A few days before New Year a friend invited me to go with them to a private island in Guimaras. I love Guimaras so I tagged along my niece with me and on December 30 off we went to Guimaras.
Isla Miguel in Nueva Valencia, Guimaras is privately owned. My friend happen to know the cousin of the owner who is also with us so we have full access to the property. There were only 13 of us and we just commuted to go to the place.
A pumpboat ride from Ortiz to Jordan Wharf takes around 15 minutes and P13 fare. From Jordan we hired a jeepney that took us to San Roque, Nueva Valencia for P1,400 roundtrip.
We stopped by the Trappist Monastery to say a short prayer and to shop for some goodies.
The caretaker met us at San Roque and we hiked a short distance to where a boat was waiting to take us to the resort.
This is what greeted us at the resort.
Isla Miguel
It was an overcast day, excellent for swimming and snorkeling since you won’t easily get sunburned. I think I was the only one who did not take a dip in the clear water. I was happy enough to snap photos of our companions and the place. It’s very peaceful and quiet except for the occasional pump boats going around the island.
The water is shallow enough for them to go to the neighboring Crocodile Island which is still part of the property. Corals can be found even near the shoreline so the snorkelers were able to see different fishes like those featured in Finding Nemo.
Crocodile Island
The island-province of Guimaras is best known for the sweetest and most succulent mangoes in the country and for the Pagtaltal during the Holy Week. And of course, who would forget the Guimaras Oil Spill in August 2006. That incident brought much damage to the fishing and tourism industry of Guimaras, the backbone industries of the province.
On our return to the mainland, we pass by another route which is through a mangrove forest. These mangroves were also previously hit by the oil spill but are slowly recovering. The black stain from the bunker fuels are no longer visible and there were also newly planted mangroves. On the surface, everything’s back to normal again but scientists say Guimatas is still reeling from the effects of the MT Solar I Oil Spill.
A short stop at the San Miguel, Jordan public market gave us a chance to discover an exotic food sold at the local barbecue stand.
The grilled fruit bats were sold at P50 each and it was a hit as pulutan with the locals. No, I was not daring enough to try it. They remind me of the manananggal you see on TV with their guts out.
I’ve been to Guimaras countless times but I still get enthralled by the sheer natural beauty of this island province. Some areas of the province especially those located in islets still lack modern facilities such as electricity. Thus, lifestyle is very laid back and the people lived simply.
Someday, if I probably win the Lotto, I hope to have my own island in Guimaras. Wish ko lang.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Grilled fruit bats?! See? There are still so many things I don’t know about my own country. This is the first time I’ve seen “manananggal barbecue”. Great photos by the way. I do remember reading about that oil spill. I’m glad to know that the place is recovering.
Karmis last blog post..My January 1st
@Karmi – it was the first time for me to see a grilled fruit bat too. In fairness, fruit bat meat is all lean and they only eat fruits. Still, that knowledge won’t make me eat them.
great post.
ive been to guimaras twice
most recently last august 2008
nice place
Eeeeek! hahaha! grilled what?! spare me from this survivor series! hahaha! but that was one tres tres interesting item mademoiselle! hahaha!
reyna elenas last blog post..From the Philippines: Lica de Guzman (of Switzerland)