Daily Diary Day 12

Written by Esther Ho and Emily Choong
Photographs by Cultural Center of the Philippines Website, Openbuildings.com, Melissa Chia and Emily Choong

Sun, Sea, Sand and Scenes 

   Today, after enjoying a good night’s rest, we travelers woke up to a splendid surprise - complimentary breakfast at Rosa’s Garden Hotel’s restaurant! On offer were the classic big American breakfast (Toast, bacon, eggs, coffee and juice); Filipino Favorite (Longanisa, corned beef, egg, rice) and Mercedes breakfast (pancakes, butter, maple syrup, fresh fruit). Feeling indulgent, most of us opted for the big American breakfast and some of us learnt that while the restaurant prided themselves in being able to do eggs any style, poached eggs was just out of their reach. 

     Alas, breakfasts on study trips are never a fine dining experience. We were hurried out of the hotel in straggling groups on foot towards the Cultural Center of the Philippines via Manila Bay. Those who were too late would take a taxi.

Daily Diary: Day Eleven

Written by Emily Choong

Photographs by Emily Choong and Dr Yeoh Seng Guan

     4 a.m. on the 29th January 2013 was a fairly emotional morning. We had no more than two hours of sleep the previous night and some of us were pretty much drained from an epic karaoke session to wrap up our stay in Iloilo. Our amazing student guides woke up at such an odd hour just to bid us farewell, which we were all very touched by. After many hugs, teary eyes and goodbyes, we immediately left for the airport as we were running late. During the ride to the airport, I was personally constantly having flashbacks of the many events which happened during those ten days which flew by so quickly.

"5J452 is now ready for boarding."

   We were still in the midst of paying our airport taxes when that announcement came in. True enough, we were nearly late due to an unexpectedly long queue entering the airport. Despite the slight delay and rush in our schedule, we took off at sunrise.

Dancing till the sunrise

Written by Emily Choong

Photographs by Emily Choong

Background

     Iloilo Esplanade was originally an alternative route for bikers to ease the traffic during peak hours. This 1.3-kilometer long stretch, completed in August 2012, became a popular spot for locals to jog and do aerobics. It has also become a popular area for tourists to take a stroll and appreciate the view of life along the riverside. According to one of the student guides, dragon boat practices are also held at the river nearing competitions.

The morning crowd at the Esplanade

All You Need To Know About Jeepneys and Jeepney Drivers

Written by Emily Choong
Photographs by Melissa Chia

 
  I had the great opportunity to interview two jeepney drivers in Iloilo during the trip. With the help of the student guides, namely Zherluck and Paolo in translating, I managed to find out a little more about this particular form of public transport as well as the background of the two drivers.

An example of a jeepney

Session 2.2: A brief history of Iloilo

Written by Emily Choong 
Photographs by Jonathan Lim

Professor Melanie 

     The 'In Search of Iloilo' team along with their respective student guides attended a lecture regarding the history and culture of Iloilo presented by Professor Melanie J. Padilla, the Director for the Centre for Visayan Studies at the University of Philippines, Visayas.