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Miag-ao Iloilo: The Church, the Widow, and the Seafoods Left Manila groggy one cold foggy afternoon on March 2010. After 10 years, I’m going back to Iloilo. Last time I was here we did fieldwork one summer for linguistics and anthropology in the neighboring province of Antique. I’m a freak of remote places so I had plan to visit Buri and see their majestic rice terraces. Yes, rice terraces can’t be found in Banaue, Mountain Province alone but in almost every part of the Philippines. But due to a mad typhoon that hit the province a couple of months before my visit, I ended up in the province of Igbaras and Miag-ao. No definite plans, no guidebook, no research, but this time I’m shamelessly bugging my friend Marcos whose based in Iloilo. I reclined the sit, closed my eyes and rested my head on the old familiar window. I should be excited but now I don’t care, I can’t wait to get off the plane and take a nap. Spontaneity is starting to bore me. “Your alone?”, a woman wearing a wide genuine smile and a wide glasses though not as thick as the bottle of Coke surprised me. She has short wavy hair, chubby cheeks, spotless face, blue coat. With an innocent look on her face, her eyes was locked on the map I was holding. “Ahhhh, the same ol’ epic question I have to deal with whenever I travel!”, I mumbled. I’m not in the mood for a conversation with a perfect stranger. But then I think I heard Alex Garland whispered a passage from his book, “ Never refuse an invitation!” Since then she never stopped talking. As we touched down at Iloilo airport, an old fashioned car is already parked outside waiting for us. My new found friend called her friend to drive us to the city and she decided to take me to Miag-ao. First off we need to drop her luggage at her house tucked somewhere in Iloilo, then we will commute to the town of Miag-ao. She is a widow. Like me, she is alone, but unlike me, she is not lonely. Eccentric? Yes. But strangers indeed have the power to change our lives in a few minutes. ”So where do you live?”, she asked. Not trying to be hard to her I answered, ”I live somewhere under the blue skies”. “Napaka-sekreto mu naman”, she teased me. That’s how I’m built. Where I come from and my work has nothing to do with my travels. I detest it when people treat you well or judge you based on your work, affiliations or where you’re from. Within 45 minutes, we’re winding up to Miag-ao, through sweeping panoramas of lush green rice farms, and mountainsides with modest shacks. The villages with Spanish old churches lie serene and sluggish in the valleys. From the tainted window of the van, I watched in nostalgia a series of black and brown sand beaches and fishing villages slipping away. I’m missing ordinary beaches like the ones I used to see during my childhood summer days. I guess I’m starting to get sick of white sand beaches. “Sa lugar lang”, in her native tounge she asked the driver to stop the jeepney. As early as 5pm, the bucolic town is already feeling drowsy. We move at a stately pace up the streets, hurrying for nobody. The steel gate introduced an intimate courtyard with a stone fountain-like slender structure in the middle surrounded by flowering plants . Behind lies the massive church of Miag-ao, one of the old Spanish Baroque church in the Philippines declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993. Standing proudly amidst the dancing agoho trees, the centuries old facade is adorned by by a large coconut tree in bas-relief which is the central figure representing the “tree of life” in the Philippine culture manifesting a native touch. Another imposing sculpted image is that of St. Christopher carrying the Child Jesus on his shoulder surrounded by a variety of flora and fauna. I wasn’t able to get inside at that time as the mass is going on and my new friend insisted my blue dress is kind of “prohibited” inside the church. The photos shown here inside Miag-ao church are taken during my return late last year for the Visayas Blogging Summit. I wanted to stay longer but she seems in a hurry because we might miss the last trip back to Iloilo city. Sometimes, that’s the downside of traveling with a companion – if your travel buddy is in a hurry you’ll be forced to leave the place as well even though you still wanted to savor the moment. There comes a point it just hits you when you’re on a lone journey, you know. You long for a travel buddy who has the same passion as yours so you wouldn’t have to think of boring him/her and you wouldn’t have to explain what you’re doing and all. But sometimes, we wish so much for someone so ideal that we take for granted the person who is standing right there for us. And we only realize that once they are gone. We took a jeep to San Jose terminal and then took a cab to eat at Tatoy’s – a famous local restaurant in Iloilo. We ordered mostly seafoods the specialty of the restaurant. I honestly don’t find anything special with the food, probably because I’m used to eating sea foods in our province. But I like the rustic aura of the place. My guide happens to know the owner of the restaurant – Mang Tatoy, a simple old man. After dinner, I reverted back a lone traveler wandering aimlessly in the city. I took a cab and asked the driver to drop me off at Ong Bun, a cheap inn. Manong Doods (the cab driver) has been very nice to me, too bad he didn’t have a number I could post here but he said if I call his taxi company (Lights and Glory taxi ) and request for him I could find him again. We passed by at Smallville, the famous hang out in Iloilo. He toured me quickly. Unfortunately the supposedly cheap beds is full already and I wouldn’t spend on a Php 1500 room for 1 night. At 9pm I’m walking at Iloilo City with no place to stay. I’m holding a map and couldn’t figure out where to go because I don’t even know where I’m at. Now I’m missing my good Samaritan. I wish she can help me at the very moment when I needed her. With blinding orange lights, I crossed the still busy streets and took a jeep. I’m in Iloilo, and it’s one of the safest place in the Philippines for solo female travelers. That’s what I like about thisprovince, the sweet and hospitable people, you won’t have to worry if you’re lost or in trouble because most of the time, almost everyone is willing to help you. And I was right. The locals inside the jeepney pointed me to New Emperor’s Palace Pension in La Paz. We passed by Gaisano Mall and beside it lies this huge budget hotel. Room rate starts at Php 300 and the room & bed is huge enough to accommodate 2 people with TV and private bath. Now I can sleep and continue dreaming after over 24 hours. Unarguably, solo traveling is rewarding – the feeling is just ineffable. But sometimes loneliness will hit you and that’s when you start making perfect strangers into new friends. Ever since I started traveling on my own dealing with strangers along the road has become “my expertise”. Using common sense and trusting my instinct is the name of the game. I cannot erase the fact that trusting strangers can also be scary to the unwary solo travelers that’s why extra care and awareness must be kept in mind. Fear can rob us of the rewards and joys of travels and one of the most significant reason why we travel – our desire to understand the local culture and connect with its people. When someone or something disappoints us, treated us unfairly or hurt us, it is expected that our perception of that place, people or culture will be clouded by misjudgment and unfair generalizations brought by pain, fear and vengeance that envelopes us at that very dark moment. But if I let fear eat me alive, then I wouldn’t have turned perfect strangers into friends. Fear is the highest wall that could separate us from the world that we want to explore and the culture that we want to experience. But traveling should open our minds and our hearts. For most of you, I may appear us a unique girl because I dare to travel alone even on the unexplored and remote places in and out of the country plus I have a lot of misadventures! But the truth is, I am just like any other girl- fragile and vulnerable, only that I’ve learned to accept my fears, challenge it and accept the world as it is than how I wished it to be. I am a stranger here myself, but the people I’ve met on the road didn’t let that stop them from helping me. As Mary Manin Morrisey puts it, “You block your dream when you allow your fear to grow bigger than your faith. Without faith, there is nothing. So trust your instinct. Face your fear and get out. *This is part of my Iloilo series. *Some photos shown here were taken during my return to Miag-ao for the Visayas Blogging Summit and Philippine Blog Awards *This is my entry to the Pinoy Travel Bloggers September Blog Carnival entitled ”Unforgettable Human Encounters on the Road” hosted by Mark Ramone Go of Nomadic Experiences. Viewed 30940 times by 2462 viewers Loooooooooov the church and flowers photo!!! Hirap mag-angulo ng cam ko for that same effect pero fail yung sa kin. And I loooooooove what Alex Garland whispered. Galing Gael! excited ako nung una kong nakita ang Miag-Ao church. Same feeling when I first saw the Paoay church. Isa na lang ang di ko pa nakikita sa 4 na UNESCO World Heritage site sa Pinas. Sat. Maria, Ilocos hi te gael, di ako nakarating sa church na to.. babalikan ko talaga to sa next gala ko sa iloilo… ganda ng post mo ha.. very inspiring… sana nga i can have a one week restday para maupdate namn ako sa mga post mo.. i soo miss reading them but im trying to catch up namn. im still looking forward sa naudlot na trip natin… ingats lage muwah marie wow nice to hear about your adventure in the place where I was born and raised fear indeed is a great wall and what’s worst is people would look more at how high the wall can be not looking what’s behind those walls. nice take on this month’s blog carnival Ga-el. i like the shot that showed a part of guimbal church tower. Miss Gael, I just discovered your real name in the comment by Marie prior to this. Thank you for reviewing, accepting and welcoming me/my blog at PTB. I like the thoughts that comes with this entry, I agree your idea on your meeting people/strangers, the wish that you were with someone with the same interest, etc and how your work has nothing to do with your travels, that is something to think about for a traveler by luck like me . And I guess the beauty of solo backpacking is that you are able to reflect as you share it in your blog. I especially love your thoughts on fear (and courage). Again, thank you and permission if i can share a link to your awesome blog in mine? then they would utter “ang tapang mo naman!”. hihihi! At least once in my life e nakarelate ako sa solo traveling Q&A portion na yan. lol! It’s fulfilling and rewarding. Scary pero nakakatuwa lalo na when you meet people along the way tapos maging instant friendship mo. Nice gael. Ang galing ng mga kuha mo talaga. Inspiring story. What I love about traveling alone is the possibility of meeting strangers – not necessarily cute guys (LOL) but some people who are willing to help you and at the same time inspire you in the long run. Conquer your fear and conquer the world! Love the images especially the church…. I give you lots of credit for traveling alone. I actually like meeting locals when I am traveling it helps me learn where to photograph some place not in the guide books and to learn about non tourist restaurants lol Gael, this should be bookmarked: “Without faith, there is nothing.” This post has cleared some cobwebs on my mind about solo traveling especially the part when you mentioned that we don’t need to disclose vital information about ourselves for it has an impact on how we will be treated by a complete stranger. I laughed when I read this line though: ” I live somewhere under the blue skies.” If I were the one who received that response, I would take that as sarcasm. another fantastic post! what camera do you use Gael? i’ve read and viewed a few posts about this iloilo church, and your photos are way better, gael. wala naman pong contest, pero this post about miag-ao tops my list (halata bang fan ako?) “without faith, there’s nothing.”–> well said. Hello Gael, this post made me curious. Were/Are you a Linguistics or Anthropology major in UP Diliman? You mentioned fieldwork, and I do remember hearing about my friends heading to Antique a while back, but since I haven’t been in close touch to the folks in the Linguistics Department in UP, I am not sure whether this was recent or not. I happen to be an alumnus of the Linguistics Department, and when it was my time, we did fieldwork in Cuyo, Palawan. Second, funny that you blogged about Miag-ao. I was just there this hunting after time-ravaged churches! will be here on fe. thanks for this post. I love your writing style. Currently in Tigbauan making my way alone to Miag-ao passing thru Guimbal first. I love Iloilo. Happy I came across your blog coz I discovered that I am not alone being alone. I like how you told your story so effortlessly, yet it still piqued your readers’ interest. You managed to relate your travel to your learning without boring your audience. While I don’t understand why your pictures don’t load, this post was interesting enough to keep my attention even without the photos.
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Clé Mainile groggy tráthnóna amháin foggy fuar ar an Márta 2010. Tar éis 10 bliain, tá mé ag dul ar ais go dtí Iloilo. Uair dheireanach a bhí mé anseo rinne muid obair allamuigh ar cheann samhraidh do teangeolaíochta agus antraipeolaíocht i gCúige aice na Antique. I'ma anchúinse na n-áiteanna iargúlta mar sin bhí mé plean chun cuairt a thabhairt Buri agus a n-ardáin ríse maorga fheiceáil. Sea, ní féidir ardáin rís a fháil i Banaue, Mountain Cúige ina n-aonar ach i gcuid beagnach gach de na hOileáin Fhilipíneacha. Ach mar gheall ar Tropical buile gur bhuail an chúige cúpla mí roimh mo chuairt, chríochnaigh mé suas i gCúige Igbaras agus Miag-AO. Níl pleananna cinnte, ní treoirleabhar, aon taighde, (níos mó ...) Bhreathnaigh an 30,330 uair ag 2277 lucht féachana