Discovering The Province of Antique

Don't you guys just love it when you get to hit two birds with one stone, especially when it comes to your travels? That's exactly what happened when I went to Iloilo over the weekend for my Uncle's (my Mom's older brother) 74th birthday bash. It was extra special to him because he also FINALLY and OFFICIALLY won the elections last May 2010. He ran as Barangay Captain, he was declared the winner, but the guy he ran against challenged it and they had to go to court. But about last month, my Uncle was officially declared the winner! :) Our first politician in the family after n years! :p

I flew in at about 10AM, went to their beach resort in the coastal town of San Joaquin to drop my stuff, then it was off to the province of Antique - which Iloilo shares a border with.

We didn't get to Antique the usual pomp and pageantry which an airconditioned car could give you, instead we rode a JEEPNEY going there. And my Aunt who's usually so scared of us getting hungry bought snacks of puto (a snack made which we could munch on during the 2 hour ride.



When we finally got to Antique, our first stopover was their main parish, I think it was St. Joseph's Parish. This Church actually reminded me of the Immaculate Conception Parish in Guagua, Pampanga. And they also had a beautiful Adoration Chapel outside of the main Church.



We were in the town of San Jose by the way, the capital of the province. According to Kuya Dodong, a newphew of my Aunt, they've been wanting to make San Jose a city but couldn't get to it not because of the town's net income but because of the shortage in population. I think it's better that way, cheaper tax collection, cheaper housing, cheaper everything. Here are some snapshots I took while we were going around town in our rented jeepney!




Oh, and right across the Church is the Evelio B. Javier Freedom Park, which is like their Luneta Park. Evelio B. Javier is the province's local hero, he was killed by former dictator Ferdinand Marcos just because he's a supporter of Corazon Aquino. It was in the park, 25 years ago, where Evelio Javier was gunned down.


And if in Antique, you really have to bear with how DUSTY it is! Just look at these photos, you could get asthma attacks from it. My hair was as hard as a broomstick after the tour of the town, that was the low-point of this trip though.


After lunch, which I will blog separately, it was time to go back to Iloilo. We took an alternate route along the coast, though it took longer than the first one. BUT it was more scenic. It was absolutely beautiful! So I'll just leave you guys with photos. :)





It was a short but sweet trip to Antique. I'm just a bit saddened that we didn't get to see that much and we only went to one town. I would really like to go back to see a lot more things, and by that I mean not seeing a Jollibee or Mang Inasal. I want the hardcore, laidback, sleepy provincial towns of Antique. For sure they have a lot of tourist spots there waiting to be discovered. :)