Barangay Poblacion
If you’re ready to go back to civilization, head down to the town’s center at Barangay Poblacion. It’s unlike the civilization city folk are accustomed to. It’s a small town, and you’ll feel it. You’ll definitely enjoy it for that very reason, as well.
Explore Tibiao Town
Remember how communities were laid out in the olden days? There was always a center of a town where everything is concentrated. For Tibiao, it’s the town plaza.
The Tibiao Town Plaza
There’s a basketball court and a playground where all of the town’s events take place. Around it are government offices in case you need any help while you’re there. Also in the vicinity is the Tibiao Public Market, and the town’s very own church.
Refill your stocks with all the food and supplies you’ll need, and check out how life goes by for the people there. This is the best place in Tibiao to do it.
Feast on Bread at the Tibiao Bakery
The different products of the Tibiao Bakery
The Tibiao Bakery is a staple not only in Antique, but also on the entire island of Panay. Its flagship store is a stone’s throw away from the town’s center.
The flagship store of the Tibiao Bakery at Barangay Poblacion
Feast yourself upon every kind of bread there is at the place that started it all over fifty years ago. It opens early to cater to early risers, but if you want to sample their famous freshly baked bread, you’ll have to wait until around 7:30 a.m. for them to churn it out.
You’ll be surprised to find that they not only serve affordable bread, but also other Pinoy snacks such as spaghetti and palabok.
Barangay Malabor
Right beside Barangay Poblacion is the second most populous barangay in Tibiao. Malabor also sits by the seaside, and is known for the abundance of fish its locals reap. If you’re looking for fish while in Tibiao, this is where you’ll find them.
Try Lambaklad Fishing
Lambaklad Fishing is a type of fishing method that is unique to this side of Antique. It involves a team of men, large rafts, and even larger nets.
Photo taken from www.katahum.com
If you want to witness them in action, you have to be up as early as 3 o’clock in the morning. That’s when the men begin to go down from their homes and set up shop on the water. They lay down their nets and wait until sunrise before reaping the fish they’ve caught.
Relax at the Tibiao Fish Spa
Along Malabor-Alegre Road is a twist to the dinner we’ve all been accustomed to. Instead of us feasting on the fish, it’s them who’ll do the eating.
Don’t worry, they won’t kill you! If anything, they’ll just tickle you.
That’s what happens when you take a dip at the Tibiao Fish Spa. They have hundreds of ‘thera-fish‘ of different sizes who are more than excited to massage your worries away, and scrub the dead skin off your feet in the process.
The first station of ‘thera-fish’ at the Tibiao Fish Spa
There are three areas available for three different kinds of massage experiences. The first is a spot where guests are invited to be tickled by small fish nibbling at your toes. The second invites guests to experience a micro massage performed by slightly bigger fish. The third offers light scrubbing done by the larger fish they have around.
If you’re worried only your feet will get the pampering, worry not because the Tibiao Fish Spa also offers other spa services ranging from full body massages to their very own versions of the kawa hot bath.
Barangay Bandajo
Before heading back home, drop by Barangay Bandajo near the mountainside of Tibiao. It’s a residential community whose members are all versed in the art of pottery-making, and they’re more than happy to show you their ways.
See How Bricks are Made
The barangay’s brick workshop
The barangay is proud to be known for making the sturdiest of bricks, and the workshop where all of these are made is open to the public. They have a gallery of their products surrounding a giant pugon or brick oven. You can open it up to see what they use to heat the bricks into their hardened forms.
Make Pottery
Farther up the area are the houses where the potters reside. Their yards are lined with dozens and dozens of clay products they’ve set to dry.
A collection of finished and unfinished works at one of the houses in Barangay Bandajo
Each work they make needs at least two days in the sun before they can be cooked into its final state, but you can witness the artists as they mold lumps of clay into pots and bowls and every other clay figure you can imagine.
A demo of how to mold pottery
You can also try being a potter yourself for no charge at all. Although you won’t be able to bring home the creation you made, they’ll be happy to offer you one or more of their already finished works as a souvenir.
Venture into the often-overlooked province of Antique this summer. Surely, a few days in Tibiao is not the typical summer experience, but welcome the variety this small but beautiful town has to offer. Relax and learn something new in the process, and have fun while you’re at it!
