Just a couple of posts back, I was marveling about how Potipot Island is my favorite beach in the Philippines. It still is, but Guimaras Island comes a close second.

Before heading to Iloilo, I knew nothing about Guimaras except that it is known for its sweet mangoes and that in 2006 it was affected by what was dubbed as the worst oil spill to ever happen in the Philippines.

I immediately searched the net for pictures of the island and what I saw got me excited. My friends and I were able to book a very cheap flight (P900, round-trip) via AirPhil Express two or three months earlier. It really helps to have friends who are always in the know about the latest seat sales.

My friends planned an itinerary for all of us which included an island-hopping to see the sunset over at Baras Island, a trip to the lighthouse ruins in Guisi, and shopping for mango delicacies at the famous Trappist.

We arrived at Raymen Beach Resort around 3pm and scheduled a boat for island-hopping right away. We wouldn’t wanna miss the sunset!!! We ordered food to go and at about 4pm, we were on our way.

Just so you know, because of not-so-nice weather in that afternoon, we didn’t get to experience the awesome sunset. But that’s not to say we didn’t have a good time during island-hopping because we did! OMG, we so did!

First off, the waves were awesome. I am not one to be so wild and crazy about an unstable boat ride, but for the first time, on this trip,  I wasn’t as nervous. I welcomed the waves as they splashed onto my face, and heck, even my unprotected camera! There was just something so awesome about the whole ride. My friends and I didn’t even speak so much to each other. We were just there, staring towards the islands as the boat crawled slowly to our destination, careful not to go against the waves too much.

Our first stop was the sift research area. I’m sure they have a better name for it, I just didn’t do my homework and write it down for this purpose. Forgive me? This area is where they keep the fishes for research. We saw Mike, the largest lapu-lapu I have ever seen in my entire life! It was about the size of an adult human being. I am ashamed to say that I did crave for sweet and sour lapu-lapu that time. I’m just human.

We saw other sea creatures there as well and I took a picture of some.

After that, we went to the turtle-shaped island. It really looked like a turtle and I kept telling my friends: “hala, mukha ngang pagong!” (It really does look like a turtle!) and they all reply by saying: “neng, kaya nga turtle island eh!’ (That’s why it’s called Turtle Island, duh!)

After that, we went back to the resort and had sweet and sour lapu-lapu for dinner. LOL. And since my friends all came from work and hadn’t slept for 24 hours, we called it a night.

The next day, we scheduled a tour of the lighthouse ruins in Guisi. As we were walking towards the entrance, we saw this view:

We were in awe. Who wouldn’t be? It was breathtaking and we couldn’t wait to go down there and experience it for ourselves. But first, we headed over to the ruins.

I fell in love with the place almost immediately. The textures, the patterns, all a photographer’s dream. I wished I had a model with me during the trip so badly. I had so many shots playing in my head.

It could be a great venue for a prenup/engagement shoot. I had two of my friends, a real couple, pose for this shot.

After taking pictures, we went back to the port where the hidden beach was and took more pictures. We wanted to take a dip, but the beach had huge rocks and so we decided against it. And that concluded our last day in the island.

All in all, this was a very nice trip. I spent less than P5K, and that includes the airfare. If you’re wanting to book a trip, tag your friends along. The more people you can come with, the less money you’re going to spend. Just make sure you bring along people you can enjoy with. Nothing spoils a good adventure than a sucky travel buddy. HAPPY TRIP!!!