Sights And Scenes: Seda Atria To Iloilo Airport
Going home time. Let's Go sago!
Oh, I did not forget "let's start from the very beginning". My departure from Iloilo!
I took a cab from Seda Atria to the airport, and here I was on the diversion road...
No traffic yet at 8:48AM on a Monday. Yeah! I think this was because the malls were not yet open, and most vehicles were heading 'downtown' on the opposite direction.
At left is the Plazuela De Iloilo - my favorite strolling, window-shopping, dining place in Iloilo. It's a mall yes, but it has a different kind of vibe. It is 'sprawling', not vertical.
Onwards, next to that, is SM City Iloilo. Ah, who does not know SM, right?
That building at right is SM Strata, supposedly the tallest in Iloilo, until the Terranza Residences materializes. I heard SM Strata is not actually done yet. It's supposed to have 2 or 3 towers (daw, yun ang marites na nasagap ko)! Offices & BPOs daw yan.
Further, is Injap Tower - you can see a little bit of it in that pic - also a tall building!
The dark building far on the left after the overpass, is Zuri Hotel. Haven't seen it yet.
Every time I come to this city (which is not rare nor far in between) there are already new edifices that sprouted here and there. I don't know.., parang ayaw ko! I guess I want it to remain the beautiful Old Iloilo, with old Spanish-style houses everywhere.
Even this modern-looking place, I remember, were farms in the not so distant past.
That's Lopez Jaena St. going right on the stop light, that can't be seen in my picture. Oh, not so many people nowadays know, that parallel to that street is/was a railway!
Yes railway, as in relis as in railroad - daanan ng mga tren (trains)! It went from down at the mouth of the river (Iloilo-Jordan Pier), going north to Pavia, Sta. Barbara, New Lucena, Passi City all the way to Roxas City! I wonder where all their steel went now.
Oy teka, hindi ko na inabot ang mga 'yan ha? 'Wag kang ano! Nai-kwento lang sa'kin ng isa sa mga lola ko! But, I still saw some of those tracks - I just can't recall where!
Anyway, a little onwards from that hospital (ACE?), I saw and had to take this photo of Central Iloilo Bus & Jeep Terminal (Ungka Terminal). It could have been my last!
Why could have it been my last? Ah, I was just thinking, maybe the next time I come around, the place could already have been modernized, like they did to that of Pavia.
Oh, like they always do, the one-of-a-kind jeeps caught my attention again hehehe!
Their 'faces' are like SUVs, and their 'bodies' are longer than jeeps of other places.
I loved this one with many a traveler's favorite quote: "not all who wonder are lost"!
Few meters on, driver told me this is now one of the busiest intersections in Iloilo.
I silently said "gosh, eh Pavia na ito eh". Yes, pagka-tawid dyan sa mall na yan, that's not anymore Iloilo City. But easy to understand as that is a corner of two main roads.
This road we were on (going to the airport), is/was the good old Iloilo-to-Capiz Road via Cabatuan, Sta. Barbara, Janiuay, Lambunao, all the way to Roxas, or even Kalibo.
While that intersecting road is the Iloilo City Circumferential Road 1 (C1), at which, if you turn right goes to the Coastal Road in Jaro; and left, a fast way to Villa Arevalo.
Driver told me, that congestion is the reason why a flyover is to be built soon on that corner. I said they better since this is the best and fastest way to or from the airport.
Aw see? My hunch is/was right - when I come back, things will have changed - all the more that I should take pics now, that's why I took a quick photo of Ungka Terminal.
Some of you may remember my previous stories. This is that place where transport terminals have separate departure and arrival areas, and labelled BIG like at airports!
Iloilo is constantly evolving, so as I said before, everytime you come take pictures.
Oi, still on that photo above, look at my yellow arrow pointing to that ICTMU guy. He caught my attention - even if just via my peripheral vision, as I talked with my driver.
I was actually already wondering why he was there. Aba eh, having lived most of my life in Metro Manila, I was kind of suspecting "baka me tinatanggap na some thing"!
And he bent, seemingly to pick up something, at exactly the time when the stoplight went green and where all vehicles started moving. Alarmed, all I could say was sh*t!
My driver was startled at my shocked expression and asked "nga-a sir". But vehicles have already moved, so I didn't bother telling him what I saw and just said "wala ah"!
Now, due to that 'shock' I missed some things that I wanted to see as we cruised by.
First, the Pavia People's Terminal, which should have been to my right after that Citi Mall. What is significant? Aw, it was converted to a mall (Robinson's Place), but one friend told me, that the said transport terminal was made part of that mall complex
I wonder how it looks and/or how it serves the commuters. I'm curious, because for all we know, it may be a new business or service model worthy of emulation. Di ba?
Not that I'm into making malls or constructing edifices for the DPWH hehehe! Hindi naman sa ganoon, but as a travel blogger, I like sharing the good things I encounter.
So.., Pavia Robinson's Place and People's Terminal.., no see, no encounter, no share!
Sayang. Kasi naman, kung anu-ano ang nakikita sa kapaligiran, katulad nito...
I was just fascinatedly trailing those unique elongated jeeps with my camera, when I sensed that vehicles slowed down to avoid (and mag-osyoso rin) that road mishap.
My driver muttered something like "ayayay! here we go again, Monday Mornings"!
Curious, I asked him what about Monday Mornings. And he educated me that these minor traffic accidents and altercations of Iloilo often happens on Monday Mornings!
I didn't ask further. But I imagined, it probably is the case everywhere in this country. But why on Monday mornings? Ah inquisitive thoughts started churning in my head.
With a smile. Yeah, a sarcastic malicious smile full of contempt hahaha! Sa sarili ko lang naman! Because I was like saying buti nga sa inyo, yan ang napapala nyo heheh!
Why? Because what came to mind as my answer to "why on Monday mornings" was: maybe they're in a hurry to avoid being late for work. Bakit late? Dahil late gumising. Bakit late nagising? Dahil nasobrahan sa good-time kahapon Sunday. Ayan, ganyan!
Eh that picture was taken at 8:59AM, bakit ma-trapik pa? Dahil mga late silang lahat na nasa kalsada pa, esp if gov't employees, aba an hour ago na ang bayang magiliw!
Maryusep no? Kung anu-ano sumasagi sa isip ko! But that is a perk of traveling. We get to see, experience, and think about things that are not necessarily travel related!
Let's proceed, baka kung anu-ano pa ulit ang makita ko sa kakalsadahang ito!
The Passad
Aw, ito na nga! I kept looking at the jeeps. My driver told me they are called Passad.
He probably felt pity or compunction (yes, me ganun) that his passenger today, this "mayagpis nga japon" kept taking photos of the jeeps "nga daw wala mapahamtang"!
So he asked if I have ever been on a Passad. Instead of answering, I asked what is a Passad. He said ina bala nga jeep! I still asked ano spelling? And he said P-A-S-S-A-D.
I got that and now I know.., that vehicle is not a jeep but a Passad. Yehey! And I kept pronouncing that name many times - so I won't forget! My own definition: a jeep-like vehicle that has a sedan-like or SUV-like face with a lowered and elongated chassis!
Hmm, maybe I should find and watch how a Passad is made. Sige, bucketlisted!
Still in Pavia, we passed by this place I previously called Iloilo's Industrial Valley!
I have not been in this area lately, so I am not sure if my "tag" of this town is still apt.
When I was a young pasaway, this part of town was a wide expanse of ricefields but by-and-by, it started growing big industrial-style buildings (factories), instead of rice.
So instead of a rice granary, me and my siblings started calling it an industrial valley! We still liked cruising-by, when going to that country club hangout of the nos abuelo!
Now look, there's already a hotel at left!
Trivia: I didn't intend to take that shot. I was trying to capture the Biscocho Haus at right (that also has Carlito's restaurant), kaso lampas na! My taxi was speeding fast!
Aw, those fields stretch all the way to Santa Barbara. And oh, we were moving fast. I missed most of it. When I was ready to take a picture again, we were already here...
From the gate alone, you'd know what that place at right is. Memorial parks look the same 'no? That's Whitehaven Gardens. Yes sementeryo but an important landmark.
See that seemingly end-of-the-road up ahead? That's a Y-Intersection. Going left is to the airport, while heading right will lead you to places in the middle of Panay Island!
Here here.., as we turned left on that corner, because I was going to the airport!
Actually.., there is signage in on that island (look at the center of the picture). It says Welcome Iloilo International Airport. But it is too tiny or ill-placed for drivers to see.
I think that shouldn't even be a 'Welcome' signage yet. It should be a 'This Way' sign. Or, there should be some 'This Way' signage as early as by the gate of the cemetery.
[Edit 2023] meron naman pala! A cousin sent me this googlemaps screen-grab:
Can you see it on the right side of the road? Yeah, it's also rather too tiny, thus easily missed by the human eye. Besides, my cousin shares, the arrows are confusing. Da!
[Edit 2023] same screen-grab, graphically annotated by my handsome weh! pakaisa.
I had to laugh loudly first before I said I agree! That Airport arrow should point to the left - or at least man lang, slanting to the left - since it veers left from the main road!
After turning left from that intersection, this is the entrance to the airport driveway.
It looks almost ceremonious an entrance. As if entering a maximum-security prison; and as if the airport is just a few steps from it, right? Well, it's still about 3kms away!
Notice there's a guardhouse, and there are barricades, so vehicles enter only one at a time, for the two guards to inspect vehicles for whatever it is they want to inspect.
Highly secured 'no? Well.., let's say "yes" for now, but keep on reading hehe!
Anyway, let me describe the rest of what we see in that picture.
1] There's a welcome signage naman pala after all. But it's too small and so high up above, I'm sure not many people can see it! So, that's one "useless" signage hahaha!
That is that green board atop the post at right. It says "Welcome To Iloilo Airport"!
That tarnished signage atop the middle post says the airport was built with the joint cooperation between the governments of Japan and the Philippines - or something like that. Something like that? Oo, e 'di ko mabasa, tarnished nga eh. Na-aagnas na!
Now.., if you noticed, this Airport Access Road is fenced on both sides. And outside the fence are space enough for vehicles. Those are the Community Service Roads.
Meaning? Ah, if you're not going to the airport (i.e., you are visiting, you have farms, or you live at the communities on the side of the airport road), then you pass there.
Can you see the access roads outside the fence on either side? It makes the Airport Access Road wonderfully beautiful and devoid of any congestion, right? Ang ganda!
BUT (eto nanaman ako) it's not all great. There's a touch of absurdity, if not stupidity!
You of course see that big wide opening between the "Airport Access Road" and the "Community Service Road", right? Instantly we think tama lang and dapat lang, right?
That's a 3km stretch. Yes, there has to be a passage out-to-in and in-to-out, di ba la?
The issue: why is there that bottleneck of a guard inspection at the entrance to this airport access road, eh from the service road - as you can see above - wala naman?!
And I counted, there are 5 such openings in the whole 3 kilometer stretch, right side pa lang yon! Now tell me folks, absurd or stupid? Ano ina, dungol, manol o tonto gid?
What security inspection are they talking about at the entrance of the airport road, eh kung dadaan ka naman sa service road, there is NO such thing? If somebody with a questionable load is trying to get to the airport, do you think they will not know that?
Ay, CAAP can say "but there's an inspection area before entering the airport premises"!
True, that's why we were stuck here, falling in line. It's under that green signage near 2 more entrances from the service road, yung isa sa tapat ng tindahan ni Nang Lucia!
So, there's really no use for those guards inspecting vehicles by the entrance of this 3 kilometer airport access road. It has no security relevance other than pakitang tao!
Imagine you (CAAP), bothering people who go to the airport w/ a useless ceremony disguised as security requirement. If that's not a crime, mahiya man lang sana kayo!
Anyway, we made it in, and I think I already said this, the area is clean and orderly.
Nice surroundigns di ba? Sablay nga lang ang vehicle inspection 3 kilometers away!
I like those palm trees by the way! They are called "buli" in Cebu. But I don't know its Ilonggo name yet. All I know is: the very same word means "butt" in Ilonggo. Kalain!
We turned left at the corner ahead (w/ green signboard) going to departure curbside.
And... voila!
Nice to see that father-and-son having their morning walk at this airport's premises.
And this was it. I arrived at.., to depart from.., Iloilo International Airport!
The building looks nice viewed early in the morning. Well, this was already 9:13AM!
This was my ride. Thanks sa laba-laba nga istoryahanay 'nong driver whoever you are!
I laughingly had a hard time deciphering the name of his cab. Is that Jnak Kryska or Inah Kryska or Inah Kysha? Whatever heheh. I forgot to ask. Body Number 0259 ah!
Misgivings, irritation, protestations aside...
That was a mighty good morning ride for lots of learnings, even if I am/was familiar with this city/province/island and even if I still come here every now and then. Nice!
Tara let's go inside the airport and fly away. In my next story!
Oh, I did not forget "let's start from the very beginning". My departure from Iloilo!
I took a cab from Seda Atria to the airport, and here I was on the diversion road...
At left is the Plazuela De Iloilo - my favorite strolling, window-shopping, dining place in Iloilo. It's a mall yes, but it has a different kind of vibe. It is 'sprawling', not vertical.
Onwards, next to that, is SM City Iloilo. Ah, who does not know SM, right?
That building at right is SM Strata, supposedly the tallest in Iloilo, until the Terranza Residences materializes. I heard SM Strata is not actually done yet. It's supposed to have 2 or 3 towers (daw, yun ang marites na nasagap ko)! Offices & BPOs daw yan.
Further, is Injap Tower - you can see a little bit of it in that pic - also a tall building!
The dark building far on the left after the overpass, is Zuri Hotel. Haven't seen it yet.
Every time I come to this city (which is not rare nor far in between) there are already new edifices that sprouted here and there. I don't know.., parang ayaw ko! I guess I want it to remain the beautiful Old Iloilo, with old Spanish-style houses everywhere.
Even this modern-looking place, I remember, were farms in the not so distant past.
Yes railway, as in relis as in railroad - daanan ng mga tren (trains)! It went from down at the mouth of the river (Iloilo-Jordan Pier), going north to Pavia, Sta. Barbara, New Lucena, Passi City all the way to Roxas City! I wonder where all their steel went now.
Oy teka, hindi ko na inabot ang mga 'yan ha? 'Wag kang ano! Nai-kwento lang sa'kin ng isa sa mga lola ko! But, I still saw some of those tracks - I just can't recall where!
Anyway, a little onwards from that hospital (ACE?), I saw and had to take this photo of Central Iloilo Bus & Jeep Terminal (Ungka Terminal). It could have been my last!
Oh, like they always do, the one-of-a-kind jeeps caught my attention again hehehe!
Their 'faces' are like SUVs, and their 'bodies' are longer than jeeps of other places.
I loved this one with many a traveler's favorite quote: "not all who wonder are lost"!
Few meters on, driver told me this is now one of the busiest intersections in Iloilo.
This road we were on (going to the airport), is/was the good old Iloilo-to-Capiz Road via Cabatuan, Sta. Barbara, Janiuay, Lambunao, all the way to Roxas, or even Kalibo.
While that intersecting road is the Iloilo City Circumferential Road 1 (C1), at which, if you turn right goes to the Coastal Road in Jaro; and left, a fast way to Villa Arevalo.
Driver told me, that congestion is the reason why a flyover is to be built soon on that corner. I said they better since this is the best and fastest way to or from the airport.
Aw see? My hunch is/was right - when I come back, things will have changed - all the more that I should take pics now, that's why I took a quick photo of Ungka Terminal.
Some of you may remember my previous stories. This is that place where transport terminals have separate departure and arrival areas, and labelled BIG like at airports!
Iloilo is constantly evolving, so as I said before, everytime you come take pictures.
Oi, still on that photo above, look at my yellow arrow pointing to that ICTMU guy. He caught my attention - even if just via my peripheral vision, as I talked with my driver.
And he bent, seemingly to pick up something, at exactly the time when the stoplight went green and where all vehicles started moving. Alarmed, all I could say was sh*t!
My driver was startled at my shocked expression and asked "nga-a sir". But vehicles have already moved, so I didn't bother telling him what I saw and just said "wala ah"!
Now, due to that 'shock' I missed some things that I wanted to see as we cruised by.
First, the Pavia People's Terminal, which should have been to my right after that Citi Mall. What is significant? Aw, it was converted to a mall (Robinson's Place), but one friend told me, that the said transport terminal was made part of that mall complex
I wonder how it looks and/or how it serves the commuters. I'm curious, because for all we know, it may be a new business or service model worthy of emulation. Di ba?
Not that I'm into making malls or constructing edifices for the DPWH hehehe! Hindi naman sa ganoon, but as a travel blogger, I like sharing the good things I encounter.
So.., Pavia Robinson's Place and People's Terminal.., no see, no encounter, no share!
Sayang. Kasi naman, kung anu-ano ang nakikita sa kapaligiran, katulad nito...
My driver muttered something like "ayayay! here we go again, Monday Mornings"!
I didn't ask further. But I imagined, it probably is the case everywhere in this country. But why on Monday mornings? Ah inquisitive thoughts started churning in my head.
With a smile. Yeah, a sarcastic malicious smile full of contempt hahaha! Sa sarili ko lang naman! Because I was like saying buti nga sa inyo, yan ang napapala nyo heheh!
Why? Because what came to mind as my answer to "why on Monday mornings" was: maybe they're in a hurry to avoid being late for work. Bakit late? Dahil late gumising. Bakit late nagising? Dahil nasobrahan sa good-time kahapon Sunday. Ayan, ganyan!
Eh that picture was taken at 8:59AM, bakit ma-trapik pa? Dahil mga late silang lahat na nasa kalsada pa, esp if gov't employees, aba an hour ago na ang bayang magiliw!
Maryusep no? Kung anu-ano sumasagi sa isip ko! But that is a perk of traveling. We get to see, experience, and think about things that are not necessarily travel related!
Let's proceed, baka kung anu-ano pa ulit ang makita ko sa kakalsadahang ito!
The Passad
Aw, ito na nga! I kept looking at the jeeps. My driver told me they are called Passad.
So he asked if I have ever been on a Passad. Instead of answering, I asked what is a Passad. He said ina bala nga jeep! I still asked ano spelling? And he said P-A-S-S-A-D.
Hmm, maybe I should find and watch how a Passad is made. Sige, bucketlisted!
Still in Pavia, we passed by this place I previously called Iloilo's Industrial Valley!
When I was a young pasaway, this part of town was a wide expanse of ricefields but by-and-by, it started growing big industrial-style buildings (factories), instead of rice.
So instead of a rice granary, me and my siblings started calling it an industrial valley! We still liked cruising-by, when going to that country club hangout of the nos abuelo!
Now look, there's already a hotel at left!
Trivia: I didn't intend to take that shot. I was trying to capture the Biscocho Haus at right (that also has Carlito's restaurant), kaso lampas na! My taxi was speeding fast!
Aw, those fields stretch all the way to Santa Barbara. And oh, we were moving fast. I missed most of it. When I was ready to take a picture again, we were already here...
See that seemingly end-of-the-road up ahead? That's a Y-Intersection. Going left is to the airport, while heading right will lead you to places in the middle of Panay Island!
Here here.., as we turned left on that corner, because I was going to the airport!
I think that shouldn't even be a 'Welcome' signage yet. It should be a 'This Way' sign. Or, there should be some 'This Way' signage as early as by the gate of the cemetery.
[Edit 2023] meron naman pala! A cousin sent me this googlemaps screen-grab:
[Edit 2023] same screen-grab, graphically annotated by my handsome weh! pakaisa.
After turning left from that intersection, this is the entrance to the airport driveway.
Notice there's a guardhouse, and there are barricades, so vehicles enter only one at a time, for the two guards to inspect vehicles for whatever it is they want to inspect.
Highly secured 'no? Well.., let's say "yes" for now, but keep on reading hehe!
Anyway, let me describe the rest of what we see in that picture.
1] There's a welcome signage naman pala after all. But it's too small and so high up above, I'm sure not many people can see it! So, that's one "useless" signage hahaha!
That is that green board atop the post at right. It says "Welcome To Iloilo Airport"!
That tarnished signage atop the middle post says the airport was built with the joint cooperation between the governments of Japan and the Philippines - or something like that. Something like that? Oo, e 'di ko mabasa, tarnished nga eh. Na-aagnas na!
Now.., if you noticed, this Airport Access Road is fenced on both sides. And outside the fence are space enough for vehicles. Those are the Community Service Roads.
Meaning? Ah, if you're not going to the airport (i.e., you are visiting, you have farms, or you live at the communities on the side of the airport road), then you pass there.
BUT (eto nanaman ako) it's not all great. There's a touch of absurdity, if not stupidity!
That's a 3km stretch. Yes, there has to be a passage out-to-in and in-to-out, di ba la?
The issue: why is there that bottleneck of a guard inspection at the entrance to this airport access road, eh from the service road - as you can see above - wala naman?!
And I counted, there are 5 such openings in the whole 3 kilometer stretch, right side pa lang yon! Now tell me folks, absurd or stupid? Ano ina, dungol, manol o tonto gid?
What security inspection are they talking about at the entrance of the airport road, eh kung dadaan ka naman sa service road, there is NO such thing? If somebody with a questionable load is trying to get to the airport, do you think they will not know that?
Ay, CAAP can say "but there's an inspection area before entering the airport premises"!
So, there's really no use for those guards inspecting vehicles by the entrance of this 3 kilometer airport access road. It has no security relevance other than pakitang tao!
Imagine you (CAAP), bothering people who go to the airport w/ a useless ceremony disguised as security requirement. If that's not a crime, mahiya man lang sana kayo!
Anyway, we made it in, and I think I already said this, the area is clean and orderly.
I like those palm trees by the way! They are called "buli" in Cebu. But I don't know its Ilonggo name yet. All I know is: the very same word means "butt" in Ilonggo. Kalain!
We turned left at the corner ahead (w/ green signboard) going to departure curbside.
And... voila!
And this was it. I arrived at.., to depart from.., Iloilo International Airport!
This was my ride. Thanks sa laba-laba nga istoryahanay 'nong driver whoever you are!
Misgivings, irritation, protestations aside...
That was a mighty good morning ride for lots of learnings, even if I am/was familiar with this city/province/island and even if I still come here every now and then. Nice!
Tara let's go inside the airport and fly away. In my next story!
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