Sira-an Hot Spring and Seco Island in Antique

Photo taken from Google

Photo taken from Google

A Hot Spring and a Paradise worth Protecting!

An ideal weather for taking your clothes off and dipping down at the streaming pools is a perfect escapade at the Sira-an Hot Spring at the town of Anini-y in Antique. His location is at the cliff-edge of Anini-y; one side fronting the highway, the other facing the stretch of Sulu Sea. Nogas Island can be seen on the horizon, another perfect destination for vacation and outing, and actually a boat trip from the resort.

Photo taken from Google

Photo taken from Google

Sira-an has numerous pools facing the sea. The waters from these is said to have a whitish speck where the name of the resort originated from; resembling crumbled powder bits like a woman's ruined (nasira) face foundation. The water is quite hot, perfect for your trembling knees and warm body.
There are several huts available both for day-trippers and overnighters. But first you meet to pay their entrance fee from Php20.00.  Very affordable, indeed!

Photo taken from Google

           Another travel destination sought after by travelers and foreigners is the uninhabited island located North East of the Sulu Sea with 1.5 km stretch of sand and shallow clear sea. The island is a crown jewel of Antique and probably one of the best kept secrets of the province. The island is part of Tibiao, Antique which is now dubbed as the eco-heritage destination of Panay Island.
Seco Island used to be a sanctuary for fishermen seeking refuge from bad weather during their fishing expeditions. Even until now, it is visited by fishermen to sun dry their fish. A virgin island! No infrastracture, few trees and definitely no vendors in the island, just pure white sand surrounded by crystal clear body of water in the middle of the ocean.

Photo taken from Google

Photo taken from Google

A haven for kite surfers! Considered as one of the top five kite boarding spots in the Philippines. The beauty of Seco Island is now put into the limelight. For kite-surfers, the island provides constant strong winds that could propel surfers up to 50 to 150 ft high while on their surf boards, and the shallow and clear water white sand banks are perfect for jumping and aerial tricks.
This is why Seco Island is a fast becoming favorite destination among kite enthusiasts who don't mind travelling all the way to Antique.

Antique's Buri and Patadyong Production

The women of Antique have busy hands. These hands hold both straws and twines for hours; threading and weaving grand designs of handicrafts and fabrics.

Photo taken from Google

Photo taken from Google

Located in Tobias Fornier, members of Buri Handicraft Association, Inc. of Antique braid buri palm into baskets, bags, mats, wallets, and boxes. Their products are so good and beautiful, and it now represents their municipality's One Town, One Product project.

Photo taken from Google

Moving next into the town of Bugasong, a small community of weavers can be found at Barangay Bagtason. A more complex kind of weaving can be witnessed. Patadyongs were they've made. It is a type of textile made from cottons, abaca and even polyester. Quite similar to malongs of the Muslims, the only difference is in its being signature plaid or checkered patterns. It has many usage; skirts for ladies, baby hammocks and even portable bathrooms and changing rooms during olden days.

Photo taken from Google

According to the legend, one of the datus, Datu Lubay, taught the art of weaving to the villages of Bugasong and Malay datus moved to Panay to escape prosecuting from their native empire in Borneo and Sumatra. You can believe it or not, but one thing for sure, patadyong were history.
There are six stages in making patadyongs; the measurement(pagsab-ong), the thread arrangement(paglikis), the thread insertion in the binting(pagbinting), the thread insertion in the reed(pagsulod), the thread transfer from cone to talingyasan(pagtalingyas), and the final weaving part(pagpanara).

Looking at the detail and intricacy of finished patadyongs and how painstakingly slow it is made, simply blew your mind.
These weavers have magics in their hand!