From the outskirts of Capiz with love

I have been contemplating about Capiz for the longest time. Often, it will be bookmarked at the back of my head, only to be triggered by mention of words like aswang, cheap oyster, or the decorative items used in windows or lampshades. It is only during my recent trip to the place that made me look at it in a different light.

Capiz is a beautiful place. It’s like Manila, but set in the province. Banks, schools, sports stadium, business establishments are everywhere. Even Jollibee (and Enchong Dee, at the time of my visit!) is there. But there is more to civilization or aswang tales in the seafood capital of the Philippines.

I arrived with the expectation of spending most of my time eating the province’s pride: seafood, and keeping tabs on possible sightings of aswangs but I tiptoed on the countryside of the province to discover something I wouldn’t have other means of seeing if not for my Couchsurfing host.

My favorite part was the ephemeral moments we got to spend touring around the streets while riding a motorcycle. Through the simple town beside Binantuan river, a short stopover to the biggest bell in Asia, strolling through the path surrounded by nipa trees, the rough road that made the bumpy rides a little rough, and the frenzy ride on a boat without outrigger –everywhere, people would smile, albeit timidly, and wave at us.

I’ve also met some people along the road who have helped me mold my idea of the province –like how they hate a politician who is expected to be so loved in his own town, or how a local delicacy called Diwal almost became extinct, or how come their cultured crabs afford to carry overflowing aligue inside their shells. It’s an interesting place, one that kills any expectation and changes it to something more concrete, more defined.

Indeed we have arrived.

‘Welcome to Capiz!’

Have you been to Capiz? What’s your fondest memory about the place?