Although not planned, we decided to just check in to Raymen’s Beach Resort along a strip of white beach called Alubihod in Guimaras. We were welcomed by courteous staff and were offered an air-conditioned room for two.

After settling down, we went out and explored the area. We were greeted by sparkling white sand and clear waters.

We did not dive into the water right away because we planned to have lunch first at the resort’s restaurant.

The Poor Traveler and his poor friend ordered chicken tinola worth P250. They said the each order was good for two. They lied. It was good for four to five people, haha. In fact, we had to stop gorging on that darn tinola for a moment to give our digesting system a little more time to do its job well. We spent 30 more minutes at the restaurant to finish the meal. Yummy, alright. It wasn’t native chicken but after a long, exhausting trip, anything chicken was gourmet to us.

And then we finally went swimming. The place was not crowded. There were only four groups of people in the whole strip, us included. We all had our place in the sun, so to speak.

After a couple of hours of basking in the sun, we called it a day and headed back to our room. There wasn’t much in the room, no TV set or anything but it was alright. It gave us a much needed away-from-the-violent-jolt-of-the-city we desperately needed.

We decided to take a rest for a while before having dinner, around 8pm. The next thing we knew, it was morning. That’s how tiredwe were that day.

We started the next day with a breakfast at the same restaurant. (We had no choice, actually. It was the only near eatery in the area but we’re not complaining.)

We had another round of swimming and camwhoring before packing up our things to leave.

We took a trike back to Jordan port but the trike driver had a brilliant idea. he offered to take us to the Trappist Monastery, a popular tourist spot we didn’t know about. He said the place was just along the way so it was alright with him.

We bade goodbye to Guimaras when we hopped onto the boat going to Iloilo City.

Our Guimaras adventure was short, yeah. But it was unforgettable. Like we said before, we should’ve planned our trip. We could’ve had a much more enjoyable time. For example, if we did our homework, we would have known that it wasn’t mango season so we won’t get to taste the world-famous Guimaras mangoes.

Also, we could’ve availed of the mango butterscotch from the Trappist Monastery souvenir shop, which was closed at the time.

Here’s hoping you learn from our mistakes. Cheers! LOL.

Despite our bad judgment and lazy attitude, we still had a great time. Thank God Guimaras was such a paradise regardless whether the trip was planned or not.

Here are the total cost of our Guimaras trip. Note that this trip was for two people.

Shuttle ride from Iloilo airport: PhP100
Cab to sea port: 100
Boat to Guimaras: 26
Trike to Alubihod: 250
Air-conditioned room for two: 1100
Lunch (Tinola + rice + drinks): 275
Breakfast (Tapsilog, tocilog, drinks): 200
Boat to Iloilo City: 26
TOTAL: PhP2077

That’s PhP1,038 per person excluding the airfare. Remember that you’d spend much less if you take a jeepney from Jordan port to Alubihod. There were also cheaper rooms in Raymen butwe were choosy people, forgive us.

Not that Guimaras was horrible. It was AWESOME. But what the Poor Traveler learned was that if you want to avoid unnecessary spending, you should plan your trip ahead even when you are backpacking. Especially if you are backpacking.

A few months back, the Poor Traveler and another poor friend availed of one budget airline’s promo and got a pretty 50% off their fare. “Let’s go to Guimaras,” we exclaimed “so we could get a taste of the sweetest mango in the world.” How’s that for a goal? We were able to secure a pair of tickets to Iloilo, then Cebu, then Manila for PhP3,100. That’s already for both of us, which makes it 1550 each — three cities! Sweet, huh?

On October 3, Saturday, our itchy feet led us to Guimaras. The easiest way to get to Guimaras was via Iloilo City. When we landed, the first thing we noticed was that the Ilonggos were so courteous and charming. Hmm, aright, that wasn’t really the first thing we noticed. Rather, it was the airport. It was just so beautiful, we had not seen any provincial airport more delightful.

But what was more delightful was when we noticed that the Ilonggos were so courteous and oh so charming. The moment a van/shuttle driver approached us at the front of the port, he greeted us with a smile and led us to where he was parked. We spent a few minutes waiting for the van to be full and then we drove to Iloilo City. Fare was P50, cheap for a long yet comfortable ride. The van dropped us off at SM Iloilo but the driver did not leave until we got a cab. In fact, the van driver even went of his way to call a cab for us. It was really a kind gesture and honestly, unexpected. The Poor Traveler had never been treated by a driver like that.

When we hopped in the taxi, the driver asked us where to go. “To the pier, sir. We’re going to Guimaras,” was our answer. He asked for the specific resort in Guimaras we would stay in and said we had booked for a room at Baras Beach Resort. And then we were given another favor, he told us exactly how to get there. Sweet drivers in Ilonggo, anyone? The cab ride cost us P100, including the tip, which he did not ask for.

The Poor Traveler and his poor friend then explored the sea port to look for the ferry heading for Guimaras but we just couldn’t find it. Heck, there were no signboards. And we were too shy to ask! Another lesson there, never be afraid to ask for directions. It doesn’t make you stupid, it makes your life a lot easier.

One man noticed how “lost” we were and pointed us to the right direction. Another kind, helpful Ilonggo right there!

Before we boarded the boat, we called the Baras Beach Resort and a woman told us to proceed to Puyo Wharf after, where they would pick us up and take us to the resort.

The boat ride to Guimaras took about 15 minutes and cost P13 per person. We docked at Jordan port. From there, we rented a tricycle to Puyo Wharf for P250. A jeepney would be much cheaper but we wanted a private ride.

When we arrived at Puyo Wharf, we were surprised how deserted the place was. No one was there but us! Poor us! We would’ve thought it was scary but the beauty of the place was just too strong for any fear to exist.

And since the guys from Baras told us they would pick us up, we waited.

And we waited.

And we waited some more.

But it was almost two hours and the guys from Baras was still saying the boat was coming. We couldn’t see any boat approaching and we were growing impatient, about to cry over the wasted time spent waiting rather than swimming. Poor us.

We said enough is enough, phoned the resort and said we would just check into another resort.

What we did not realize was that we were alone and there was no trike or jeepney at the place and the only way to go to where we last saw a moving vehicle was a narrow street surrounded by tall trees and thick bushes. We were seriously scared because it was as if some kind of monster would come out of the bushes to get us as we walk down the road.

Fortunately, an owner-type jeepney passed by and stopped. The driver asked us if we needed a ride and we hitched. The ride was all worth it. Feeling the rural, non-polluted air against our faces was incredible; it was as if the wind blew all our fears and irks away.

We got off at the intersection and a motorcycle driver offered to take us to Alubihod, a strip of white beaches. We checked into Raymen’s Beach Resort.

To be continued…