capiz + iloilo

every time my sister is in manila, she would plan a visit to iloilo and our father's hometown in sapian, capiz. but since her vacation lasts only about a couple of weeks and there's always so much to do (like attend to ofw requirements) she could never find the opportunity to do it.

that is, until this year :)

together with rocel and her family, we went on a three day trip to iloilo, with a side trip to capiz which is about 3 hours away by bus. i think i was around 18 the last time i was in capiz; even further back when i last saw iloilo.

it was a quite a challenge for mike and i as this was sloan's first major traveling experience. i'm super proud to say we survived and that sloan proved to be a trooper! he marked a lot of firsts on this trip (including riding a plane and playing with sand by the beach), and he also got to bond more with mommy's side of the family, especially my sister and my dad.

being in capiz reminded me of the fun vacations when i was young. it also gave me the opportunity to enjoy the simple pleasures you can only experience in the rural areas. for instance, seafood that's fresh and cheap!

how about yan ang meryenda namin? why have prawn crackers for snacks when you can have actual prawns right!

we also had buko juice made from freshly-picked coconuts! and indian mangoes! but it wasn't all about food - we also got to enjoy the lovely scenery and of course, fresh air. plus the chance to reconnect with people i have not been able to spend time with in a long, long while.

we'll surely be back for more. hopefully next time we can go straight to boracay which is in the neighboring province of aklan :D

meanwhile, in iloilo, we had more seafood. just like the prawns, oysters are fresh and cheap too!

we ate at this lovely restaurant by the beach called breakthrough. sloan has a blast wading his feet in the water and drawing on the sand. i just wish the beach was cleaner though. there was quite a lot of litter in the area :(

the next day we visited an ancestral house called camina balay nga bato. there are several ancestral houses in iloilo, but only a few allow visitors so you can only view them from outside. we were lucky camina accommodated us even though it was sunday. a housekeeper accompanied us, but proper tours can be booked with their tour consultants if you're able to make reservations ahead of time.

the tour culminates in a sampling of tsokolate de batirol, which i have always loved since i was a kid. this thick and creamy tsokolate was cooked in metal pitchers made by camina staff.

of course, we didn't leave without having some la paz batchoy! we tried the ones at deco's and ted's, and my sister and i both loved the latter's version more. mas malasa at ang dami pang bonus na meat sa ted's! the meals are reasonably priced too: P120+ gets you a meal consisting of rice, chicken, and a small bowl of yummy la paz batchoy. not bad!

sorry bawas na :P gutom na ko e!

but in fairness to deco naman, it's a very convenient spot for pasalubong shopping as it houses a lot of brands. buy all the butterscotch bars, piayas, yemas, and pastillas your heart desires!

now we're back to regular programming. but already i'm dreaming of the next (of many!) trip we will be going on. looking forward!