Sunday, November 4, 2012

Iloilo Invaded, SemBreak 2012

My classmates Terence, Jim (who follows this blog with his fat heart - hello there), Jereel, and Jer came to pay me a royal visit, Oct 22-27. Here, in fifteen photos (because I'm too lazy to follow the original plan), we remember that glorious week. The original plan, you ask? One post per day. Nope, didn't happen. Not happening.

The belfry of Jaro Cathedral, but alas, it has not lore of a monstrous man ringing its bells. 

Maridel's, the dessert place-to-be in Iloilo City. The Frozen Lemon Meringue (top right) is a must - take this local's word for it.

The Lizares Mansion, Instagrammed. These days, though, the building is more known to locals as the representative image of Angelicum School of Iloilo.

The view from the peak of Balaan Bukid, Guimaras Island. Iloilo City and the rest of Panay across the strait. A lonely boat passing by.

 
"I'd rather be sailing, yes I would. On an open sea." 
-from A New Brain.

 A fiery Guimaras sunset, tricycle giving chase.

The Lacson Mansion, or The Ruins, just outside Bacolod City. In the final months of World War II, the Americans ordered all possible hiding places of the Japanese be burned, and so behold the fruit of Uncle Sam's labor.

The storm came. We were stranded in Bacolod. So we bought matching underwear and watched Argo.

 Fifteen cakes in 36 hours. One must never miss Calea when in Bacolod. The cheesecake, the one with the red sauce-like side on the bottom, is heaven-sent. 

Fish in formation in the famous Lagoon fronting the Negros Occidental Provincial Capitol, Bacolod City.
 
The facade of Miag-ao Church, one of the four Baroque churches in the Philippines classified as UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Experimenting with light gives you the most wondrous results - a UFO over Miag-ao Church, in this case.

 "Greatness inspires envy, envy engender spite, spite spawns lies." -Lord Voldemort, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
The Oblation at the University of the Philippines, Miag-ao campus.

 Only after 100+ steps down the hill can one arrive with an intact traveler's dignity on the beach of UP Miag-ao.

The Iloilo River Esplanade by night. "All the lights are misty in the river," so the Les Miserables song goes.

**Note: An iPad 2 was used to take these photos. 

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