31/365: When In Iloilo: The Trappist Abbey and Pasalubong

As the  month of January ends this also ends my series of “When In Iloilo” posts.    But this does not mean that I will not feature Iloilo anymore.   If something new and exciting comes along I will definitely share them.  

Buying “PASALUBONG” is of course the perfect way to end a trip.  During my early visits to Iloilo the first memory that comes into my mind are the pasalubong houses located around the city.  Not until we had an unplanned trip to Iloilo's paradise island of Guimaras.  This gives me a warm memory of a place that we accidentally discovered – the Trappist Abbey located in Bgy. San Miguel, Jordan Town in Guimaras Island.

We found this place while rushing back to home after enjoying the white and beautiful beach of Guimaras Island. We want to reach the Jordan Port so that we can take the pump boat that will bring us back to the city proper before it gest dark. I saw some signage and a chapel.



I immediately asked our hired service about it and our driver said some things a bout a chapel, monks and a souvenir store.  We forgot about reaching the port before it gets dark. It was a quick decision from the whole family to make a stopover at the chapel to say a thanksgiving prayer. By the time the service stopped we are all running out of the car heading to the chapel while visually auditing the vicinity. We all find it amusing to find such a place.  SERENE and PEACEFUL are the perfect words to describe the place.

The place has three major parts. The Guesthouse, The Abbey Church and The Factory.



The sign says:

“Welcome to Our Lady of the Philippines Trappist Abbey.  We welcome you as CHRIST would because you are in fact the person of CHRIST.  When you come into this place we receive God’s mercy and love in you.  Please feel free to join us in our prayers.

Thank you,

The Monks of O.L.P.

The very simple structure of the chapel.

The chapel’s main entrance.

The very modest church interior that gives more meaning to the serenity of the place.

The Trappist Monastery grounds is a peaceful and sacred enclave in Guimaras Island run by monks of the Cistercian Order of the Strict Observance. These monks follow the rule of St. Benedict and are best known for the extreme austerity or strictness that characterizes their discipline.

The monks earn a living by selling souvenir items and processed foods such as jellies, jams, candies, piyaya and more.  They sold it in a small shop within the monastery grounds.  All the products are from ingredients grown in the Trappist ground.

People are allowed to tour the monastery grounds, visit their prayer areas and can talk with the monks.  There are also available guest houses at reasonable prices.  A good place for a retreat. (From various sources)

We saw some monks  but they seem to be in meditation so we did not bother them.  After praying at the chapel we proceeded to the souvenir store.

Amazing!  I only see this kind of place in movies and I am feeling so amused that I am actually experiencing it.

 

I know that it will not be often that  we will be in Guimaras so I took  the opportunity to give my share to this Abbey.  We bought all our pasalubong here in Trappist. 

***

Aside from the historical churches Iloilo is also famous as the origin of delicious delicacies.  Biscocho, Piyaya, Barquillos, Bayi-bayi, Butter Scotch, Pinasugbo and a lot more.




Wewin’s and Biscocho Haus are two of the popular pasalubong stores in Iloilo City.

The “Biscocho Haus” located in Jaro, Iloilo City has a very nice waiting area.  I remember the time when my family was eating some delicacies inside this store/house while seated in a beautiful family bench. 

Which among this “pasalubong from Iloilo do you like best?

Sunday Quote and Photograph: Summer is Gone

Soon t’will be a memory,

these lazy days so hot and free

Mother nature has the rule,

and kids are soon back in school.

Summer dust that winds did blow,

hasten Autumn’s amber glow…

Summer’s gone… where did it go…

Source: Polyvore.com

Location: Guimaras Island

Guimaras Island. Our Unplanned Trip to Paradise

The original plan was a family road trip from Iloilo City to Boracay.  It was supposed to be the culmination of our ten solid days of “family’s escape from the city”.  The day before the trip, the kids expressed their dislikes to the idea of road travel for ten to twelve hours from Iloilo City to Catiklan, then a boat ride to Boracay Island, more so that it’s a round trip.

Finally, we cancelled the plan just the night before the trip.  We all agreed that the road trip is a waste of time and is stressful for the kids, so we will just plan a separate Boracay trip via plane from Manila.  The mission now is to make the best alternative to the cancelled Boracay escapade.  We all wanted to make the most of our last days in Iloilo City so the plan should be better if not good.  Well it was not just good, but it turned out to be the best! Destination - Guimaras Island!

As unplanned as it is, we take whatever available option that will bring us from Iloilo City to the Island.  First step is a boat ride from Port San Pedro to Buenavista Port.  The boat ride is both relaxing and exciting.



Docking at Buenavista Port, we hired a jeep that will take us to one of the beaches in the island.  We bought foods along the way and whatever we might need for our whole day stay in the island.



First sight of the beach…oh wow what a pleasant surprise!, not crowded, white sand, cool, clear, calm sea.
The kids can’t wait! We’re not even settled in our cottage and they went running to the beach. I followed them and and it took a while before I can persuade them to go back to the cottage and have some food first.  The truth is, I myself find it difficult to go back to the cottage.  The beach is so inviting.



Our lunch food is from Jollibee.  The snacks, junk foods, soft drinks, candies are all from the sari-sari (convenience) stores we found in the commercial/residential area near the pier.  The local delicacies, fishes (for grilling) and fruits are from the local wet market.  The fish are fresh catch and the fruits are sooo sweet and cheaply priced!  Just eating the uncontested world class mango of Guimaras island is simply heaven!



We stayed in the beach just lounging around the shore, doing lazy swim, playing in the sand, hunting for drift woods, sea shells, and all sea-shore friendly creatures, building sand castles, rock-throwing , coin hunting, hugging and cuddling in the water and exploring the beach.  They are all just simple but the most joyful things you can do in the beach.  The sun was also friendly on that day, it was not too hot.

We are unmindful of the passing time.  We only noticed that it’s time to go when our hired driver took a kindly peek in our cottage.




The only spoiler that day is that our camera is low in battery and we left the charger.  This is the same reason that we didn’t go island hopping.  The camera is blinking the “low batt” warning and we thought that it would be a waste to go island hopping without documenting it.  Anyway, we are definitely coming back in this island. 

All in all this unplanned escapade surprisingly turned out to be one of the best and memorable among our family bonding.  It also made us forget about the cancelled trip to Boracay.  In Guimaras island we found our own P-A-R-A-D-I-S-E!




 

"The best things in life are mostly unplanned"