GARIN FARM: DIY Travel Guide To The Heaven On Earth

There is not a single soul in this world who doesn’t desire of ending up in heaven. I’m pretty sure all of us have imagined what it’s like up there at least once in our lives. Real or not, the idea of a place where there is only light and bliss. Love and peace. A place free of suffering and pain. Where angels sing a symphonic melody –is probably every living soul’s ultimate dream. Sadly we wouldn’t really know what’s up there until we leave Earth. To put it simply, not one of us will know until we’re eventually dead! But don’t go on sulking yet. Gladly, a unique pilgrimage resort in Iloilo came up with an idea of letting everyone experience heaven without having to travel to the afterlife. All there is to do is to fly to Iloilo City and travel to Garin Farm to have an enlightening experience in their version of Heaven On Earth.

THE JOURNEY TO HEAVEN

It was the first day of our BIG Adventure. BIG because the plan was to cover Bacolod, Iloilo and Guimaras, visiting each city’s top tourist destinations within 5 days. Our plane landed Iloilo City airport at 9AM and although the non-stop drizzle stalled our adventure for 3 hours, we weren’t in any way less enthusiastic. The itinerary was to visit Garin Farm’s Heaven On Earth first and from there, trace our way to every baroque church in Iloilo from San Joaquin to Jaro. 12NN and while the rest of the people in the city were having lunch, we however were four ecstatic souls seated among the locals inside a moving passenger jeep bound to San Joaquin.

The weather was humid. Rain clouds were slowly forming in the skies amidst the scorching sun. The once cramped jeep had slowly gotten some space. One by one the locals alighted in their destinations. As the jeep slowly empties itself of passengers, the more anxious I become of how far were we from our stop. We already passed by three magnificent baroque churches. I thought that one in Molo was so far the most spectacular. Then the jeep stopped in front of a church I would recognize anywhere though I haven’t seen it yet before. Its jaw-dropping beauty was so akin to me that it could only be Miagao Church. I couldn’t believe my eyes as I stared at it in awe. It looked even better in real life!

As soon as the jeep started moving, my excitement grew by the minute. Things kept getting better that I couldn’t help but wonder what awaits us in Garin Farm. Fifteen minutes passed and the driver gave us a heads up saying we’re almost there. Barely five minutes after, we stopped by a junction. There we alighted. A bit lost at the unfamiliar place. We walked to a line of tricycles where we were greeted by a few enthusiastic drivers. They knew exactly where we wanna go.

Garin Farm is another 15-20 minutes of tricycle ride passing by local houses and a vast meadow. Five minutes before reaching Garin Farm, a large cross can be seen standing atop a hill from afar. We arrived to a polished white gate with the name of the resort painted in a green spread on top of it. At the topmost part of the gate were figures of a man riding a buffalo, two people on a rowboat and a cross all painted in white. It made me confused as to what those symbols stood for. I instantly regret the fact that other than the way to get to the resort, I didn’t take the time to research any info about it at all. Hence I left it for me to find out later.

After paying the entrance fee, we were led to the inside of the resort. The first thing I noticed was the stinky odor of farm animals’ manure enveloping the vast vicinity. There was no escaping it. It was all I could smell. It was in my hair, my clothes, everywhere. I thought I didn’t sign up for this. What made it worse was that Heaven On Earth which was the very reason for our visit is on top of a hill. Probably 30 minutes of uphill walk away. Another thing I didn’t like was that no one bothered to accompany us as if our payment wasn’t even significant enough for it to warrant a tour guide of some kind.

Still lost and unsure, I continued walking along with my friends who chose to laugh it off and move on. I also tried to jive in and enjoy everything we could see despite the stinky odor. We had photos taken with some unusual species of goats. I had some snaps on my camera while passing by the corridor adored by colorful vines. We continued to walk not knowing where the right way was. I kept myself cool about the situation. And besides, the resort wasn’t at all that bad. As we further moved away from the entrance and into the forested tracks of the resort, the stinky odor slowly subsided. There were still hints of its pungent smell but not that much. The uphill walk went on for about 20 minutes or so. Then after enduring the first challenge, we finally emerged into the resort’s pilgrimage site.

The pilgrimage site of the resort offered us one of the most amazing views that day. The site featured a cafe, a deck overlooking a small lake which I supposed was a boating area and the range of mountains as the backdrop. There were also life-size statues of biblical characters portraying some scenes in the bible. While everything looked really awesome, I still dreaded the fact that Heaven On Earth was another 300 or so steps of the climb away.

We started ascending the stairs taking it slowly. I didn’t know this tour would involve climbing a stair so my body was not in any way prepared. I stopped for breathers, took a snap from my camera, pose for a photo and pretty much did everything to stop myself from backing out. I love hiking mountains but I hate stairs especially those that take forever to climb. After maybe 30 minutes I finally emerged at the top.

We immediately went to see Heaven On Earth. The best part was hidden behind the cross. We climbed some more steps before we were led to an empty corridor. Then it was an empty room adorned with ornaments. As we walked deeper into it, the room became darker. Further into the corridor was a dark tunnel which stretches to about 15 meters before finally emerging into the light.

Emerging from the tunnel, I could barely keep my eyes open. The place looked all white, shiny and glowing it hurt my eyes. While I tried to adapt to the light, I took refuge to the melody playing in the background. A symphony so familiar it only reminded me of Bruce Almighty. Google it and you’ll know what I meant. Other than the orchestra version of Hallelujah played in repeat, I followed the voice of Ian and my friends while my eyes still struggled in adjusting to the light. I wondered “Is this what Heaven supposed to be like?” or “Am I too sinful the lights were blinding me?” After a few blinding minutes, my eyes were finally happy to see what we all came for. Heaven. With the magnificent cross in the middle and the angels with their trumpets on both sides of the aisle. The place still might be a far cry from the real thing but I reckon the brain behind it is a genius! It was such a wonderful place.

USEFUL TRAVEL NOTES

• Garin Farm is best visited in the early morning and late afternoon and during weekdays. They are open as early as 8AM. Since it takes more than an hour to reach the farm, it is best to start traveling early in the morning. Visiting during these times allows you more time to enjoy the view, avoid the crowd and the sun.
• If you can’t help but visit late, bring an umbrella with you. Other than the unpredictable chances of rain, you’ll do best to shield off the scorching heat of the sun to enjoy the place more.
• Try inquiring about the vehicle service from the entrance of the resort going to Heaven On Earth. Getting to it on foot is such a drag if you are not much into hiking. During our visit, we were lucky to get a ride down from a crew who was roaming the area on a golf cart. He asked us P50 each for the service. I just couldn’t tell whether it comes free with the P150/person entrance fee or not. I didn’t inquire about it since I didn’t want someone to get in trouble.
• Garin Farm has various activities offered other than Heaven On Earth. You can also zipline, rowboat, roam around on a golf cart and so much more. They also have amenities if you plan to stay longer.
• Don’t bother bringing your own food. The resort prohibits bringing of outside food and drinks.
• After Garin Farm, you can visit the Camposanto De San Joaquin and the San Joachin Church if you are into old churches and colonial structures.

HOW TO GO TO GARIN FARM

1. From the airport, ride a van to Iloilo City proper (P50). Ask the driver to drop you off at Robinsons Iloilo. From Robinsons Iloilo, ask the locals or ride a “padyak” to take you to the terminal of jeeps bound to San Joaquin. Ride the jeep to San Joaquin (1.5Hrs ; P70). Ask the driver to drop you off at the road going to Garin Farm. From there ride a tricycle to take you to the resort (P100/4 passengers)
2. From the airport, ride a taxi to the bus or van terminal going to Antique. From there, take a bus or a van and ask the driver to drop you off at the road going to Garin Farm P60.

WHERE TO STAY

If you plan to spend the night in Iloilo or if you simply miss the trip to your next destination, below are some of the accommodations available in the city.

BUDGET, ITINERARY & OTHER ESSENTIALS

We visited Garin Farm merely because we wanna see their famous attraction, Heaven On Earth but this pilgrimage resort definitely has a lot more to offer. Comment your questions, suggestions and violent reactions below. If you found this post interesting or helpful, let your friends know by sharing. Until next time. Ciao!