Island Hopping, Guimaras Island (Mar 17, 2012)

I've have no idea what to expect in this place.The only thing that I was aware of is that Guimaras is known of their sweet mangoes and I must say, their mangoes are indeed the sweetest.

We've seen these mangoes on our way to the resort. We didn't miss any chance to buy some.  I simply love how they meticulously file and arrange it.

Let me make you drool on this picture. The sweetness of these mangoes is beyond compare.

So much of this mango sweetness,  go with me as I bring you to our Island hopping  at Guimaras Island.

Cam whoring while waiting for our "bangka"

We rented this ride and the rates vary on how many passengers on board. In our case we paid  P400 for the first hour and then add P150 every additional hour consumed.

On our way to the islands, big waves came our way. Look at that water, it will really get you wet.

Our first stop is at the SEAFDEC ( (Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center)) at Barangay Igang.  We got  the chance to see their fish cages that contains milk fish, groupers, and pompano among others.

I've seen here the biggest Grouper (also known as Lapu-lapu fish) I've ever laid eyes on.   There's one as huge as the 6o kilos pig. No kidding.

The huge Lapu lapu fish cause  that big splash that scares the hell outta me. LOL

That's Allen, Maddie, Yay and Shiloy looking at the Groupers.

That's the cage of the red snappers we're looking at.  Haven't you noticed how I held on to that bamboo? Hehehe I'm just scared to fall into the cage.

Walking on the plank along the fish cages took
a bit of getting used to as it sways a bit. Once used to it, striking a pose would be the next thing to do.

Our next stop is the Baras cave.

I

I'm actually scared of caves, but this one is just so hard to resist.

This pic was taken at the entrance of the cave.

This water inside the cave is beyond description - clean, clear, cold. There, I just noticed I described it with adjectives starting in C. hehehe

This one is at Ave Maria Island. So fascinated with this crystal clear water.

Part of the island hopping is to see this Marine turtle also known as Pawikan. We paid P5 each just to see and took picture of it.

Our group picture with the Pawikan. I actually named it PAWEE. hehehe I tried to carry it but it's too heavy.

That clear water plus that Island in the background plus my presence equals PERFECT. hahahaha

This is another poster worthy shot.

And this  is one fantastic view. Oh how I love to wake up every morning in this place.

We consumed 2 and a half hour hopping the islands. It was fun and a different kind of experience. The weather is just so perfect to explore the place.

Guimaras Island is truly a gem of the Ilonggos.  Famous for its mangoes, it also has boundless coastal beauty:
an assortment of coves, coastal caves, and beaches -  a perfect place to relax.

 

First time in Ilo-ilo City and Guimaras Island

Traveling brought me happiness. It will relieve me from any stress plus I''ll get to learn something new from the experience I've had in every place that I visited.

When one of my closest friends booked us a promo flight to Ilo-ilo City back in August 2011, excitement was my initial reaction. Who wouldn't? There are many reasons why I'm excited and I'll just say some of it; one, it's my first time to be in that place;  two, I don't know what to expect and what experience will I have; three, there's also that feeling of getting lost because all of us in the group are first timers in that place.

So now, travel with me by reading this blog post (and my next posts)  as I lead you to our adventure in Iloilo City and Guimaras Island last March 16-19, 2012.

At around 2:20 pm Mar 16, 2012 from Lumbia airport (CDO),  we boarded the Ilo-ilo City bound aircraft. (Thank you so much  Cebu Pacific Air for your promo flights, those travelers on a tight budget can afford to fly with you).

At Lumbia airport.

About to board the aircraft. Those smiles in our face were so priceless.

Cagayan de Oro is just 40 minutes away from Ilo-ilo city by plane. At around 3pm we landed Ilo-ilo airport.

Welcome to Ilo-ilo city. Their airport is  nice, it's like a mini NAIA 3.

For first time travelers in this place, set aside your worries of getting lost in the city. Their tourism personnel at the airport's arrival area is so friendly, giving you ideas and printed guides where to go, where to dine and what's the cheapest ride you can choose from the airport to your destination. In our case we rented a van to bring us to Ortiz wharf for P600.  From airport to Ortiz wharf is more or less a 40 minute ride.

Ortiz wharf is where to ride a small boat to get to Jordan wharf in Guimaras Island for P14 only. The island is just 20 minutes away from the wharf.

The boat was about to depart and we were just in time to catch it,   saving us from that long wait  for other passengers.

Upon arriving Jordan wharf, tourism personnel was there too to give you suggestions what type of vehicle to ride including the fare in  going to your destination. We opted for the multicab for P450 going to Raymen's beach Resort (going to the resort from Jordan wharf  took us 40 minutes).

I actually don't have any idea what places to visit in this Island. So I trusted the ever reliable GOOGLE to search for places  and resorts. We stayed at Raymen's beach resort,  for travelers with tight budget like us the resort is just the right choice.  It's a nice place and it's affordable. Room rates started from P700/night.

They have resto that serves typical Pinoy foods. It has  free wifi but will allow only one device per room to connect to their wifi. That's bad news right? We are 5 in the group with wifi ready devices,  all wanted to have web access. For us, that's not a problem coz we found a way to know their wireless password using a windows 7 laptop. Oh man,  how I love the perks of being a technical support representative. hehehe ssssshhhh

After dinner, we rest for a while and then we had our first dip at the beach.

After the air, water and land travel we've been through to get to this place, you would say it's a long and tiring day for us. But believe me, it's not. You just simply fell in love the moment you can see the beach.

Night swimming is always lovely.  This picture simply spells H A P P I N E S S.

Even with little  shade of light you could see how clear the water is.

More on this trip in my next blog. Can't wait to share our trip with you guys.