Runaway with Gigantes Island

Known as Islas de Gigantes or Island of Giants is the Scallops Capital of the Philippines.. Gigantes Island is a  remote group of islands located off the coast of Carles and Estancia town,  in northeastern Iloilo, Philippines. How we get there? A lil' bit chaotic but pretty funny. Fresh from Smallville, we packed up and ready the set.

Oh by the way, Smallville Complex is Iloilo's nightlife capital and popular dining and entertainment hub where Ilonggos and visitors  go to eat, drink (and get lost. lol) and spend a fun night out in the city. The term originally referred to the complex of restaurants, bars, and clubs beside Iloilo Business Hotel. These businesses were the first to open in the area. But now, when locals mention "smallville", they usually mean the larger area that spans the "original' Smallville Commercial Complex up to the Iloilo River Esplanade. (I've mentioned in my earlier blog Hello Iloilo) If circumstance brought you here, the place is located along Diversion Road in Manduriao District, Iloilo City. A footwalk connects Smallville to Iloilo  River Esplanade to the south and a road joins it with Atria Park District by Ayala on its northern side. Atria Park is where we bought "pasalubong" of  various Iloilo  delightful delicacies back home.

Going home from Smallville at 3am of June 20, 2015 we took a bathe, freshen up and set ourselves going to the mysterious island (i mean for first timer like us, kinda mysterious is the term). We hired a van good for 7 persons. At exactly 4am, we leave. We hopped in to a convenience store along the way and bought water, personal necessities like soap and shampoo since islands are limited to few sari-sari type stores only. We spend not more than 30 minutes. Most of us took a nap during the trip. Our lady driver safely brought us to Estancia port approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes. From the port, we rode a boat (which is inclusive in our package) for approximately 2 hours and not more than 30 minutes.

We were greeted by this fascinating sight of white sand and different sea shells. The people were accommodating. At 0900H we took our breakfast apparently sea foods and we set ourselves to sail thereafter for the island tour. 

The most famous spot. Cabugao Gamay Island. It offers a breath taking view from the top.

The Bantigue Island. We obviously preferred pictorials  than chasing crystal clear waters, haha.

We chartered our pump boat to Tangke Salt Water Lagoon. We missed the cliff diving though. Most of us were not adrenaline junkie but we enjoyed the place well too.

The islands are naturally blessed with pristine white sand beaches. We reached another white sand beach and calm waters at Antonia Cabugao Gamay Island. We did the thrilling Banana Boat ride which costs 200 pesos each with 200 thousand exchange of fun. That was unforgettable. 

After Island hopping we did explore the mystical caves. The Bakwitan Cave have spacious caverns that can be easily explored. According to our tour guide, it was named so as it was believed that it has been an evacuation area for many locals during the war. And that  gigantic set of human bones was found her so the name  Islas de Gigantes was derived from such. 

By the way exploring this cave will  measure your courage and endurance. Being able to exit in the cave, you need a long jump, a crawl and a climb inside before the exit hidden behind which is steep rock formations and cliffs. Luckily we managed to survive the challenging adventures.

Before the sun sets on its horizon, we were able to peek the Ruins of Spanish-Colonial Lighthouse found at the northern shore of Gigantes Norte Island. We did overlooking of the islands we visited earlier that day. At 6;30pm, we headed back to Gigantes Hideaway Resort where we stayed overnight. We ended the day with sumptous dinner of baked scallops and grilled Tilapia. The whole day was overwhelming plus the raindrops started cascading down the roofs that sent us to a very good sleep early that night.

The following day we took our breakfast which is primarily a feast of seafoods. We paid for our package and leave some extra tip for our informative tour guide before heading back to the city. 

Our trip was quite short  but the itineraries and travel guides was a total package. Gradually, Gigantes Island today becomes one of the mainstream tourist destination in the Philippines. 

Hello Iloilo!

One of the Highly Urbanized City: (La Muy Leal Y Noble Ciudad) "Most Loyal and Noble City. The City of Love. City of Many Firsts. The Queen City of the South.

A first class city of Panay Island in the Philippines. It is the capital city of the province of Iloilo and it is the center of the Western Visayas region as well as the center of the Iloilo-Guimaras Metropolitan Area.

We stroll to Esplanade (Iloilo River Esplanade is an esplanade along Iloilo River in Manduriao, Iloilo City, Philippines) at around 5 o'clock in the afternoon last June 19, 2015. 'twas the day following the #Glaize&Allantietheknot wedding special. Both are my closest friend were I stand as one of their bridesmaid. They are true blooded Ilongos (natives of Iloilo). The romantic soft twilight is captivating. As locals call it is a peaceful promenade that runs alongside the Iloilo River.   Most of them usually go to the esplanade for a hearty jog or to hang out with friends and family in coffee shops and restaurant nearby.

If you are seafood lover like me, all you have to do is try "Ponsyon" at Plazuela Iloilo City just beside SM Mall Iloilo. They served one of the best seafood dishes in the city. Aligue rice, crabs, prawns, crispy crablets, lobster, baked talaba, etc. will definitely make you come back again and again.

If you want to go farther and explore the city some more, well, Tatoy's Manokan Seafood Restaurant is one of the best in town. A combination of seafood and native chicken delicacies of great value plus the sea breeze is a total package. 

Travel. Eat. Eat. Eat a lot. La Paz Batchoy is one of the famous signature dish and a must-try delicacy served in restaurants all over Iloilo City. It will certainly make you salivate and sweat. 

Side trip to Guimaras Island! Mango Capital of the Philippines

Guimaras is an island province in the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. It's capital is Jordan. The most accessible to the northwest is the province of Iloilo. From Iloilo City harbor (Ortiz wharf), you will take a 15 minute pump boat ride going to Jordan Wharf, Guimaras which is the main port of entry.

Known as the Mango Capital of the Philippines, you can spend your sweetest days in the island life. Guimaras and its people have been sharing the sweetest fruit of the island for decades.

Their white sand is also enticing! You will enjoy the unlimited sea. You can check for the best beach resort for your stay if you wish.

Guimaras Island has 8,000 hectares of mango orchards managed by corporations and individual growers.

Oh baby please don't ever leave the island without trying their one of a kind mouth-watering "Mango Pizza". One of the best i have tasted so far.

Well, if you want to bring sweetness overload going home hop in to one of best Pasalubong Center of the Island, Trappist. It is a gift shop that sells what many consider are the best among Guimaras' products-aside from fresh mangoes. They have mango-flavored Otap, piaya, barquillos, pastry bars and many more.

I hope for another side trip here!

That Kind of Love

I did sit here soaking in the idea that no one else would love me the way i wanted. The way I needed to be filled just like a puzzle. How cruel I was for myself. That kind of love that doesn't need words. I don't want to fall for words. A wild love would be great. A different kind of love. Being different is amazing. I want a man who will look at me as if he had never seen a woman before. I want a man who will ruin my lipstick and not my mascara. A gentle and passionate kind of love that could handle my worst and will give me all the reason to risk absolutely everything. That kind of love that made me define what love is supposed to be feel. A heart that doesn't wear a watch. A timeless kind of love that will never run out of juice in the connection. The soul mate that will put butterflies on my stomach  but with sole touch i'll feel calm and at home. That man who will tame me because i am beast in my own way and that was okay. An ordinary person who will revolutionized my world in a second but will give me a life minute happiness. " I hope he will kiss me with the entire universe in his mouth so that i will wake up with stars on my lips and smile that drips constellation." - That Kind of Love.

TIME ZONE

What will you do if the man standing in front of you is devilishly handsome and  was once the man who had been the center of your universe? When your clothes are slightly different shades of white and don't match? When you fell in love with the wrong person? What if the unsung heroes of your life, the ones that stood by you suddenly leave the world? Or you have failed a significant exam? Or you didn't pass an interview? Is time your friend? Are you going to slow down?

Being stuck, half empty or half full I think is inevitable. You found yourself behind a slammed door thinking a massive "what ifs". Just like that. Everybody is having trouble with TIME. When we're a lil' bit younger we tried to pushed days and years looking forward for more freedom and a glamorous life. Here you are now. In your late twenties when there's a lot of work and never enough money life is no longer what it seemed. Then you are bombarded with a lot of questions. Am I doing the right thing? was I placed to where I should be? Here comes everything. The highs. The lows. And we are making life unnecessarily complicated.

The man of your dream is happily in love with someone else. Your old classmate is a famous influencer now. Your timeline is flooded with majestic pre-nuptial photos. Everybody is getting married in your IG page. Your best friend's getting a baby. Different people are doing different things. But not you. You're just existing. And your soul is in solitude. Like loneliness wraps around you wondering where you went wrong. Swallow me ground for I became different to everyone else and OMG you are close to the world of thirty's. What have I done to my life?

But what if I have the power to freeze the earth? Someone from my stupid fantasy handed a time machine so I can manipulate my time and I can regulate my life. Shall I go back to the man of my dream in a moment of time where he sees any woman other than me? Going back to all the mistakes I have committed to my exams. To all those inappropriate answers during a job interview. For the filthy words I have thrown to someone I barely knew. What else? To those precious times I was with my departed heroes when I felt so much love and security?

But life has a wonderful way of balancing out. Errors was made for learning.  I've foreseen a path straight to my goals. For some particular reasons like physics, the point to success could be adjacent or perpendicular. The angle is curve and awesome. It's not always straight. If i didn't commit mistakes will I ever know what is right? I ruined my interview but was it a heavenly stroke of luck? I was placed exactly to where I should be and to whom I should work with.  Maybe he is not my man. Maybe I was made to someone else better. What is our life? We are all but a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. My loss was excruciatingly painful. It shred my insides apart. But pain is the first sign that I'm alive. And I was left with no choice other than to be strong. My love, don't die just because shit worked out. There are thousand ways to handle them.

We cannot know life by seeing one face. Someday you will appreciate the setbacks. The comebacks. The hate. The love. Everything. You just have to trust the process. You just have to trust God. His time zone is the most amazing. You might end slapping your face in awe one day how everything could be that possible. Have faith to the Lord's magical hand as He turns your life to a beautiful meaning. Everyday is not a mourn day. Emptiness is normal on Tuesday night. Being crazy on Wednesday is okay. You can stay weird on Thursday but end your Friday with happiness. It's always a cycle. And it is both a blessing and a curse to feel everything as very deeply. Pause. Breathe. Repair your universe. Proceed. TIMING is EVERYTHING.