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KALIBO |
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KALIBO lies on the well-trodden path to Boracay and for most of the
year is an uninteresting town, but every second week of January it hosts
what is probably the biggest street party in the country, the Ati-Atihan
. This exuberant festival celebrates the original inhabitants of the
area, the Atis, and culminates with choreographed dances through the
streets by locals daubed in black paint (Ati-Atihan means "to make like
the Atis"). Good accommodation can be hard to find during the Ati-Atihan
and prices increase by up to a hundred percent. Direct flights to Kalibo
from Manila are often fully booked.
Kalibo's airport is ten minutes by road southeast of the city on Roxas
Avenue. The cheapest and easiest way to get from airport to town is by
tricycle. The official fare is P10, but unwary tourists arriving from
Manila will be asked for more. Airlines run shuttle buses to Caticlan,
for the short banca ride to Boracay. Alternatively, you can catch a bus
to Caticlan (P100; 2hr) from the Ceres Bus Terminal in Kalibo, 1km south
of the town centre on C Laserna Street. This terminal also serves other
destinations on Panay, including Roxas and Iloilo. WG&A Superferry has
three departures a week from Dumaguit, a 45-minute bus ride outside
Kalibo, to Manila. Negros Navigation has weekly sailings from Dumaguit
to Manila.
Kalibo is a compact place with most city destinations within walking
distance. The major thoroughfare is Roxas Avenue and most streets lead
off it to the south. Banks , including BPI and PNB, are on Martyr's
Street and the post office is in the provincial Capitol Building. There
are three or four Internet cafés , the most popular of which is Webquest
on Roxas Avenue (P90 per hour). The Kalibo Provincial Hospital is on
Mabini Street.
Apartelle Marietta (tel 036/262 3353; under $10) on Roxas Avenue has fan
rooms with balconies and shower. Two of the better budget deals in town
are Glowmoon Hotel & Restaurant (tel 036/868 5167; $5-15) on Martelino
Street and Garcia Legaspi Mansion (tel 036/262 5588; $5-15) on the
town's main street, Roxas Avenue. Both have monastic but clean rooms.
Gervy's Gourmet & Lodge (tel 036/262 4190; under $5) has quiet rooms
with fan and bath on R Pastrada Street. Casa Felicidad (tel 036/268
4320; $15-20), on Archbishop Reyes Street near the plaza, has an aura of
faded luxury about it. Note that the price of accommodation increases
drastically during Ati-Atihan, and air-con doubles can cost up to
P800-1000. The Glowmoon Hotel has a nice restaurant with a surprisingly
good range of local and continental dishes. Peking House Restaurant, on
Martyr's Street, is an ever popular place for cheap Chinese food, while
the newer Willhelm Tell Deli & Restaurant, on Roxas Avenue, has European
steaks and pastas from P120.
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