Panay

This Way to Panay

Lying in the middle of the Philippines, the island isn’t as popular as its neighboring land masses  Cebu to the right or Palawan to the left. First you drive through a grand old city, and then take off on a sleepy country road, passing through picturesque landscapes and some of this country’s most distinctive colonial architecture. There’s even a paradise isle at the end of the way. Forget what they say about the journey being the destination. Here in Panay, the journey is a sweet prelude to a place of delight. Panay may not be the first in mind when you think of a road trip.

West Coast of Panay

Roadside Warning Oozes

Oyster

Rocky Aklanon Coastline

Most tourists stay here just long enough to catch the boat to Boracay, 15 minutes from Caticlan, on Panay’s northwestern tip. They’re missing a lot, and all it takes to prove this is a leisurely 250km drive from one end of the island to the other. The trail starts in Iloilo City, at Panay’s South-Eastern tip. Power up with a breakfast of tasty La Paz batchoy — a classic Ilonggo soup and noodle dish — at one of the eateries along Calle Rizal, then ride off to explore the streets of downtown. Iloilo was once a booming port city, with some of its families among the country’s wealthiest. Just how rich they were, you can witness in the old neighborhoods of Jaro and Molo, where turn-of-the-19th-century mansions still stand as reminders of past affl uence. From here, take the national highway going west. You know you’re on the right road when you see speeding jeepneys that don’t look like jeepneys.


Photo and Article Source: Smile Magazine ( Cebu Pacific)