As mentioned in my Iloilo post, the I-G (Iloilo-Guimaras) squad saved one out of our three day-trip for one of my dream destinations in the Philippines: Guimaras! Yes yes, Guimaras it is for our day two! Woohoo! My birthday is coming soon, so thank you, my best friends forevz, for granting my wish! Thank you, too, to the Holy Trio up there because the weather was fine, so we absolutely enjoyed the place even if we were just there for nine hours! Ohhh, I really, really, really love you all! 💖 Guimaras, the fifth smallest province in the Philippines, is an underrated tourist destination. Usually, travelers from Iloilo also go to Boracay since it is just one van away. We actually just knew that when we were in the FX terminal going to Carles. If we knew it earlier, maybe we booked this trip for four or five days. Haha! But really though... Not everyone knows it yet, but Guimaras offers all-in experience for both water and land tours. My squad and I went here for the latter since we already had island hopping the day before. We did this tour, not just to have summer in September, but to explore places, too. Guimaras, as I said, is one of my dream places because I have been enchanted with its relaxing fields of greenery and crystal blue waters. This is overacting, but I do not care because I really am supeeer grateful that I already set my feet into this land. I was not able to do everything I wanted to do here due to limited time, but that is just okay 'cause at least, I would still crave to come back here some other time. Yes, for island hopping!!!!! Before anything else, I want to give a shoutout to Kuya Bong, our tour guide and driver for this day! Because of him and his big van, the squad felt so sosyal. Char! 1/2 char! Hahaha! Well, I said that because we did not expect that our service for today would be a van. We thought it was just a taxi, L-300, or just a private car, but no. Kuya Bong knew that our group composes of four people and yet, he got his van for us! The spacious Urvan overwhelmed the four of us -- we had our own corners inside -- and we would forever remember this very chill tour experience in our hearts. Disclaimer: I am not against renting a tricycle because that was our first choice. It's just that... We do not have any contact in Guimaras and it was only Kuya Toby, one of our Iloilo drivers who referred this tour for us. We did not regret it albeit the higher price, and much more grateful actually. Why? Because it was hot when we went around Guimaras! Hulas na sa selfies kapag naka-trike kami kasi pawisin pa naman mga kasama ko, tsaka nakakahawa yung init ng araw sa init ng ulo kung minsan. There are also roads that still need fixing, and therefore, rides could get bumpy. Imagine if we were in a trike, like what Dada and I did in Bolinao, naps would be interrupted. Moreover, since we had a better transpo, going from one place to the other took faster, easier, and relaxer. If you aim for a convenient tour like ours, I highly suggest this. Aside from praising the van, Kuya Bong is also nice! He checks on us all throughout the day. Our call time was at 8 AM, but since it was hard booking for Grab and almost all of the taxis were occupied, we got late. My squad arrived at Ortiz Wharf (the port from Iloilo to Guimaras where you can choose between Buenavista and Jordan Wharf which only costs Php 25 per ride) before 8 and had to wait for other passengers, so we were 30 minutes delayed. Kuya Bong was already here even before the meet-up time, so booking him would ensure that no second will be wasted during thy tour. Since I have been eyeing on this very beautiful place, I have tourist attractions that I wanna go. All of those were ticked off my list, except the Mango Plantation because it was not mango season when we came and the isla lyf. But! Shookt because Kuya Bong toured us, not only with the expected itinerary in Guimaras, but even the hidden gems of the province as well! This was when I realized that booking tours from the locals have its upside advantages as well because they know the place more than the ones we read in the internet. Since the aim of our vacation was to discover places, having a private tour with a native guide, was definitely a big help! Dada and his colleagues visited Guimaras before with a do-it-yourself itinerary and he was still amazed at the wonders of Guimaras. He was happy because he was able to travel to new places, just when he thought they already saw everything in this probinsya. So yeah, yeah, yeah, we really awe this to Kuya Bong and Kuya Toby. Thank you so much po! :) First stop in Guimaras: Navalas Church -- the oldest Roman Catholic Church and the only existing heritage church on the island. Roca Encantada, also called as Enchanted Rock is a 1910 mansion that is declared as a national heritage by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. San Lorenzo Wind Farm has 27 windmills as of the writing and is one of the newest attractions in Guimaras with free entrance *yay* This man-made bamboo forest gives so much Arashiyama Bamboo Grove feels. We did not know this existed until Kuya Bong stopped the van and told us about this relaxing place. Drum rolls for the main highlight of our Guimaras trip: the mango pizza! Known for the best mangoes in the Philippines, Guimaras has been able to think of new ways on how to cater this tropical fruit to the market. In particular, The Pitstop Restaurant offers mango dish variations -- from pizza to pasta, to sizzling plates, to viands, to desserts. And trust me, mango-with-a-twist meals are surprisingly yummy -- I, myself, could not believe it, too! Must-try this when you get here!!!!! The Our Lady of the Philippines Monastery, much known as Trappist Monastery is the only Trappist monastery in the Philippines. It is open for visitors as it has a chapel, a pasalubong center, and now, a cafe. This secret haven gives off a soothing and peaceful mood for the soul -- making me want to have a retreat again, talk about life with my friends, and just have a good time together with God, just like when we were all in high school!!!!! My penchant for ruins got satisfied here, too -- thanks to the Guisi Lighthouse, the second oldest lighthouse in the Philippines! Built in the 18th century and was constructed by the Spanish government, it is also known as Faro de Punta Lazaran. One has to take a 10-minute trek to see this vintage view-ty where Guisi Beach could be overlooked. Sayang nga eh. Kuya Bong told us that we could swim for a while, but we do not have clothes brought with us! Next time, next time~ Used to be declared by the Guinness Book of World Records, The Smallest Plaza is the smallest plaza in the Philippines with only 200 to 300 square meters. V qt, 'no? And for our last stop: the famous Guimaras sign at the Provincial Hall! Of course, we did not leave this amazing island without having the obligatory selfie here -- I just do not have the copy =))))):
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One of my best friends, Rov, has been blessed when it comes to booking tickets -- concert tickets (remember my Bruno Mars' 24K Magic experience? despite the news about the quick-selling tix, she was one of the lucky people who got in the portal and helped us with the tickets, and thus, that magical night happened), travel tickets (roundtrip to Japan for just PhP 2,700 inclusive of the taxes and add-ons; aaand she was supposed to go to Thailand, but work is life, and does not regret it because her airfare was bought on a cheap price anyway), even discount vouchers in restaurants, retail stores, groceries, and absolutely everywhere -- she is amazing in all these! *ikaw na pooo* So... One fine afternoon, Rov messaged me and our other bestie, Ivana (who is also with us during the Bruno Mars concert) if we wanted to go to Iloilo. We were eyeing this destination since Dada went here for a conference and shared stories on how nice it is. Plus, it is just a boat ride away from my dream place: Guimaras! Of course, I am g! Especially that we just got the all-in RT tickets for just less than a thousand pesos, aayaw pa ba? The plot twist though, this convo happened in August 2018 and our flight is September 2019. Therefore, yes, we waited for more than a year for this! And maybe that was the reason why I love the feeling when we were boarding the plane already? 'Cause finally, the Iloilo-Guimaras trip is happening! Knowing that my Cebu experience was kinda fail, super looked forward to this although I was reviewing for my midterm exam during free time. Huhu. Also, Andrea, a colleague from my previous company joined us, too! Plus, mi Love! Are we very clingy? Heh! But good thing he did because at least, we had our bodyguard, porter, and a human map, yay =))))) |
THE BLOG-GIRLE L A M A N I L A Ela Mones, a Filipina girl,
is a passionate lifestyle blogger who loves to express her unforgettable life experiences and best moments through words, photos, and videos 💖
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