goILOILO.com
Travels and personal perspectives on Iloilo and Panay Island
Culasi, Antique Province, Philippines
Tags: Antique Province Restaurant, Culasi Antique Dining, Culasi Antique Plaza, Culasi Antique Restaurant, Lipata Point, Lipata Port Culasi, Mararison Island, Panay Explorers Culasi, Panay WWII, Philippines WWII, USAFFE Panay
Digital photo narrative of our visit to Culasi, Antique Province, Philippines including information on natural and heritage sites, such as Lipata Point, beaches, hiking, festivals, accommodations and dining.
Continuing north, Mararison Island comes into view.
We had our binoculars with us when we had lunch at Neil’s (below) and were able to give take a good look at Mararison Island. It looks like a great place to visit with lots of white sand beaches and a considerable settlement on the easterly shore. Unfortunately, it’s also where a cargo ship MV Ocean Papa sank on June 21, 2008 on it’s way from Manila to Iloilo City. While the ship was salvaged, its cargo of sixteen metric tons of toluene di-isocyanate was not. While the vapors of TDI are hazardous to workers, we’re not sure of the impact of the liquid on marine life. Phaidon Resort in Pandan (see below) is said to offer snorkeling trips to Mararison. Also check with Panay Explorers.
Neil's Restaurant, between Tiabao and Culasi, Antique Province
Places to dine between San Jose and Boracay are scarce. We stopped at Neil’s Resto Grill twice. It’s located just beyond milepost 176KM, right on the shore. It offers traditional Filipino fare such as grilled fish, nilaga (boiled pork with cabbage and potato), KBL (kadyos, baboy, langka) boiled pork with beans, and young jackfruit plus rice, beverages and chips. We enjoyed the food. The prices are very reasonable. We paid a total P135 (less than $3) for grilled fish, two other dishes, rice, buko (coconut) juice and coffee. The owner and workers were very friendly. Bob left behind his prized Nike baseball cap. The pretty waitress ran after us to return it. Neil’s is popular with buses traveling the route but this is not a problem. I was surprised that most passengers did not get off the bus when it stopped at Neil’s. There is good parking if you’re driving your own vehicle. There’s a public restroom (CR). It’s basic Filipino — no toilet seat or toilet paper but it’s kept quite clean.
Spectacular rice field and mountain panoramas continue for miles
Culasi, Antique Province with Panay's highest peak, Mt. Madja-as, as backdrop, here shrouded by clouds.
Our next stop was Culasi, Antique (KM 188), a town back-dropped by Panay’s highest mountains and having several islands arrayed offshore.
If you’re interested in diving in the Culasi area contact: Panay Explorers: http://www.panayexplorers.com/index.htm
North of Culasi proper, watch for the turn-off to Lipata port.
Hard-to-see sign at turn-off to Lipata Point and Port, Culasi, Antique
The road in to Lipata Point and Port is beautiful...
The dock at Lipata Point, Culasi, Antique
View from Lipata Port to the mountains of Culasi, Antique
There are ferries to and from Manila and perhaps other destinations such as Semirara Island and Mindoro and the Cuyo Islands in Palawan. You might try contacting Mr. Florentino Egida, head of the Antique Provincial Tourism Office, 540-9765, tourism_antique@yahoo.com for up to date information. You might also stop by the Culasi municipal offices as Lipata Port is one of the few ports operated by the municipality rather than the Philippine Ports Authority.
Lipata Point schoolgirl heading home for lunch
There was a very active anti-Japanese guerrilla movement on Panay Island and elsewhere in the Pacific during WW II. Douglas MacArthur supplied the guerrillas by way of submarine drops of personnel and supplies. In all, nineteen submarines delivered 1,325 tons of supplies to Philippine guerrillas between 1943 and 1945. Lipata Point was the one site where where drops where made. You can download an excellent overview of guerrilla activities (”Guerrilla Summary”) in the Pacific as well as an account of of the USS Narwal’s tragi-comic mission(”The Panay Narwal Incident”) to deliver supplies at Lipata Point, Culasi at http://www.chickparsons.com/downloads.htm.
Planting rice between Culasi and Pandan, Antique Province, Philippines
Note: this post is a section of a longer narrative about a trip from Iloilo City to Boracay. The full narrative can be found at: http://goiloilo.com/iloilo-city-to-boracay-via-antique-province/
We very much welcome any suggested corrections or additional information about the Culasi, Antique area. Please leave them as a comment at the end of this post or e-mail them to hammerslag@gmail.com
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Posted by GOIloilo on 12.01.08 9:40AM under Antique Province, Culasi, Antique
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Posted by Jim Monreal on 12.18.08 1:08 am
I grew-up in Miagao and the farthest town south I have been to was San Joaquin. I have never been to Antique. These beautiful pictures of your road trip to Boracay shows a lot of what I am missing that mother nature has given us in the Philippines. My wife and I are going home in the next couple of weeks. I will go back home for a day or two. If I have the time, I would like to take the same road trip you took, going through Antique. May I ask how many hours it took you driving up to Boracay, less the stops and lay over?
Best Regards and Merry Christmas to you and Carol!
Jim Monreal
Posted by GOIloilo on 12.18.08 8:22 am
Hi Jim,
I agree 200%. Antique Province is really special. Miles of oceanfront, bright green ricefields and a backdrop of mountains. We can’t wait to go back for more exploration. Even on the main road there is little traffic. The back country communities must be so amazing.
Still, Miagao is also a beautiful town with the advantage of being much more accessible to shopping and medical care in Iloilo
On our way back from Boracay, we left Caticlan at 11:45 am and arrived in Iloilo City (Molo) at 6:00 pm. This includes stops to take photos and lunch. So, I’d say the driving time from Iloilo to Caticlan via Antique must be about five hours. It’s about 275 km from Iloilo to Caticlan. On our way there, it took us two days with all our exploring and picture taking.
Best wishes for the holidays. Hope to meet you someday soon.
Bob and Carol
Posted by Jim Monreal on 12.19.08 5:51 am
Bob, thanks for the info. I think this is the best way to go to Boracay, or shall I say – a must. It may add more years of happiness to somebody’s life.
Posted by Soren Philip Balbuena (Zoren) on 03.23.09 1:59 pm
Sir/Ma’am,
Greetings!
I am the website administrator of Culasi Online (www.culasi.co.cc).
The site is not recognize as the official site of the town of Culasi in the province of Antique.
I am here to ask permission to copy the contents and images of this page (http://goiloilo.com/culasi-antique/).
The contents shall be used privately for the site http://www.culasi.co.cc and not for profit.
I personally update this site and less people of the town of Culasi knows about this site.
I am very much thankful for your good accomodation.
That’s all.
Thank you.
Respecfully yours,
Soren Philip Balbuena
Posted by GOIloilo on 03.23.09 8:16 pm
Soren,
Sure, feel free to use the content on the condition that you include a “live” link to our site.
Bob and Carol
Posted by Josef on 05.25.09 12:46 am
Hi… i first came to culasi, antique last november 2008 and i spent three months there. all i can say is that i really enjoyed my stay there and it was very very exciting. we went up the rice fields up on the mountainside. we drank water from springs of the mountains. talked to friendly people there (though there was language barrier because not everyone, specially the elders and very young children, can speak tagalog very well). swam on the cold, clean and lovely rivers from the mountaintops of mount madja-as. went hiking (although i think it was illegal)on the government protected forest and saw the native bird they call the Kalaw (Philippine Hornbill). i really did enjoyed my stay there and although it’s a bit awkward to tell but i really did fell in-love on that place, wish i could go back there and i hope i can spend the rest of my life on that wonderful place… it was one of my most treasured memories and i am very thankful for that because it reminded me what the word “simple life” truly means.
Posted by Trip Report: From Iloilo City to Boracay via Antique Province at goILOILO.com on 08.26.09 3:15 pm
[...] proper, watch for the turn-off to Lipata port. It a short, pretty drive out to the Point. See http://goiloilo.com/culasi-antique/ From Lipata there are reported to be ferries to and from Manila and perhaps other destinations such [...]
Posted by rosalie berte on 06.21.10 2:09 am
Hi….i am so excited to see these pictures of my hometown. And it’s been a while that i have’nt been home so.. ‘cant wait to show my husband around…thanks.