Past 4PM and I was finally entering the town of San Joaquin, Iloilo - the southernmost town of the province. Yes, sundown was fast catching up so I had to hurry. Awrgh!
Exactly 4:20PM and I was gazing at that eerie-looking gate of a cemetery. Yes Campo Santo - meaning cemetery. My guide said "let's go inside, sir". Ayiyiyiiiiie, I hesitated!
So I said "
toto basi strolling time na sang mga kalag subong", and he laughed countering with "
8PM pa ila schedule sir ay". Haay lintiak, I was debating in my lowly brain, why did I have to, and why do I have to do this. At least I did not hear a dog howling (yet) hehe!
As if my guide read my questioning thoughts, he continued telling me that this is a rare historic place, not so many old Spanish-era cemeteries are still intact, that the national government is even going to declare this as a heritage *something* place, and so on.
So I followed. Good there is no CCTV in this 'campo santo', for otherwise, it should have caught me on camera, walking veeery cautiously as if ready to bolt away the moment I hear any crack or something! Parang scooby-doo episode lang!
Yes of course I saw and agreed that many things around, like the fences and the stairs and the chapel are recognizably olden. My guide says these are of baroque architecture. Ayan nanaman si baroque that I cannot really fathom. I will study that. Promise!
That's my guide walking out of the cemetery while I was still up at the eerie chapel. I shouted "WAIT" on top of my lungs, he stopped and turned around to wait for me come down via those eerie stairs!
Warning to you my fellow roamers who have "weak knees" like me hehehe hihihi, I might be 6 feet tall who can fire a graz burya with one hand, can holler like a loud speaker and was green belter and all that. But I was not trained to face and cope with the invisible duuu! So, never come to this place and places like this on a takipsilim! Awuwooo!
My only comfort while roaming these premises was... I once was a high school varsity reserve (benchwarmer lang) for 100 and 200 meter dash sprints. That said reassuringly to me myself and I, made me confident I could really bolt out lightning-fast from this place at any sign of something... awooooooo!
Ayiyieee let's go na Guingona! Yes, its a historic place, but let's just go, okay?!
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Thirty six stories
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