March 19,

We were up and about by 0700. We had our Javas and breakfast of French toast with PB & coconut jam. It was raining a small bit this morning, so we watched some YouTube and did more planning. Finally, it looked clear enough that we set out to explore this island a bit. It was around 1100. The sky was dark so we did not plan too much. We had one destination in mind. It was 46 km away, about one hours drive.

Our drive was mostly along the shore on the Iloilo Sunset Blvd. and onto Iloilo-Antique Rd. We pass through mostly towns and villages, one rolling into another. We had to pull over couple of times due to rain, but each time we found a place to stay dry it stopped. We did not know when it started sprinkling if that would be the time of a downpour, because that was how the sky looked. Anyway, we kept on. We crossed a couple of big bridges, due to rivers. One of the river beds was fairly dry though. So they have not had enough rain yet – that bridge was pretty substantial. I would not want to be here when the river is full, because that would be a lot of rain! One town really stood out, it was decorated with brightly yellow and white fencing along the highway. It was nice to look at, and see some beautification.

We stopped to get out of rain, yet again, at a resort cafe place called Poochie, Refreshing Drinks. I think we were their first customers of the day. Not quite hungry for lunch, we ordered a snack of potato”mojo's,”which were sliced, battered potatoes, deep fried served with a sauce; and two shakes- one mango, one banana-langka (or jack-fruit). It was a nice way to get out of the rain. While we waited for our order, we took in local fishing boats. They were interesting, having one main mast that had ropes going out to four more masts/poles. We would have liked to have seen it in action. Our food came and we enjoyed watching the water and no more rain. The snack cost us 265 PHP ($4.64). We hit the road again.

It was not very far, and we arrived at our destination, by 1300. It was Miagao Church (Santo Tomas de Villanueva, a catholic church and a UNESCO Site. Wow! Where to begin… It was built 1787 to 1797. It looks very much like a fortress, and actually ‘served as a fortress against Muslim raiders in 1898’, according to a placard. Also the placard listed several rebuilds from revolution, fire, and earthquake – with the last restoration noted as being in 1960-1962. (but that placard was from 1963.) The church was inscribed in 1993 on the World Heritage List, as one of the four Baroque Churches of the Philippines, according to the UNESCO World Heritage site placard.

Now, describing the church… From the outside it is massive, with very thick limestone walls. There are two Bell Towers that flank the main structure with a very unique facade entry. The limestone has been carved with a Palm tree, Coconut trees and Papaya trees. There is also a man holding the Palm tree and supporting a baby (maybe, the baby Jesus); and a statue of St Thomas of Villanueva, I assume. It is a very ornate, grand, and impressive entryway. We went inside and a ceremony was happening, Christening a baby! A man at the entry took us aside The man did a brief explanatory to Jeff as I took pictures of the main altar. Then he took us in a side chapel. It was a baptismal font area. He positioned us and took photos of us with a statue of Mary and the baby Jesus. Then he had us put our hands on a wall in a particular position. Once we saw the pictures we saw the likeness of Christ in the stone with our hands framing it. Anyway, we thanked him and left, going up to the main alter, but the Christening was still ongoing. So we walked outside around the walls of the church/fortress. When we went back in the ceremony was done and we took a couple of pictures of the main marble altar with its gold gilded baroque framework behind. Stunning.

We left and drove back on our scooter to Iloilo City. We found our way to Netong’s Original Special La Paz Batchoy, which was a bit of an undertaking as it was inside a food stall “city.” Batchoy is a Filipino soup. We had one Mega bowl which included chicken, beef, and pork and one bowl of just beef. The broth is chili(mild), garlic, ginger, and onion base; and has thin noodles with the meat. We both enjoyed the taste of the beef bowl the best. Also we had a bowl of just the broth. We ordered some Puto, a Filipino steamed rice cake wrapped in a banana leaf. It cost us 340 PHP ($5.95), and we left happy.

We lastly went to check out Molo Mansion. It is well cared for outside, but inside is just a couple of shops selling souvenirs. That’s a shame. There is a second story, but no there- there. So we left a bit disappointed, and decided to go ahead and return the scooter early. Tomorrow is supposed to more rainy, and it was not right now, so why chance it. We were done exploring either way. We E-hailed a Grab to the nearby supermarket and got what we wanted, then returned to our place.

Supper was light bread and cheese. Then we watched a movie and had more popcorn.

      March 20,

Awoke and looked out on wet roads. So we did good turning in the scooter last night. We had our Javas and breakfast of oatmeal and yogurt. We did a load of laundry, so it will be dry by tomorrow because we will be leaving.

Then we went to the close by mall and walked to get some steps inside due to the rainy day forecast prediction. When we circumnavigated the mall we went to the store for last minute stuffs. Once back at our place, I blogged and Jeff read. We took a break for lunch of a Greek salad that we made, and the last of crackers, blue cheese, and PB. Then I finished blogging as mid afternoon arrived. Crazy, how time can get away from you.

Around 1730 we went out for supper stuffs, and it was drizzling. The night street food market was not happening – due to rainy day? We don’t know. We decided to just go across the street to the mall for food stuffs. We walked about the food court, but nothing struck our fancy. We went for a couple of stalls in the center of the isle, across from the supermarket. We had Chicken Shawarmas from one stand and French fries from another stand. We ordered the shawarmas first and while I waited for them Jeff ordered the fries. I got the shawarmas and relieved Jeff at the fries stall. He went to the store, got us some drinks, and said he’d meet me back at our place. Well, the fries were on back order, meaning we were at least the fourth order down the line! Finally, I got the order and was heading back when Jeff met me! He was concerned because it was “just fries.” Anyway, we got back and ate our meal. Watched some YouTube then bed!