One of the many places that a bargain hunter should see when visiting Iloilo City is the heritage street of Real. More popularly known for its Spanish name Calle Real, I and two of my friends got a chance to see the place before heading out to our next destination for our Eat, Pray, Love vacation.
Since, it was our first time to see this humble province, we were open to all suggestions as to what to see in here. A friend of mine suggested to me to spent some time here and check out how Iloilo manage to cope up with the fast-changing trade life like what we have here in Manila. We all agreed since the name Calle Real sounded like a nice place.
A nice place, indeed! But living in a place like Tondo, and having a house which is like 30 minutes away from Divisioria, seeing a place like Calle Real wasn't really as exciting as we thought it would be. So instead of lifting off from the cab that we hailed, we just spent time looking at the surrounding and taking pictures of it while inside our air-conditioned vehicle.
In all fairness, Calle Real looks so nice and the old buildings were really worth-seeing. I just hope that they'll have more local products that are on sale than those of "Made in Chinas." So that people like us, local tourists, would appreciate the province more and we'll value more the products that are truly Filipino-made.
Assuming we spent some time exploring Calle Real, I think it would take some 30 minutes walking from one end to the other other. With its clean sidewalks and organized stalls, it's like seeing Sta. Cruz, Manila during its old days (base from the pictures I saw before).
I'm still thankful that I got a chance to check out the place and see what it offers to tourists! It was such a real a delight to see urbanized streets like Called Real that are still upholding its golden past.
On my next visit here, I'd try to push my luck and see what are the other stuff hidden on those lovely structures.
Happy rammmpa!
On your next visit you might be surprised that there are a lot of changes that has transpired in Calle Real. Some of the old buildings has already been restored and renovated. There are a lot of tourist destinations that will surely enjoy. Part of Fort San Pedro has been rehabilitated, a new Iloilo Esplanade was constructed and Molo Plaza is one place worth paying a visit. Try to explore more and you will be amazed of the wonders of Iloilo City's old charm coming back to its golden era.
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