Home of the famous #Boracay and #Ati-Atihan

Have you ever been to a place for the first time where you instantly felt at home? Like the moment you set foot on that place you suddenly felt an inner peace. That’s exactly what I felt when the ship docks to Dumaguit port in Aklan. I felt… welcomed.

Yes! Our first time was a 15-hour sea travel via Super Ferry. This experience, among all others, keeps me coming back. So, sit back and hold tight as I let you feel at home in Aklan.

The Titanic Feels (except for the sinking)

It was around 2003. We boarded the Super Ferry from a pier/port in Manila around 3 or 4 in the afternoon. It was my first time to be inside an actual passenger ship. It was huge but not as Titanic. It’s old, but I felt like I’m in a hotel with corridors, rooms, kitchen, dining and an open lounge area (view deck). The only difference is that it’s moving.

I felt I was Jack in the scene where he’s at the front-end of the ship watching the sunset, then Rose approached him. Yes, that scene before the most iconic Titanic scene.

I wasn’t at the farthest end of the ship as it’s not allowed. But the view of the sun setting in the wide-open sea with the cool wind touching my face and the relaxing sound of the waves as it bumps into the ship made me feel like I was in the movie.

The whole experience was incredible, even it felt a bit scary when the ship turned into a caterpillar/Vikings ride as it passed through Batangas sea. For your next travel, why not consider travelling by sea.

The Boracay

Still the iconic island for its powdery white sand which doesn’t heat up even on the hottest part of summer days.

More than the long strip of bars and resto along its shoreline, that turns so much alive and crowded during the night, it is the morning stroll along Boracay’s wide beachline with my barefoot that I enjoy the most. When everyone else are still asleep from partying all night, I wake up early morning, watch the glorious sunrise and take a super relaxing sea bath after a quick jog.

And the Boracay sunset always brings me a feeling of peace and security. That same feeling when you finally reached home after a very tiring day, feeling relieved and restful.

Let me share you a little secret. I went to Boracay alone when I was broken-hearted. I felt renewed after that trip. Since then it became my safe haven. And it could be yours too.

The Ati-Atihan Festival

Fast forward to 3^rd week of January 2019, it was my first time to attend the famous Ati-Atihan festival. It is Aklan’s version of the feast to honor Santo Nino. It is held annually on the 3^rd week of January in the capital town of Kalibo, with the biggest celebrations on Friday to Sunday.

At night, roads were closed so people will pass by the many food stalls and “tiangges” lined up in the streets. There are different parties and programs simultaneously going on. What I like most is partying with people you don’t know, listening to live bands, grabbing a table and few chairs, and ordering the usual pinoy “pulutans” while sharing stories with your relatives and friends.

In the morning, streets are still filled with stalls of foods and cheap stuffs. Hundreds of Ati-Atihan groups from different towns in Aklan parade in colorful costumes with their faces and bodies covered with black paint, dancing lively in every corner of every streets around Kalibo Plaza, in front of St. John the Baptist church.

Truly, it is a festive and one for the books experience, especially if you get to dance with them.

The Tiangge in Malls

You will not miss shopping in Bangkok, Divisoria or Taytay Tiangge when you tried buying unbelievably cheap but high quality and fashionable clothes in Kalibo’s famous local tiangge malls – FUS and UNITOP.

Prices range from as low as 50 pesos. You can choose from a wide variety of casual clothing, semi-formal, formal, swim and sportswear, footwear, and a lot more. There are also toys, home and kitchen stuffs, school supplies and other things you can buy in city malls.

Believe me, if you’re not brand-conscious, you’ll enter FUS and/or UNITOP empty handed but end up like those in commercials exiting the mall, carrying shopping bags in both hands with full smiles. Just a tip, bring an extra luggage.

The Aklan River

Everyone loves the beach. But if you want a complete rural experience, visit the province’s river that is usually named after it.

The Aklan River is the 3^rd longest in Panay islands, which is 71 kms long. It traverses six municipalities of Aklan including Kalibo. I was lucky to experience swimming along its small portion in Lezo, which is 5-minute walking distance from the house where we stayed. The river is wide and a bit stony (as usual) with varying levels of depth. The water is refreshingly cold and clear, but sometimes turns brown which means it rained in Mount Baloy.

Btw, Lezo is just 30-minute tricycle ride from Kalibo, with lush green view of rice fields in both sides of its main road.

The Aklanon Delicacies

Food Trip is always in every traveler’s itinerary. We look forward to eating a delicious meal or snack in a local, not so fancy resto after or in between a tiring city tour or nature adventure.

Aklan offers a uniquely satisfying food experience. Among the many restos in Kalibo, Café de Calivo is a must-visit for me, especially for their Ati-Atihan and Tuna rice. You may want to give Ramboy’s lechon chicken a try, which is more famous for Aklanons than PH known lechon chicken brands. Their version of isaw (only 1 peso/stick) is also a must-try street food (not for weak tummy).

But what I enjoyed most are the homemade delicacies like their native chicken adobo, mongo squash with dried fish, dynamite with ground pork and cheese, bakagan (salted dried sapsap), sticky rice with coco tops, biko with langka, bandi (sweetened nuts), ampaw (rice crispy), bukayo (sweetened coco strips), and a lot more. Some of these desserts are available in local “pasalubong” shops like Merzci.

***

Travel by ship (if time permits), schedule your trip in time for Ati-Atihan, wake up early and jog in Boracay’s beachline while waiting for sunrise, explore a town along Aklan river and meet warm-hearted Aklanons on your way, taste native delicacies and shop cheap clothes and local pasalubong. Try these and you’ll definitely feel at home in Aklan. And you’ll keep coming back.

How about you? Is there a place that makes you feel at home? Will be happy to hear your thoughts.