By : Lito Quiogue 5/2015
Last week, a bunch of HS63 wanderlusts "threw off the bowlines and sailed away from the safe harbor". This describes in brief the group's special trip to the City of Iloilo. This trip was upon the invitation of Alex Ledesma to visit his hometown following a memorable trip to Roxas City (Jon Arcenas’ turf) by Batch 63 earlier this year . The intrepid DLS adventurers were: Jackie Arellano, Polding Arnaiz,
Steve Honteveros, Manolo Relova, Lito Quiogue, Gary Salcedo and Sonny Juico (HS’61). Except for Polding and Steve, the rest were accompanied by their respective wives. We were twelve pax in all.
Day 1. From Iloilo International Airport Alex took us to lunch to savor various Ilonggo seafood delicacies. Aboard a Coaster and an SUV we then hopped onto a ro-ro ship for a tour of the neighboring island of Guimaras, (famous for its sweet mangoes, islets and pristine beaches). Landing in Guimaras, it was nearly dark by the time we reached our hotel, La Puerta El Paraiso. Fagged out from the trip, we quickly settled down for the night after a hearty dinner. In the morning we opened our curtains and were pleasantly surprised at what we saw. We found out that our cottages were actually just a few steps away from the beach (we didn't realize this in the dark).
Day 2. After a hasty breakfast we boarded a motor launch to visit a marine research and breeding facility in one of the islets around the island. It was like Nat Geo “live” as we saw up-close several abnormally large species of fishes and various specimens of marine life. Back in the main Guimaras island we visited several tourist attractions such as the Trappist Monastery, Guimaras Trade Fair and Neptune Garden (where we had lunch). Of course no one leaves the island without tasting and taking home the island’s primary export, sweet and luscious carabao mangoes! After a while, we sailed back to the Iloilo mainland, There, we checked-in at a luxury hotel located in a new section of the city. This area was bustling with malls and restaurants including a commercial esplanade along the
river.
Day 3. In the morning we motored to several nearby towns whose well preserved limestone churches were built during the Spanish colonial era. Apart from the ancient churches we also had a pleasant ride along the coast. In downtown Iloilo we were delighted at the cleanliness of the streets and business establishments and the orderly conduct of cars and pedestrians. Our tour guide (c/o Alex) brought us to several places which boast of opulent and magnificent mansions owned by Iloilo’s old rich and famous. Not to be missed in our itinerary were the various shops selling Iloilo’s famous delicacies and bakery products. After a well spent day we proceeded to the area near our hotel. It’s a mixed-use residential-business project with the modern Ayala Land mall at the forefront. The penultimate event of our trip that night was Alex’s blow-out in a chic restaurant.
Day 4. Began with the routine of packing our clothes and pasalubongs for our afternoon flight back to Manila. After breakfast, Alex brought us to the City Museum and Provincial Capitol with its roof deck where a panoramic view of the city can be experienced. Touring other places of interest allowed us to witness the contrasting change from the old to the new in the city’s road to progress. The best is yet to come. Back in Ayala’s Avida site, we had lunch in Netong’s restaurant where we tasted the original La Paz Bachoy, “the pride of Iloilo”. It was the ultimate Ilonggo experience for all. Enroute to the airport, our last stop was to see the condominium project Alex recently built. The building project was intended for students and employees of several schools and hospitals that abound in the vicinity. It has modern amenities, is spacious and is practical in design and layout.
Kudos to Alex who with a couple of his staff put together our itinerary. They also provided our transportation and serviced our hotel booking. We expect Alex enjoyed the tour time as well considering the clowning-around and the idiosyncrasy of each member. The presence of wives was a natural call to discipline and order for the group and which partly restrained the otherwise wild outspoken boys from of HS’63.
In retrospect we found ourselves amazed at Iloilo’s transformation. Starting with our landing, Iloilo International Airport is modern (by local standards), clean and staffed with friendly personnel. Roads are first class - many of them having been upgraded. Restaurants are a-plenty and packed with diners. Food is superb and inexpensive. It was indeed another memorable relief from Manila’s polluted and fast-pace environment.
See slide show for more photos.
