Monday, April 2, 2012

Unearthing the Sweetness of Guimaras (Part 2 of 2)

I asked a friend of mine who has been to Guimaras to rate their beach, with 10 as the highest. She said 7. I was a little disappointed and for a second thought of cancelling the trip, but then she added "But the island hopping is 10!".  And that sealed the deal.

So after breakfast on day 2, we arranged for the island hopping tour. The rates are standard. You pay PhP450 for the first hour, and only PhP150 for the succeeding hours. I think the price wasn't bad because I've tried renting a boat for a short trip somewhere else and paid almost twice as that.

a quick pic before we start the trip
view of our resort from the boat 



And the boatmen know also where to take you. First, they took us to a fish sanctuary that's being run by the government. Here we saw giant lapu-lapu fishes weighing about 110kilos.

fish sanctuary

giant lapu-lapu
some large fishes in the sanctuary
And then they took us to see the Paras Beach Resort...



And then around to see some of the unspoilt beaches of the island...

just one of those...
this look similar to the ones they have in El Nido, Palawan
this is simply breath-taking!
 Upon seeing this island, I  asked the boatmen if we could stop by so I can have my signature pose taken...
Tres Marias Island

Stopping by Tres Marias Island for a photo op...
...and to document that we've conquered the island...behind us is the turtle island
Turtle Island (from Tres Marias Island point of view)
 After Tres Marias, we headed to the Turtle Island, and guess what we saw? Turtle!!!
 
so this is the reason why the island is named "Turtle Island"

This turtle is the star of the hour

Trying to force a smile even though I can barely hold it because it's too heavy...

After Turtle Island, we proceeded to explore what more the place has to offer...

one of the many reasons why it's more fun in the Philippines!

We are headed towards that cave...

....we took the boat inside....
...and of course, my hubby took some pictures...

view of the entrance from inside

rock formations...the green ones are copper
 After spending a few minutes with the bats in the cave, we proceeded to a private resort that's not open to the public (obviously, because it's private ...LOL). Fortunately, the boatman knows the caretaker so we were let in. It was the best part of the trip. Because here was where I found the nicest place to have my photo op and have my ultimate summer pic taken. :)

Natago Beach

view of the beach from the cottage...
another conquered island!
and of course, my signature pose!
This place is a paradise in it's own right...
and here comes my ultimate summer pic!
The moment I got back to our resort, I texted my friend and told her "You're right! Guimaras island hopping is indeed 10!