Guimaras: Nagarao Island
Wednesday, October 26th, 2011Me 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!