I didn't know it was there but I did feel giddy riding a jeep while people around me talked in an alien language which I alone could not understand. I was in Iloilo, of course, but I could have been in a parallel universe where people talked gibberish. It was fun overhearing those tiny murmurs, trying to decipher what they actually meant.
This was the first time I've been to Iloilo. The closest I got before was when I was in those Superferry rides bound for Manila, where the ship had to dock in Iloilo's port to load some cargo.
Our stay though was quite brief since our main itinerary was really Boracay. But we had quite a sampling of their local cuisine which, given the small sample size (I could count with one hand the restaurants we've been into) may not be quite conclusive but is nevertheless indicative of what Iloilo had to offer for the occasional food connoisseur.
First, God made oysters and God made sure anyone visiting Iloilo had them in plenty. As mentioned in a previous post, this was the first time I tasted these and they tasted great. The restaurants in Iloilo also featured dishes which, though they may be common fare in the city, are never seen in Davao (but, unfortunately, I cannot remember the names of those dishes although I fancy asking a waitress or two what we were eating exactly).
Plus, who knew you could build a restaurant chain on a simple dish called batchoy? Hmmm...
We also caught a glimpse of the local night life, courtesy of the Iloilo business center pipz. They had this large strip of real estate where all the bars, clubs and pubs were cloistered together as opposed to Davao's night scene where the night spots are scattered all over downtown.
Sir Tata, a resident (and someone who bore an uncanny resemblance to Hayden Kho), talked about how, given the condensed space, each establishment had to cater to a certain demographic, down from the masa up to the elite. His lecture certainly served as a classic case for market segmentation and niche specialization, that is, if he were really serious about what he explained to me.
One thing I learned still is that Ilonggos are not really into videoke. On our last night in the city, we tried to look for cheap videoke to while away the time. What we found was a high-end videoke bar. I could deduce that perhaps a.) we didn't look hard enough for a videoke that suited our budget or b.) demand for videoke was not that strong because supply sported a high price and vice versa.
Well, that's it for Iloilo, which has been very good to us. Until the next trip, hopefully soon.
