Guimaras and Ilo-Ilo Escapade Part 2! (December 2018)

Hello everyone! How are you doing?

I hope your faith in steemit is as strong as it was before despite the the value of STEEM and SBD went down. Anyway, I would not be talking about that because I am a no0b when it comes to cryptocurrency. For now, allow me to continue with what I previously shared and that is our short vacation last December.

This trip has been memorable to me because it did not only allow my family and I to visit old and new places, but we also got to bond with some of our relatives from my mother's side. From time to time, I will also be posting on the places that we had been to before I start forgetting what happened during those trips.

Anyhow, sorry for the bad introduction on my recent post. I really haven't thought much about how it would flow as I was just so engrossed with the fact that I was able to connect with someone else's wifi connection while we were in Davao City, which by the way I would share here one of these days as well .

If you wish to know what happened on the part 1 of this escapade, you can check it our here .

The travel was cheap!

I am not bragging about how much my parents and my brother make annually but planning ahead for your trip would really cut off the entire travel expenses a lot. For cheapskate like my family, it was very helpful to avail promos on different airline online. It is also more helpful if you book ahead of time.

At first I thought we would be travelling to Ilo-ilo by the sea. That would really be very awful since oftentimes I experience sea sickness. Starting a travel in such bad situation would somehow affect your mood all throughout the entire trip. If you are also an internet savvy, you would be able to find a lot of wonderful spots around Ilo-ilo City.

First, Guimaras has a lot to offer!

When I say Guimaras has a lot to offer, it really has a lot to offer. But since we were only able to travel to Guimaras, we have only seen a little of it. I would not be sharing about.

For the love of mangoes, we visited the Guimaras' Mango Farm. I really was not able to know how wide it is because I was not able to ask around but I am pretty sure that it is more than a hectare. It also has a variety of fruit and flower bearing plants.

Guimaras also boasts its Guisi Light House or the Faro de Punta Luzaran.

As stated on one of its markers, it, "In 1857, the general plan for fighting of marine coasts in the Philippine Archipelago was drafter and implemented by Corps of Engineers for Roads, Canal, and Ports. The Guisi Lighthouse is the second oldest in the Philippines, lighted up for the first time in 1894. The structure is made of prefabricated metals from France, the tisa from Portugal and the cement from England. This 18th century Spanish ruin is very visible during night time to guide marines passing through Guimaras Strait.

Second, meeting our relatives was not an option

After our day tour in Guimaras, we decided to head North. It has been more than two decades since I was able to meet my relatives from Visayas, particularly from Aklan. I was just four years old at that time and the memories I had with them on my mind were just vague images of their faces laughing out from random jokes from whoever said those jokes.

Before reaching the place, it took us awhile because we needed to walk from the highway to their farmland. It was also very dark and the road is very slippery because of the mud. Aside from the kamustahan that we had, what made me so happy about the trip was that I was able to see my grandfather's brother, Lolo Ramon. I really hugged him tight because he looks a lot like Lolo Jose. I could not help but cry.

Boracay Baby!

It was not all just drama indeed. On the third day, finally! I got to see Boracay. I was still four years old as well when I got the glimpse to see the white sand of Boracay. What made me more excited is that it has been rehabilitated by the Local Government Unit of Boracay and of the national government.

Despite of the bad weather, we decided not to cancel our booking in Boracay. We have waited for two decades for this thing to happen and I believe no storm could stop us from visiting this promising islands.

Locals can enter the island but for tourists from other regions, it is necessary to book for a place first. My expectations did not fail me the moment I had the glimpse of the island. And for people who believe that this island is expensive, well think again. There is a good list where you can stay but make sure you book ahead of time because tourists swarm this beautiful island.

At night, the island looks so happy with different pubs and restaurants that are willing to accommodate every hungry stomach. It is also very commendable as the local government has allowed more space for people to walk because some establishments were demolished particularly those who did not comply the requirements from DENR or Department of Environment and Natural Resources. I hope the same thing happens to other tourist destinations in the country since protecting the environment is very important.

^{Hive account@gailbelga or Johanna Gail is a free-spirited freelance artist. She took up Bachelor of Arts in International Studies in one of the Ateneo universities in the Philippines. She also took up Certificate of Teaching for her love of developing her teaching skills. She is currently a candidate for Masters in Public Administrations.

She volunteers in various non-profit/nongovernmental organization which aims for human rights through political education. She draws and writes about the country to provide awareness and promote the Philippines to foreign tourists.

Support her posts so you can continue to support her cause!}