Jade Lopez

Me and my cousin left for our 8day vacation with a heavy heart that we named it the “eat, pray, love” trip (julia robert’s movie). Guimaras island which is a 15minute boat ride away from Ilo-ilo definitely fall under the category pray.

After spending the night in Bacolod we went straight to Guimaras Island. Our first destination? Nagarao Island beach resort.

How to get there?

The terminals for ferries going to Ilo-ilo is located at Bacolod Reclamation area. We took a cab from our hotel that cost us around 80pesos. If you want cheaper fare there are tricycles that you can hire beside Bay Center near the plaza. There are various ferry lines to choose from like Sea Angels, Weesam, supercat etc. We bought round trip tickets at weesam express (economy-480.00, 1st class-520.00)

holding the sweetest mangoes that I've tasted

From the port in Iloilo we took a cab going to Ortiz st. where the terminal is located. You need not wait longer because there are many pumpboats that travel constantly which cost 18.00 /person. We reached the Jordan wharf after 15 minutes but the travelling did not end there (NO IT DID NOT!!!)

motorized banca (pumpboat)

We rode a jam-packed jeepney going to San Miguel that cost 30.00/person. From there it’s a 3 hour travel through narrow rough roads to the wharf. So, if you are going to Nagarao for the first time just rent your own van to save you from so much hassle.

passengers can also ride the deck but we did not dare to.

this 12 seater van accomodates up to 20 passengers

The resort provided us a pumpboat going to Nagarao Island.

our boat going to Nagarao

me and my cousin enjoying the scenery!

It was a grueling 7hour travel from Ilo-iolo to Nagarao Island beach resort. We arrived around 3pm and it was lowtide already! We were not able to swim at the beach because of the rocks along the shorelines.  There were no one else in the island aside from the owner’s son (who was on vacation), us and the staffs.There is no electricity and the generator is open only from 6pm-10pm. Before it got dark the rain poured hard with some lightning in the background (it was a beautiful sight though too bad I did not take a picture).

chilling

On a brighter note I was able to find time to reflect and think about my purpose in life. The peace and quiet were just what we needed.

chillout spot at Nagarao

soulsearching sya oh!

My cousin, Ate Adona booked a flight going to Bacolod for 8 days. We decided to explore some parts of Western Visayas, Bacolod-Guimaras-Iloilo (I’ll write about it soon on another entry). One of the highlights of my travel was meeting two of my twitter followers from ilo-ilo. It all started when Ate Adona asked me to inquire for tourist spots on DOT and the person who came up to entertain me was Marie. As a first time in the place I had many questions like what are the best places to see, where to eat, how to get from one place to another and so on but she just stared at me as if she did not hear anything. The supervisor came in the picture to assist me, answered all my inquiries and gave me brochures. At the back of my mind I was thinking “What is wrong with the girl who is still staring at me?” then finally she blurted “ikaw ba si Jade? Jade Lopez?” ; I replied, yes. She said that she is following me on twitter! I was in a hurry as my cab was waiting outside so I just told her to tweet me.

at Global Pinoy SM Ilo-ilo

I had no internet connection for two nights in Guimaras Island. When I got back to Ilo-ilo I immediately checked my twitter page and saw mentions from the girl on DOT, named Marie (im_so_MARIE) asking me if she and her friend can meet me up. I met up with them at SM. We had dinner at Ted’s (the famous batchoy restaurant), had a little chitchat and took pictures. They accompanied us to the cab and waved goodbye.

It was an amazing night! It feels good to know that there are still people out their who recognize me even if they don’t see me on TV anymore. I love to inspire and get inspired.