went on a road trip to Calatagan, Batangas with my friends the day before my flight to Iloilo.I really did not plan to go but I was convinced to do so. Then, I had to take the last trip from Calatagan to Manila at 4pm. My friend Liezah went back with me and we got back in Manila at around 9:30 pm. The traffic along Tagaytay was tiring and made us so hungry. We had our dinner at Mcdonald's Roxas Boulevard and rested for a while there. When Liezah needed to go home, we went on our separate ways. I booked a Grab to the NAIA Terminal 4 and I arrived at the airport early at around midnight. But I guess it was all good since it started to rain. I charged both of my phones and wifi modem then sat near the charging station. I also thought that I could take a nap or rest while waiting for the boarding time. I was not actually sure if I was able to sleep or take a nap until I was already in the departure area but I knew that I just closed my eyes at times, lol. I got tired from traveling from Batangas to Manila, given the traffic jam somewhere Tagaytay. We were asked to board the plane at 3:40 am and due to unexpected reasons, the flight was delayed. We waited for another 40-50 minutes onboard the plane. Finally, it departed and we arrived Iloilo at around 5:35 am. There was an Ati-atihan dance troupe performance at the lobby when we got there. I went straight to the van station bound to SM Iloilo and tita Girlie texted me and said she’d meet me at the Jaro Cathedral. 

Jaro Cathedral

I didn’t have any idea but I just asked someone in the van how to get there and he kindly gave me instructions. I took a jeep van to Leganes and asked to be dropped off Jaro Cathedral. I was surprised that the fare was only 5 pesos! The driver dropped me off pointing to the Jaro Plaza and said the cathedral is just near it. It was not difficult to find the church. It looked very nice and beautiful from afar. There was an ongoing Sunday mass and in front of the church I saw tita Girlie and a little girl with her. I approached them and we were very happy to see each other again. Tita Girlie is a friend of my aunt from a medical team years ago and I was glad she was hosting my stay in Iloilo. The last time I saw her, I was 12. She introduced me to little Yse, her niece and she is 12.

Netong's Original Special La Paz Batchoy

Tita Girlie said we should eat our breakfast and took me to La Paz to taste the famous La Paz Batchoy of Iloilo city. We ate at Netong’s Batchoy located inside the La Paz Public Market. It was all good and satisfying. Then, we went back to their home in Mandurriao. Their house was very cute and comfortable, she offered me to lay on their bed and said I can sleep and rest for a while before going to church. At last, I was able to take a powernap! She woke me by the time we needed to prepare and head out. I was excited to see VCF Iloilo City! We attended the 11 am service and afterwards we decided to go back home for a while before having our lunch out. Consequently, I fell fast asleep again, lol.

L-R: Yse, tita Girlie and me at VCF Iloilo

So, we went out at around 3 pm, they took me to Molo to see the Molo Mansion and the Molo church, which were famous old landmarks in the area. There was also a Greek tea house near the church. I roamed around to take pictures while they ate some fish balls at the plaza.

Molo Church

Then, we headed to the River Esplanade and enjoyed a walk along the walkway to Boardwalk. 

River Esplanade

When we were already at the Boardwalk, we decided to eat our lunch and dinner at Ramboy’s Restaurant. Tita Girlie ordered a lot of food and I got stuffed later. The food was all good and delightful. It was raining, when we settled to go home. While waiting for a taxi, I saw that there were many Korean tourists around the area. 

Ramboy's

Next, we were on the taxi but suddenly Yse demanded to go to SNR Shopping Mall and so we did. It turned out that tita Girlie promised to buy her something in return of having good grades. Cool. While we were looking around, I surprisingly bumped into my good old friends, Ria and Jay! I thought they were living in another province. It was very nice to see them again and we took some silly pictures together to show our common friends on Facebook, lol. Later on, Yse finally completed all she needed and paid at the counter.

L-R: Ria, Jay and me at SNR 

We got home at around 9 pm, all ready for bed. It was such a fine Sunday I thought. Before dozing off to sleep, I just reviewed my notes on the where abouts and where tos in Guimaras. Tita Girlie also gave me some tips on how to get to the Ortiz Wharf.  The next day, we all woke up early and we had breakfast together. Yse needed to go to school, tita Girlie went to work and I went on my way to Guimaras. I spent the whole day there and it was raining when I got back to Ortiz wharf. I took the jeep van with Jaro CPU signage and I asked the driver to drop me off Jollibee Jaro, hoping to meet up with Tita Girlie and Yse. There was traffic, it took a while to travel and then when the driver told me to alight, I did. However, when I texted Tita Girlie I was at the wrong Jollibee, so she gave me instructions on how to get to my destination. It was difficult to ride a jeep van from there, I was very tired so I decided to take a taxi going straight to their house in Mandurriao. There was traffic everywhere, I got I bit sleepy but fortunately I remembered where to alight. Tita Girlie was already preparing food when I arrived. I shared a little about my Guimaras experience and they were happy to hear it over dinner. Before bedtime, we talked a little about my plan for the next day. I was going to Antique and Aklan and planned to be back a day after. Tita Girlie said she’d go with me to the terminal but I assured I could go by myself, I just needed to know how to get there. The following day, I went off to my destinations in Tibiao and Malay. Eventually, I stayed 2 nights in Boracay and did not have the chance to meet up with tita Girlie in Iloilo before I had my flight back to Manila. I will be forever grateful for their kindness and generosity to me while I was in the city.

*Transportation Expenses:

Manila - Iloilo City
-Air Asia Airfare (round trip) = 2,619.00



READ NEXT >> Day 2: Guimaras Island - Solo Backpacking Western Visayas