(Photo by Ely Valendez)
What’s in Antique (pronounced as an-tee-ke not an-teek which meant old)? The name Antique came from the Filipino word for big ants, “hantik”. Since the Spanish can’t pronounce hantik, they called it Antique.
This province, which belongs to the Panay Island, holds so much mystery among its neighbors Aklan (where Boracay is), Iloilo, Capiz, and Roxas. It would let a traveler’s imagination fly until he/she braves the path and sets foot on this province.
When I left our house, my mom told me, “Enjoy at mag-ingat sa mga aswang!” Horror movies tagged Antique and Capiz as home of the “manananggal/ mambabarang/ mangkukulam” and other enchanted creatures/spirits which believed to eat humans.
But I was not afraid at all. Actually, I was excited to go and explore Antique. The rough road that we passed by at Brgy. Tuno in Tibiao added to the excitement. We stopped at a garden fenced with bamboos. The place was called Kayak Inn.
The locals filled up the kawa (big cookware) with water and placed firewood underneath. The water started to boil. “So what’s cooking?,” I asked.
Guess what? It’s not kaldereta nor nilagang baka but humans. Yes, humans.
The first victim was one of my companions in the tour, Ejay. At first, he was enjoying splashing water into his face but not for long.
The fire started to rise that caused him to panic and run out of the kawa. Haha. Kidding!
The next victim was Ely of Ely’s Planet. hehe. Isn’t it fun, Ely?
The Kawa Bath, one of the major attractions in Tibiao, Antique, was a brainchild of Kayak Inn’s Australian owner Greg. The staff told me that they wanted to offer something that’s related to what Antique was known for: enchantment and mystery. Kawa is used by Antiquenos for cooking muscovado (unrefined brown sugar). They started offering this unique type of bath in 2010.
Dipping in hot water can be relaxing.
You can stay for an hour for Php 200 pesos but you can opt not to finish the one hour especially if temperature rises to an unbearable heat.
Travel Essentials:
- Contact Darcy Nu 0921 570 1947
- 0917 918 3825
- Provincial Tourism of Antique (RG Gayatin)- 0915 804 4662
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Special thanks to 2Go Travel and to the Provincial Tourism Office of Antique for letting me experience the wonders of Antique.