guimaras

In March 2013, my friend G and I planned to go on a weekend trip to Guimaras with JS and J. We booked it for November 2013. G and I were looking forward to this trip as we had previously gone to Guimaras in 2010 and promised ourselves to come back (hopefully) with our significant others in tow. By mid-year though, G and JS found out that they were on the family way and were expecting their bundle of joy to arrive early in January 2014. This meant that G and JS could no longer join J and me to Guimaras.

Fast-forward to November, J and I were so excited to go on this trip as the rainy months held us back from going to any major trips outside Metro Manila. Unfortunately, we learned rather belatedly that a supertyphoon was headed to the islands of Visayas... just like we were. Oh no!

But no typhoon could held us back. We didn't know then what a supertyphoon was and how dangerous supertyphoon Yolanda (also Haiyan to the international community) would turn out to be. J and I even laughed about it, joking that Yolanda was the third wheel in our vacation, but prayed that the storm signal 2 assigned to Guimaras won't hit the province that bad.

Checking weather updates while waiting for our flight to Iloilo.
It was sunshiny in Metro Manila.

And so we boarded and took off. It wasn't particularly turbulent for most of the flight except when we were nearing our destination. We got to Iloilo in one piece. The sky was gray and it was windy. I've been there several times before for work and leisure and this was the first time I landed there when the sun was not shining at all.

I told J that the weather didn't seem particularly good for traveling but we were still hopeful. From my previous travels to Iloilo, I knew that airport taxis should be avoided as they charge quite a fee when there was the much cheaper alternative of taking the van from the airport to SM Mandurriao and then taking a jeepney from there. Since we were on a budget, this was what we did.

Normally, fare from the airport to SM Mandurriao only costs Php 50 per person. However, we caught the last van leaving the airport and there weren't enough passengers. The driver said that each of us had to pay Php 70 to cover for the empty seats. I didn't think this was particularly fair as it was none of our fault that there weren't enough passengers. But most of the passengers didn't say anything except for J, who talked to the driver about this. Since we weren't going all the way to SM Mandurriao, he just let us pay Php 60 per person as he was going to drop us off somewhere where we can take the jeepney to the port where the boats going to Guimaras were located.

The residents of Iloilo are very friendly and helpful. We just asked around on how we could get to Guimaras. Unfortunately, we ended up in Parola where the boats going to Buenavista, Guimaras were. We were supposed to go to Jordan instead of Buenavista as the latter is nearer the resort where we were staying.

By this time, the sky was overcast and we knew that we only had so much time before it rained. One woman even approached me and suggested that J and I no longer push through going to Guimaras as a supertyphoon is about to make landfall that afternoon. The people in Parola even told us that the coast guard might halt boat trips to Guimaras soon. And because J and I really wanted to spend our vacation in Guimaras, we rushed to Ortiz wharf. It felt like a race against time (or a supertyphoon, if you may) as we rushed to get to Guimaras before Yolanda could prevent us from setting foot on the beautiful island of Guimaras.

Landing at the Iloilo International Airport and ending up at the wrong wharf,
it felt like a race against time (or typhoon, if you may) as we rushed to Ortiz wharf.

Much to my fear, the rain started pouring before our boat left Ortiz wharf. But we left soon after. The seas were rough and it was terrifying to be on a pump boat while it was raining quite hard. My fear escalated when some locals wore the life jackets provided at the boat. I also wore one. Soon after, the rain stopped and thankfully, we finally arrived at Jordan wharf after 15 minutes.

It is easy to get a tricycle once you're in Guimaras. J is always good at negotiating and he was able to talk a driver into a slightly less expensive deal that includes a land trip around the island.

Our first stop was on a fruit stand along the highway where we bought ripe and unripe mangoes, which we planned to eat during our stay.

Mangoes from Guimaras as said to be the sweetest in the country.
But really, Philippine mangoes are delicious!

After that we had late lunch at Pit Stop where we tried their Mango Pizza. I love pizza but I never liked fruits on pizza. Case in point, I avoid the Hawaiian Pizza as much as I can. But the mango pizza is a surprise. I liked it. J said it was only okay. It could be that I was only very hungry then but I liked the mango pizza and I'd eat it again if I were ever in Guimaras again.

Island eats. L-R clockwise: roasted corn from Iloilo, steamed crabs at Raymen,
mango pizza from Pit Stop, and unripe mangoes with bagoong.

We went to The Trappist Monastery next. The chapel was being renovated so we just walked around and took some pictures. Next stop was the Trappist Mango Orchard, which was just across the monastery.

The Trappist Monastery in Guimaras.

We also stopped by Valle Verde Mountain Resort, which has a nice view, similar to what you'll pass by the roadside only slightly better. After that we headed to Guisi Lighthouse where we climbed the old lighthouse. We also visited the beach in Guisi. 

Island life. Clockwise: Two hens and one happy rooster, a bench at Guisi,
J at the top of the lighthouse in Guisi, and Deza buko station where we
had fresh buko juice.

The beach in Guisi is a mixture of fine sand and small pebbles and corals.

Guimaras,
November 7, 2013

It started raining again so we headed back to Raymen Beach Resort, where we were checked in. It rained the entire night and when we woke up the following day, November 8, it was very gloomy. When the rain started pouring, it no longer stopped. There was nothing much to do that day. So we slept, ate at the canteen, watched the news along with the staff and some of the guests at the canteen, and went to the beach to watch the crashing of the waves as we waited for typhoon Yolanda.

The waves were big for Alubihod beach. I recall much gentler waves from my trip back in 2010. The waves that day were bigger and more powerful, somewhat reminiscent of the waves in San Juan, La Union. J and I watched the sea, not really knowing what was coming as the rain continued to pour and the waves crashed on the shore and the rocks of the distant islands, which at some point seemed to disappear as they were enveloped in mist.

Alubihod beach during typhoon Yolanda.
Guimaras, November 8, 2013.

From where I stood watching the sea.

By the time we had dinner, it was only then that we realized how strong this typhoon was. Power went out but we were able enjoy electricity thanks to hotel, which has a generator. We were able to catch some news on TV but this was before news of the devastation in other parts of Visayas were reported in better detail. It rained more heavily in the evening. The hotel staff were sent home earlier than usual and we retired early, praying that it will be better come morning.

And in a couple of ways it was better because it was no longer raining and the sun began to shine again.

Alubihod beach after the storm.
Guimaras, November 9, 2013.

J and I making plans of touring the islands if the seas permit it.

The heart of the ocean washed ashore in Alubihod beach after Typhoon Yolanda.

A little piece of paradise in Alubihod beach.

But in more ways it wasn't especially when news came in of how the typhoon has devastated Leyte, Samar, and other parts of Visayas. After breakfast, J and I decided to go island hopping even though he wasn't feeling very well.

Going on an island hopping about the Ray Joshua 4 boat.
Meant for bigger groups and definitely a very big boat for
a couple of travelers.

We first went to SEAFDEC, which is a research institute. It is an interesting place to visit to see really big fishes and pick up some trivia regarding the fishes there.

At SEAFDEC with one of the guides who told us about
the kinds of fish kept in this area.

On our way to an island where we were supposed to see turtles, J got really sick and we agreed that we'd head back to the hotel after visiting Baras Island.

Back in 2010 when I first visited Guimaras, I promised myself that I would go back to Baras Island. It is special to me because I came to the island at a time when I was finding a reason to begin again and the view on the island seemed to tell me to leave all the baggages behind and beckoned me to just keep moving forward. At that time, it seemed then that it was there that I found myself. And it felt fitting to come back to that place again, three years later... to thank it for the generous gift of happiness and inspiration that it has given me.

Baras Island and its resident dogs/trail guides.

We were joined by two friendly dogs on the short hike to the wonderful view. They would stop every now and then perhaps to check if we could keep up with them. On the viewing deck, the view is still as beautiful as it was three years ago.

A stunning view at Baras Island.

As much as I wanted to stay longer, we had to leave as J was feeling worse by the minute. When we got back to Raymen Resort, we decided to postpone our trip back to Iloilo until J felt better. We stayed cooped up in the room with occasional visits to the canteen for food and beverages. In afternoon, when the staff learned that J was sick, they cooked porridge for him as he was not able to eat well. I appreciated this a lot. I kept on thanking them because it is nice to find people you don't really know who genuinely care for you when the moment of need arises.

At around 5:30pm, I told J that I'd be going to the beach to watch the sunset. It wasn't as glorious as the other sunsets I've seen but the subtle change in coloring of the sky was still beautiful.

Alubihod beach during the sunset and a stranger.

We woke up the following morning with J feeling so much better than the previous day. We quickly packed our bags and left the resort as we had a plane to catch in Iloilo. Taking the same route we took when we arrived in the island, we realized how lucky we were to have been spared by the rage of Yolanda. There wasn't much destruction on the road, or at least the road that we had taken.

I kept telling J how fortunate we were especially as we slowly began to understand the extent of damage supertyphoon Yolanda has done in the nearby islands in Visayas. With two adventurous souls like ours, it's often easy to forget nature's power over us. This trip reminded us of that fact.



Budget

Our total spend for this trip was Php 13,303 (that's 6,651.50 per person). This could be much cheaper if you are traveling with a bigger group so that cost of meals, land tour, island hopping, and accommodation can be shared.

Click photo to enlarge.

Notes:
*The island hopping fee in Guimaras is on a per hour basis. You pay Php 500 for the first hour and 150 for every succeeding hour. We arranged this tour at Raymen Beach Resort.

• The boat ride to Guimaras only takes about 15 minutes.
• The tricycle ride from Alubihod to Jordan Wharf takes about 40 minutes.
• From Ortiz Wharf to SM Mandurriao, it takes about 20 minutes.
• SM Mandurriao to the Iloilo International Airport is about 20 minutes.