A Travel Home

Capturing Guimaras’ Many Angles

Why are some sands bLacK? because some are whiTe.

Not all shores are bestowed of creamy sands. But Guimaras like many islands in the tropics are among the chosen. Hmm…that idea can only come from a proud inhabitant of one of the tourist hotspots in the Philippines. And true indeed this writer boasts of being a true blue Guimarasnon. But who could fully say he/she is a Gumarasnon if he/she has not even experienced the Guimaras that so many tourist from this country and abroad have through the opportunity given to them by money and that desire to escape from their busy world have visited and explored.
It is true that many Guimarasnons are not truly aware of the actual beauty of the place which they have called their homes for God-knows how long simply because they have not taken or been given the chance to explore what they call their own. And people, who are not aware, are people who cannot be expected to protect.
I did not know about the gargantuan deposits of lime in the rocks and soil of Guimaras until a recent misfortune led me to make a series of choices that eventually led me to a trip that brought me home. Home. I am home. I’ve been home for two decades minus the number of days I was in school in Iloilo or sleeping in my boarding house; but not truly home until I decided to work closely with the true advocates of Guimaras promotion and preservation. And on two of those working days, I went with my boss to a tour of Guimaras by boat.
Beach hopping may not be the deepest way to love a place. But it is definitely a start. Protection begins with appreciation.
I took shots of the places we passed and landed on while taking note from my more knowledgeable companions important details of those places.
(pictures...@facebook)
At the end of the trip, I got more than pictures in my friend’s camera. I was not only happy that the sands in the Guimaras shores are white. I was happy that they are still there and that my predecessors have done their best to protect them for me… to see and protect in my time.

Marking the Map to Guimaras Island

Imagining Paradise
Paradise -- there is no denying the myriad of beautiful images filtered by the mind at the mere mention of the word.
The images in my own go along these lines: the feel of powdery-soft sand cushioning my feet as I waddle through crystal blue waters, splurge in the abundance of fresh country air and gaze at the clear sight of the wonders of the aquatic world beneath me -smooth pebbles accentuating the whiteness underneath and schools of tiny multi-colored fishes boldly encircling my moving legs.
More to my sight is the long stretch of creamy sand only occasionally interrupted by anchored bancas in the shoreline used for fishing and hopping from islets to islets.
Concentrating on my sense of hearing, I sense the gentle rustling of the coconut leaves mingling with the tender lapping of the waves in the shore. A soft melody also plays from one of the cottages behind me.
Allowing my mind to wander off, I think of the freshly harvested coconut milk paired with sweet ripe mangoes in my nipa hut: a delight to my taste buds.
Several places may come to mind at the description made above. But the first place that comes to my mind is no other than Guimaras Island.

Paradise in Sight
Though considered as the smallest and youngest province in Western Visayas, Guimaras prides itself in its incomparable beauty with its pristine beaches at the forefront of fame and rich natural wealth most notably its mango plantations and abundant aquatic resources.
Its five municipalities, each proportionately bearing its natural beauty and wealth, are Buenavista, Jordan, Nueva Valencia, San Lorenzo and Sibunag.
Jordan hales as the center of trade and commerce and the capital of Guimaras. In it are two of the island’s famous Beach Resorts: Baras and Isla Naburot. It also has two hotels and six pension inns for those who prefer them.
Buenavista which is a mere 30-minute jeepney-ride from Jordan has six must-see beach resorts. El Retiro Beach Resort found in the historic Brgy. Navalas overlooks the mystical Siete Pecados whose story dates back from Spanish times. Enrico Beach Resort in Brgy. Zaldivar can be reached through a five-minute motor banca ride from McArthur’s Wharf, the major entry point of the municipality. Other beach resorts include Carmel by the Sea, Kelapa Gading and Abelardos all found in Brgy. East Valencia.
Nueva Valencia, located at the southern tip of Guimaras facing the Iloilo Strait, has the most number of beach resorts with more than 15. Some are located in one shoreline like Freelance, Raymen and Rico beach resorts in Sitio Alubihod, Brgy. Poblacion. These three beach resorts may be considered as three of the most frequented in Guimaras because of their accessibility both to local and foreign tourists by land and by boat. Others include Guisi Clearwater famous for its 18th century lighthouse, Villa Igang, Yato, Rumagangrang, NVMPC, Himal-us, Guiwad, Pulang Pasayan, Villa Clara, Santo Nino, Coco Palm, Punta Tando, Amancio, Tajanlangit and the panoramic El Puerta de Paraiso in Brgy. San Roque with its cogon-made cottage roofs especially built on a bulldozed mountaintop. This soon-to-open resort, which has beaches at the east and west side of the cottages-over-the-bulldozed mountain, will definitely leave tourists wanting to stay longer than intended.
With the number of world class beach resorts and a couple of mountain resorts in a 60, 457 hectares of land area, Guimaras Island is definitely one of the Philippine’s tourist hot spots.
The two last only by alphabetical arrangement are the municipalities of San Lorenzo and Sibunag. These two, located at the eastern side of Guimaras are considered as the youngest of the 5 municipalities having been created only in 1995. Sibunag, which can be reached by van/jeepney within 45 minutes from Jordan Wharf, is famous for its Island Resorts. Known to many is the Nagarao Island Resort which offers its visitors a feel of the Visayan heritage in terms of setting and services offered. In Sibunag also are the picturesque Inampulugan Island identified by its crocodile shape, Costa Aguada Island Resort, Jesa Mar Island Resort, Punta Punting Beach Resort and Valla Verde Mt. Spring Resort which is not a beach resort but is nevertheless worth mentioning because of its beauty and fame to many trekkers and tourists since its establishment.

Opening Paradise’s Gates
Not only is the provincial government bent to having Guimaras identified by its attractive beaches and resorts, but through its Tourism Section, it also aims to establish world-class agri-fisheries business support system and advocate policies for sustained ecological balance and equitable sharing of socio-cultural and economic prosperity. Guimarasnons are encouraged and mobilized to participate to the attainment of its vision-mission for Guimaras through its Comprehensive Tourism Program focused on the promotion of its natural gift of beauty, agriculture and fisheries.

The People of Paradise
Like all Filipinos in general, the people of Guimaras are known for their hospitality, warmth and love for small to large-scale festivities seen during barangay fiestas and the province-wide Manggahan Festival held every April. What distinguishes the Guimarasnons then is the love they have for their home province shown through their continued efforts to preserve and help protect Guimaras’ natural resources from exploitation.
The Paradise that is Guimaras
Paradise they say has many addresses. With its endowment of dozens of incomparably beautiful sights and over a hundred thousand amiable people, Guimaras is definitely one.