Day 1: Horrid Beasts
It was almost 7:00PM when our plane landed at the Iloilo International Airport. Discussing the activities for the night, we trolled out of the airport while attempting to contact our first who arrived in the province way ahead of us.
When we got out, it was chaos. Vans and cab drivers-dispatchers came rushing in offering to bring us to wherever we wanted to go. It was like a market place scene; like vendors selling hot meat. It felt like a prey-predator kind of scenario. I tried my best not to last out and directed our group away from the seemingly famished beast..
We successfully contacted our other friends and was advised to take the shuttle as it was cheaper. We dropped the 1000-peso van rental and opted for a 50-peso-per-head shuttle van. The beasts were still not satisfied and attempted to bargain some more. We held our breath, shut the shuttle door and decided it was just a fluke on the trip. Months of research and blog hopping isn't going to ruin our expectations of Ilo-ilo just YET.
Ilo-ilo was just a pit stop though. It's going to be our gateway to our trip the next day. That horrid experience wasn't going to stop us from having a good time. [Insert Good Time soundtrack by Owl City here]
We met the rest of the gang at OngBun Pension House. All of us agreed that we can't handle too much waiting time for dinner so we took the quickest and cheapest fastfood, well sort of.
ala-Fine dining sa sidewalk with matching PG mode. Galit-galit na 'to.
We originally planned to sing our lungs out at Smallville, Ilo-ilo's hotspot and night life capital, but we couldn't find any good spot to chill when we got there. Hence, it was lights out for us.
Day 2. Guimaras: the bitter-sweet escape
Gumising ng maaga para sa lakwatsa ay maka-quota ka.As if that's not enough to insinuate that we woke up early to catch the earliest trip in Ortiz Port; only to find out that there was no outrigger scheduled for the day.
Kung maaga kang nagising siguro maaga ka ring nakatulog.
The early bird catches the 1st trip. Not!
Bow.
Tabian: Liliparin ko na lang sana to kaso ang bigat ng bag ko.
Luckily, there's an alternative route to Guimaras - Parola Port.
Our Ride.
Guimaras in the background. |
Source: Mr Wiki
Guimaras is located in Panay Gulf, between the islands of Panay and Negros, Western Visayas region. To the northwest is the province of Iloilo and to the southeast is Negros Occidental. It is well-known for its agricultural crops, particularly mangoes, where some 50,000 of these trees are planted. The island is famous for producing the sweetest mangoes in the world, after Pakistan.
As soon as the outrigger boat docked, a whole new set of them hungry beasts welcomed us with such predatory eyes. We had to comb our way through the thick clump of public utility vehicle dispatchers and drivers for us to consult with the province's Tourism helpdesk.
One way to breeze through the island province is to rent a pedicab. But with our number, we have to hail a much larger means to travel to Alubihod - a private multicab.
We originally planned to stay in Raymen Beach Resort but the rooms available couldn't accommodate our budget. Fortunately, we found a newly-opened resort, Alubihod Cove Resort, beside it that offers room accommodations which are pocket-friendly.
Garden gnomes at the resort.
Baka mga guest to na di nakapagbayad.
We took a quick brunch at a local diner right outside the resort. The food tasted way beyond what we expected from this shabby-looking diner. It was decent and delicious enough for us to give it a go on our succeeding meals.
With tummies happy and dispositions all sunny, it was difficult to hold back the excitement. We were all itching to see what spots Guimaras can offer. Kaye took the initiative to approach a multicab and negotiated our island tour. A few offers with some subtle haggling after, we were bound to start the trip.
'Woot! Woot! Let's do this!', exclaimed Tabian, my travel bud. It was evident in her voice how excited she was. We all were. We all shared that same excitement - that amidst that experience on the airport, we were all ready to forge a wonderful memory of the 'sweetest' province that is Guimaras.
..to be continued.
Whacky Adventures* recommends:
Ongbun Pension House
(+63) 9104335048
(033) 335-1271
[email protected]
*for budget travellers
Guimaras Series: of sweet mangoes and memories
Iloilo-Guimaras Hullabaloo [Teaser]
Iloilo-Guimaras: the bitter-sweet escape
Our Lady of the Philippines Trappist Abbey
View of Iloilo at Balaan Bukid Shrine
Of sweet mangoes and good laughs at Guisi Lighthouse
..the good, the bad and the ugly island hopping around Guimaras
Check out the video we made just to stop that damn Nicki Minaj from ringing in our heads. Talk about LSS.
