Garin Farm / San Juaquin, Iloilo City: A Glimpse of Heaven on Earth
Travel
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Sunday, March 22, 2020
We
had a unique experience visiting Garin Farm. It was both recreational and
spiritual. If you are a nature lover,
then you will surely like this place. It has a farm that produces poultry
products, milk, and meat. Then, there is a resort with a swimming pool and a
man-made lake, plus a worship place, they call it pilgrimage hill, wherein you
can take time to personally talk to yourself and find meaning to all your
experiences in life.
FARM
From the main entrance, we
passed through the vine-covered passageway leading to the farm’s amenities.
Because of the vine curtain and big shady trees, we did not feel any discomfort
whatsoever despite the hot weather.
We
had a 20-minute walk before reaching the main area of the property. For us who
live in the city, it is always a refreshing sight to see chickens in coops
laying eggs, a flock of doves flying freely in the air, goats, and carabaos in
their natural habitat and other farm animals I can no longer remember at this
time.
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The vine curtain gives shades to visitors as they walked around this sprawling Garin property. Photo by Joarniel John S. Hinolan |
RESORT
Aside from the agricultural
feature of Garin, we were also treated to the breathtaking view of the resort
area. The hotel rooms are neatly lined in one area overlooking the swimming
pool and a man-made lake. Since we were on a day tour, we did not check the
resort’s amenities. I guess visitors can try out the zip line, ride in ATV
(all-terrain vehicle), go night swimming, kayaking and fishing.
We took our early lunch at the
resort’s restaurant. We had corned beef and spam with a sunny-side-up fried
egg. They also served fresh goat milk and chicken empanada – both were the
products of the farm. There were pasalubong items on sale in the restaurant
too.
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The panoramic view of the resort as viewed from the restaurant. It features hotel rooms, swimming pool, lake for fishing and other boat activities as well as zipline for the adventurous guests. |
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Fresh goat milk and empanadas are some of the food guests may eat at the farm's restaurant. |
PILGRIMAGE
HILL
The most important part of this
sprawling property is Pilgrimage Hill, which is the favorite subject of many pictures
on Facebook and Instagram. We climbed around 500-step stairs leading to the
symbolic white cross at the end of the hill.
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The Pilgrimage Hill is about 500 steps upward which provides guests the opportunity to talk to God. |
While climbing the steep hill,
we were transported back to the days of Jesus as we saw the recreation of the major
biblical events leading to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The
tableau features life-sized images of the biblical characters and yes, the
emotions on their faces were artistically differentiated. I can feel the pain
and agony Jesus endured with his tormentors when He was sentenced to death.
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The brother and sister team pose before entering the dark tunnel leading to the Divine Mercy Prayer Room |
Our visit to Garin Farm is
relaxing not only to our physical body but to our soul as well. We had the
chance to appreciate the little things we failed to notice because of our busy
life, like seeing how chickens in coop lay their eggs or noticing how graceful birds
fly. It was also a chance to meditate and to know what we value most in
life.
Did you experience travelling to places like this? Share your thoughts in the Comment Section below.