Jeffres'Notes: More Places and Spaces in the Philippines---Iloilo and Antique

More Places and Spaces in the Philippines

Los Banos

My trip to Los Banos, and the University there was a test of memory. I've been back a couple times since I lived there in 1983-1984 while teaching and doing research on a Fulbright, but the urban area is crushing in on sleepy Los Banos proper, so there have been a lot of changes, and the lush, green campus, though unchanged for the most part, is a network of winding roads and trees that trick the memory. I wandered around to find where I lived and "may" have been successful. Still, the area continues to provide an enchanting, tropical landscape.

The center of campus, near the Communication School and Institute.

Campus housing, probably where I lived.

-----

Guest house for visitors on camps. Stayed there a couple times.

University of the Philippines, Los Banos, campus

-----

Iloilo

Next stop, Iloilo, were I lived for a month or to during Peace Corps training before assignment to Antique, then a four-hour bus ride away, making our visits rare. Today, Iloilo has evolved into a modern city, where, again, my memory was challenged since I had not actually visited "downtown" since leaving a couple decades ago.

Old Spanish era house

What remains of the old downtown buildings, many of which were destroyed in a fire.

Iloilo scenes, the final two where I lived while in training.

-----

Antique

I spent the most time in the Philippines visiting Antique, in particular, San Jose, where I lived for more than two years. And I visited Antique National School, where I taught as a PCV, and met former teahers, students and friends. The town has changed dramatically, with two modern shopping malls, traffic that now includes not just tricycles but more vehicles and modern buses. But the images that continue to capture our memories are markets, and beaches, and landscapes. Here's a sample.

First, Beaches and Boats

pausing for a coconut

loading the boat before going out to fish

building a boat on the bay

departure for a trip to Caluya, which I took 40+ years ago.

Madranka beach in San Jose, Antique

-----

Next, rice fields and the lush countryside

Carabao are rapidly disappearing as beasts of burden, replaced by tractors

papaya, which grows so fast you can almost see it rising.

-----

Markets and Churches and the Built Environment

The activity, and communication, occurs in the built environment, the markets the chaotic streets and the churches.

....a sari-sari store

-----

Familiar Places and Faces in San Jose, Antique

-----

Antique National School

District office above, located where the ANS farm was located next to the Peace Corps nipa house in LaGrangja.

-----

Visiting Guimeras After 45 years

While in the Peace Corps I flew over the island of Guimeras many times but never ventured there. I was fortunate to be there when the annual mango festival was held so we ventured over to get mangoes and enjoy the activities. We took a speed boat over and back but learned they have plans to build a bridge to the island.

-----

Boats ferried folks to the island for the festival all day.

-----

Folks Visited in the Philippines

For all my Filipino friends, here's a collection of photos from my visit:

-----

A Road Trip of Antique

While in Antique, Bing, Susan and I took a road trip north from San Jose to the tip, the Libertad area that's a departure point for ships to Caluya and Romblon. On the way we stopped at each poblacion. Together with a later trip south around Anini-Y, we managed to go the full length of the province. I didn't make it to a couple interior areas this time (Sibalom, San Remigio, and Valderama, the first two visited on my last visit), but I thought I'd post a couple photos from each stop on the way, beginning with the southern tip of the province.

---

Anini-Y

Stopped at the hot springs, with a view of Nogos Island, and in Anini-Y for the historic church with its coral and Hispanic flavor.