Before I describe many things I've observed about this charming little sitio in the south, let me tell you about one of the iconic structure in this town that we've visited. It is the Campo Santo that stood in the heart of San Joaquin's cemetery; the first thing that can be seen off the road coming from Miag-ao church. My husband was not expecting that included in our itinerary to this small town is a visit to its cemetery so he was totally caught off guard when I suddenly shouted "para" (stop) to the jeepney driver who sent the vehicle running at 80kph to a quick halt in front of a spooky cemetery. Everyone stared of course but we got off as fast as we can to avoid the annoyed and shocked look of the other passengers (lol!).
My husband was quite hesitant to enter this hallow ground and I had fun watching his reaction.
The Campo Santo that stood on top of the stairs is actually baroque in style with a touch of Spanish and Chinese artistry. Its walls are made up of corals and fossil stones. It is considered one of the most beautiful cemeteries in Iloilo. ^_^
After visiting the Campo Santo, we hopped on a tricycle to get us to the San Joaquin Plaza, we paid around PHP16 or PHP8/person.
A little story about San Joaquin:
It is also my first time to see a Municipal hall sign that says "People's center" instead of "Municipal hall", makes me think that the town is built and personally run by a tight community and it even has a different flag raised on its pole instead of the usual Philippine flag. It makes me wonder what the flag meant (hmmm....can anyone tell me? kindly let me know ^_^). If you'll also notice on the picture above, standing on the left side of the municipal hall is again, one of the many Jose Rizal statues that you can found in almost every school, town and municipal hall in Iloilo. It is true that it is raining Rizal statues in Iloilo lol ^_^. As a matter of fact, the street that leads to the San Joaquin's Municipal hall is called Rizal street. It was one of the many things we've noticed when we came to this province, there is no doubt that the Ilonggos definitely love our national hero -> Rizal. ^_^
I took a picture of the cemetery's gate, there's a small querubin with two skulls right above the arch. Now, I'm starting to be creeped out at this time as well.
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| San Joaquin cemetery that can be seen off the road |
A little story about San Joaquin:
San Joaquin town is often missed out by travelers who makes Miag-ao town their final stop instead of going 30 minutes more to reach this town in the farthest south of Iloilo. I found San Joaquin a charming place, and this is not an exaggeration. It is truly an ideal place to sit around, enjoy a cup of coffee after the long trips from the other towns, have a good laugh with friends and watch the townspeople go by their everyday business. Its fun to watch parents gossiping while waiting for their children on a shed outside the town school, children running around after classes, even playing inside the always open town church, there are also couples walking and sitting in the open plaza. I guess its charm is rooted from the fact that not many people visits the place making it less crowded, more laid back and less busier than the towns of Tigbauan, Guimbal and Miag-ao.
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| pedicabs lined up infront of the gymnasium |
The story portrays the victory of the Spanish military against the Moro pirates who menaces the San Joaquin town.
As I've said earlier, kids run and plays freely in the open church and it has been fun watching them. ^_^
If you sit on the church benches, you can hear the crashing waves of the nearby sea. ^_^
The San Joaquin plaza is cleaner compared to the other plazas I've been to, smaller but definitely quieter (there are hardly any cars in the area).
Check out the Grafitti wall in front of the People's center.
Remember that much needed coffee break after traveling the whole day? Check out Micah's cafe and grill right across the plaza.
They also have a bed and breakfast for those travelers who wishes to stay overnight ^_^ I don't have their rates though sorry =(
Remember to stop and hear the crashing waves nearby. It takes away all the tiredness and relaxes the mind
Strolling around and seeing this view is already rewarding. As you can see, you don't need to pay any entrance fee to get to the beach
There is also a 20,000 sq m marine sanctuary in the area so fishing is off limits in these parts.
We ate at a small eatery on the side of the highway called Iking's chicken Specialties - for PHP38, you already have a full rice meal. Quite cheap huh? ^_^
We took a picture while waiting for our food and realized how tan we got after 4 days of being in Iloilo. We looked so harassed ^_^
While waiting for the bus that will take us to Guimbal town, we saw this tricycle overloaded with student passengers. What a "safe" way to go home after class. Lol ^_^
How we got there:
Coming from Miag-ao town, we hopped on a jeepney that goes straight to San Joaquin town. Fare is about PHP10 per person. The jeepneys pass right outside Miag-ao church. Its about 20 to 30 minutes from Miag-ao. Watch out for the cemetery on the right side so you can also get off and start your journey from Campo Santo. There are tricycles that passes by the cemetery that took us right in the plaza for PHP8 per person. You can explore the town by foot.
