TravelswithCharie

Lizares Mansion The province of Iloilo on the island of Panay has a rich trove of heritage houses, left over from the sugar industry boom in the 19th century. Iloilo also had the largest port in the Philippines at that time which facilitated the export of sugar to foreign shores and deposited money in the hands of the sugar barons. The barons dropped their earnings into the acquisition of properties in Negros and the construction of beautiful homes in Iloilo, many of which are located in the vicinity of the Jaro Cathedral. The Lizares Mansion was built in 1937 by Don Emiliano Lizares for his wife, Concepcion Gamboa and five children. The family fled to safety when World War II broke out and the house was occupied by the Japanese military. The family returned to the house after the war but left once again after the demise of Don Emiliano. It was sold to the Dominican order in the 1960s and was converted in 1978 to a private school, Angelicum School. The mansion now houses the

Miagao Church or Santo Tomas de Villanueva Parish Church The Miag-ao Church is a UNESCO World Heritage Site together with three other colonial Baroque churches under the collective title, Baroque Churches of the Philippines. Please follow this link for my article on Miagao Church:  https://travelswithcharie.blogspot.com/2014/03/miag-ao-church.html Fortress Towers of Miagao Church The two belltowers are of unequal height and served as watchtowers following Islamic invasions in 1741 and 1754. Main Altar, Miagao Church The gold-plated retablo is the original altar used in the late 1700s and was found during excavations in 1982. A fire had ravaged the church in 1910 and it was believed the retablo had been razed as well.  Guimbal Church or San Nicolas de Tolentino Guimbal Church is one of the oldest churches in the Philippines. It was built in 1774 and restored twice, once after World War II and after the earthquake of 1948 which also destroyed the Jaro Cath

This trip to Islas de Gigantes sat long on the planning stage. But one fine day in October, we finally made it there. And it was everything I had heard and read about. The image above shows our approach to Cabugao Gamay Island. Cabugao Gamay This is the iconic photo of Islas de Gigantes. We scrambled up a hill to get this unobstructed view of Cabugao Gamay and the Visayan Sea. It's a good thing we arrived early in the morning before the selfie crowd got in. This is the hue of the sea taken from Cabugao Gamay. How it nurtures the blue mind! Cabugao Gamay The white sand beach of Cabugao Gamay is free from debris.   Bantigue Island Bantigue Island and its sandbar rises from the sea like a mirage. We stopped here for lunch of rice and fish. Saltwater Lagoon The Tangke Saltwater Lagoon on Gigantes Sur is surrounded by towering limestone cliffs. It was still low tide when we got there. Carles Port Scallops are only one peso each. But at Bancal Port in Carl

Just when I thought I've explored Capiz enough, I'm finding captivating places off the beaten track. Some of these sites hit me with nostalgia like the ruins of the approach to a railway bridge while others took me completely by surprise (La Playa Beach and Marugo Lake). These new discoveries inspire me to wander down dusty roads and hunt for more local color. Ruins of Railway Bridge These hardwood pylons supported the approach to a railway bridge in Duyoc, Dao. This was constructed in 1910 and the railway extended for 117 kilometers from Capiz to Iloilo. Passenger service operations ended in 1985. Buses and private utility vehicles (PUV) now ply the highway between these two provinces.  These ruins are on McKinley Street in Duyoc, Dao. La Playa Beach There are so many beaches in Capiz but La Playa stands out for its serene surroundings. It's far from the noise and crowds of the city. If you appreciate a quiet time and a beach to yourself, this is the

Boodle fight Far away from California and longing to celebrate Thanksgiving, I decided to invite a few close friends and family to my Thanksgiving luncheon. I had never had a boodle fight meal and had wanted to experience it so I decided to have a boodle fight on the beach at Bitoy's. It was so nice of them to accommodate my group with less than 24 hours’ notice before the event. And the result was everything I could have hoped for. I had reserved for 10 people and this is how much food we got.  It sure was a table of plenty. We had oysters, shrimp, milkfish, chicken, eggplant, okra, fried banana, green mango, tomatoes, shrimp paste and rice. I had also brought with me the alimasag (baby crab) we bought at the beach in Ivisan the day before. Guests brought several kinds of dessert including guinataan* , brazo de Mercedes and various kinds of Philippine kakanin (delicacies) . Needless to say, we lingered over lunch and slowly savored what was on the table before us.

Santa Monica Church Christmas arrives early in the Philippines. When the months end in ber , Christmas songs are heard at malls and over the radio. In October, the TV stations start the countdown to Christmas and stores start displaying Christmas trees. And in November, the Christmas decorations are installed in town plazas such as this one in Pan-ay, Capiz.  Santa Monica Church is a National Historical Landmark. Light tunnel When the temperatures dip a couple degrees, Christmas has truly arrived. Pan-ay, a 20-minute ride by car or public transportation from Roxas, is ready to usher in one of the biggest celebrations in the country.  O tannenbaum There is a famous Pilipino Christmas carol that you'll hear a lot, Ang Pasko ay sumapit . It goes, Ang pasko ay sumapit Tayo ay mangagsi-awit Ng magagandang himig Dahil sa Diyos ay pag-ibig Christmas is here Let us sing Beautiful melodies Because Christ is love. Jingle Bell Rock This be

Buaya Beach It was summer in the Philippines and we really wanted to go to the Gigantes group of islands. But we had no desire to join the throng of beach pilgrims who wanted to take the iconic selfie from the hill above the white sand beach of Cabugao Gamay. So here we were on Buaya (crocodile) beach in Sicogon, waiting for our lunch to be served, enjoying a cool drink under the shade of this old Talisay tree and looking at the Gigantes islands from our comfortable roost. Tumaquin Island We could also see our motorized outrigger bobbing in the water and behind it, Tumaquin Island. You can swim to Tumaquin or wait until low tide and walk to it. There was a group of students learning to scuba dive in the clear waters offshore. The sun was mercilessly hot so we opted to stay put. We were happy campers under the tree. Scallops And just about the time we were running out of snacks (which we picked up from the market in the town of President Roxas), Melinda brought

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