GUIMARAS: A Day of Discovery

GUIMARAS, an island a few minutes away from Iloilo, is known for it's delicious mangoes.  I had been there before as a Girl Scout who went camping.  Other than that, I didn't really know what else there was to do or see.  It was from this perspective that I began our day exploring this little island.

TRAVEL SUMMARY

Travel Date	20 January 2012
No. of People	2
Where we stayed	Day Trip (No Accommodation)
Budget	-
Trip Rate	3 out of 5

OUR ITINERARY

Our trip to Guimaras was spontaneous, so we just went with what our trusted tricycle driver / guide had in store for us.


Getting There

On Our Way to Guimaras
Photograph by: CJ U.

Guimaras is just one ferry ride away from Iloilo.  It's generally a 15-20 minute ferry ride each way to and from the port.  With good weather, it was smooth sailing all the way.

From the hotel, the port was said to be walking distance.  After walking for what seemed like quite a while, we decided to ask for directions.  We wanted to validate if we were going the right way.  It was at this point that we met this kind mister who not only gave us directions but accompanied us all the way to the port.  We thought the whole time that he was on his way there as well to probably meet someone, but it turned out he just wanted to accompany us to make sure we get there safe and not encounter anyone who would offer taking us there at a cost.  Needless to say, he never asked for anything in return.  We were so delighted and grateful for his kindness, especially since it was quite a long walk to the port from the point where we met up.  Unfortunately, we never got his name since we had to hurry as the ferry was just about to leave when we arrived.

Upon reaching the port, we proceeded to the ferry ticket booth to purchase our tickets.  We then got on the ferry boat and sailed off to Guimaras, with big smiles on our faces from the kindness of one man.

The 'Ferry' Ride to Guimaras
Photograph by: CJ U.

Going Around


Upon reaching the dock in Guimaras, we were met by Tricycle drivers on stand-by offering day tours to guests.  We initially had the contact details of a tricycle driver from the area who has been reputed to give tours at a good price.  Unfortunately, since we were unable to contact him earlier, he already had a guest that day.  We ended up spending about half an hour waiting for another person he referred, to no accord.   (One of the mishaps from spontaneity. -_- )  Finally, we decided to avail of the service of another tricycle driver who thankfully turned out to be quite good as well.

Guimaras: Our Ride and Guide
Photograph by: CJ U.

We were charged for the tour based on a daily rate since we basically had to lease the tricycle for the whole day to get around.  Initially, we thought that the price was quite steep for a day's pay, but after seeing the distance and effort it took to get around, we figured the rate was not so bad after all.  Among the places we visited were:

* Guimaras Museum
* Trappist Monastery
* Raymen Beach Resort

Guimaras Museum
Photograph by: CJ U.

Guimaras Museum.  The museum was unfortunately closed when we got there.  It's exterior seemed quite interesting, making me curious as to when could have been waiting to be seen inside.  

Trappist Monastery Chapel Interior
Photograph by: CJ U.

Trappist Monastery.  This place was a pleasant surprise.  It was generally a quiet and peaceful destination with pine trees, the interesting structure of a chapel, and a little store for buying Trappist 'pasalubong' items.

We didn't really get to interact with the monks in the area, nor did we get much information about the place since we only stayed a while.  We ended up spending most of our time there in the little store pasalubong shopping.

The Pine Trees of the Monastery
Photograph by: CJ U.

For pasalubong, I suggest going for Mango Biscocho.  If I'm not mistaken you can get this here at its best price. Other items also available for purchase range from  mango bars, mango otap, cookies, and ginger brew to souvenir items such as shirts and rosaries.  All these other food items tasted good as well, although the mango biscocho just simply stood out for my taste.  Yum! ^_^

Pasalubong
Photograph by: CJ U.

Raymen Beach. A visit to Guimaras would not be complete without going to the beach.  It was unfortunate that we were not able to bring a change of clothes since the water was very inviting.  Hanging out on the shore had its own fun and relaxing vibe -- listening to the sound of the waves while embraced by the view of the horizon.

In addition to these places, we were brought to this resort-like place where we had fantastic Guimaras mango shakes (although price was a bit steep, it was worth the price especially with the heat that day).  Going around the place, we found their cabin designs to be interesting as they are built attached to trees. It's unfortunate I forgot the name of the place, but I'll update this in case I do remember the name of the place.

Our trip started out rough but ended with a relaxing time at the beach.  It was a fun and simple day of discovering Guimaras.  I strongly believe Guimaras has so much more to offer... I look forward to our next visit.

^_^