Guimaras on my Mind

I sit in front of my work table and tap away at the keyboard, but my mind is somewhere: Guimaras Island. That little island sandwiched between the bigger Negros and Panay Islands. That island that became famous for its tasty mangoes. And my mind screams: take me there!!! So I went on an unplanned adventure to this fascinating island. 

Bacolod City is my drop-off point. The Manila-Bacolod-Manila airfare is about 5,600 pesos on Cebu-Pacific. Quite cheap, but it can be cheaper if the tickets are purchased a few months earlier. 

There are vans going to the city and a ride to the city costs 150 pesos each! No discounts for old people and small kids. The beauty of getting on these vans though is that drivers will deliver you to anywhere in Bacolod City or ‘downtown.’ Ask the driver to bring you to the Ceres South Terminal.

Adventure Starts Here

The terminal along Lopez Jaena St. has southbound buses. I took the bus going to Sipalay, paid 73 pesos, and alighted at Pulupandan crossing. I paid 250 pesos for a special tricycle ride to the wharf. That’s the fare for five people! I was gullible enough not to cross the road and wait for company. The second boat to San Lorenzo, Guimaras leaves at 10:30am (the first one supposedly at 8am), but it really does not. Pumpboat fare is 120 pesos. Take note that goods go in before the humans. 

I arrived at San Lorenzo wharf, got mugged by locals who offer motorcycle rides at exorbitant prices, so I hopped on a jeep going to Jordan, the capital, for 50 pesos. At the crossing, I looked for transient rooms—so expensive! I settled for 400 pesos at a non-airconditioned room at Small Wings transient house. I don’t recommend easily frightened people to stay there because I had a creepy midnight experience of the supernatural kind. You might want to contact Jean (mobile is +639075854797) from the Guimaras Tourism Office to find you a decent place before going there. Discuss your budget. 

Afternoon Walk at Jordan

That afternoon, I walked to the Capitol where there were still a few mango booths from the mango festival. I tasted THE Guimaras mangoes! Pure sucrose heaven! I had mango shake and bought two big mangoes, more than 600 grams at 30 pesos. I was thinking of having them for dinner or breakfast.

I took a 20-peso tricycle ride to St. Michael the Archangel Parish Church. It was under repair and the sides and parts of the roofs were still dilapidated, but the place offered comfort. There was still some afternoon light so I decided to walk to the Trappist Monastery (I thought I heard the locals say ‘trapeze’). Officially called Our Lady of the Philippines –Trappist Monastery and established in 1972, it is the only men’s monastery in the Philippines.

After about 30 minutes of walking, I reached the monastery, the store is already closed but I was told that the coffee shop was still open. I had my Starbucks tumbler filled with hot mocha and sat outside feeling touristy. I keep thinking I was somewhere in France or Italy. Apparently, amazing architecture and tall, green trees can give off that kind of ambiance. I spent so much time lounging outside the coffee shop that I missed the Trappist Church. 

Riding the Wind

Early the next day, at exactly 5 am, a local named Erning took me to Nueva Valencia on a motorcycle. We agreed on 200 pesos the night before for the beach trip before I realized that I could not get out without hiring him again; I paid him 500 pesos for the whole trip up to the wharf. He brought me to Raymen Resort at Alubijod Cove where I paid an entrance fee of 20—so cheap! The resort’s sand was like Goldilocks’ polvoron, cream-colored, heavy, and damp. Flat, cream stones (good as ‘pamato’ in ‘piko’) were scattered all over the beach and I took a handful to bring home. Really lovely stones! The sand there can rival Boracay. Do prove me wrong. 

From Nueva Valencia, we rode down the southern trail—no traffic, no one seemed to be going somewhere except me—and was amazed at the expanse of farms and orchards. There was so much green that my mind and eyes were in a deeply relaxed state. For one hour, I was mesmerized by the scenery and the peace that came over me was overwhelming. We stopped at Punta Bato, Balabago near the San Lorenzo wharf. Nellie Cordero (her mobile is +639094053077) owns the place which can be rented at 2,000 pesos only for an overnight stay! She’ll throw in three open cottages, two huts, and one event area for this amount. It is basically the whole place! The beachfront looked amazing. Trees provide shades, the water is shallow, and Negros is just right across the sea. One can actually see the pumpboat as it leaves Pulupandan. 

I paid 100 pesos for the ride back to Pulupandan. While waiting at the San Lorenzo wharf, I had time to go for some selfie shots with the monstrous wind turbines behind me (Guimaras has a wind farm facing Negros). When I reached the other side, I had company in the tricycle so I paid 50 pesos only. Another 73 pesos for a Ceres bus ride bound for Bacolod.

Take-away

I realized that I could have gone straight to Nueva Valencia then stayed at any beach for one or two nights, and then visited Guisi lighthouse before taking the pumpboat back to Negros. Next time, I can ask Jean for the best and affordable resort down south. From Jordan, I could also have gone on to Iloilo then take a longer but more expensive boat ride back to Bacolod. Or fly out of Iloilo.

Guimaras quenched my adventurous spirit and maybe I can go to another quaint place bringing with me the lessons I learned from this adventure. Or maybe come back and explore the diving spots even if I could not swim.