Guisi Lighthouse: Historical and Sightseeing Spot in Guimaras

Guisi Lighthouse was the first destination in my solo day trip in Guimaras. According to my driver, it is the farthest spot in my itinerary so we decided to visit it first while the rest of the places to be visited on the way back. The first half of the drive to Guisi was smooth while offering some nice countryside view of Guimaras. The second half was bumpy and sloppy due to bad road conditions. This gave me an impression that Guisi Lighthouse is still off the radar of most tourists.

View of Guisi Beach at the top of the old lighthouse

My Solo Day Trip in Guimaras

In order to maximize my stay in Iloilo City, I decided to go for a solo day trip to Guimaras Island two days before the Ati Tribe Competition which was the highlight of Dinagyang Festival. I've been to Guimaras Island numerous times since my high school years but never did I hear about Guisi Lighthouse until about recently. Also, another discovery that led me to embark on this trip alone was the island hopping activity, which I'd never heard of before too. The only thing that I knew Guimaras was famous for were the sweet mangoes. :-)

Guisi Lighthouse

Dinagyang Festival: A Showcase of Ilonggo Talent and Creativity

I did not have any plans of attending the Dinagyang Festival this year but I was bound for Iloilo City the same week the celebration was happening. I had to attend my cousin's wedding but since the highlight of Dinagyang was only a few days away, I decided to extend my vacation in Iloilo a bit longer. It's been several years since I last joined in the event so I was interested to see some changes and improvements over the years.

Travel Photo Friday: St. Anne Parish Church in Molo, Iloilo City

This is the first entry in my Travel Photo Friday series for this year. I just came back from Iloilo City for the Dinagyang Festival and thought of featuring the church of St. Anne Parish found in Molo, Iloilo City where I was born and raised.

Looking Back at 2011

Wow, time flies so fast! So fast that 2011 ended even before I could finish writing about all the travels I did in that year!

It had been a wonderful year for me. A year ago, I remember how I planned to travel every two months as part of my New Year's resolutions. But soon after my first travel escapade in January, I found the urge to travel more too strong to resist. I was bitten by travel bug, they say. And that travel bug brought my feet to different Philippine destinations almost every month.

It was only in September that I realized to put up my own travel blog. Yes, it took me some 9 months to realize that I should not keep the experiences only to myself. I've learned a lot and discovered so many things about traveling that sharing is the least thing I could do to inspire others to travel as well. Also, it's because of these experiences that I learned to appreciate the beauty of the Philippines. This blog is my little contribution in helping promote the local tourism industry.

I wrote a blog post last September on where I have been so far, but this year-end post completes the rest of the destinations I've been the whole year.

El Nido Accommodation: Hadefe Cottages

Hadefe Cottages became our home in El Nido for three nights. The resort is located in the far end of Calaan Beach, a 10 minutes walk from the town of El Nido, along side with other newly built resorts that offer seclusion and tranquility.

Unlike the typical hotels and resorts found in the town of El Nido, Hadefe Cottages have stand-alone bungalow huts that are well spaced out throughout the resort's property providing privacy to visitors. The seven stylish cottages are made with traditional materials giving them a less contemporary feel and rustic look. Most of the cottages have a private balcony too. And since they are off the town area, expect quietness, laid back and relaxing ambiance.

Caramoan: Cagbalinad Island

Cagbalinad Island was our second stop right after visiting Lahos Island. Travel time from Lahos to Cagbalinad took about 10 minutes. Cagbalinad is actually an islet with small beach that is swallowed by water during high tide. The sand was very fine and white and compact. In fact, we didn't see any footprints on the beach - a sign that no other visitors were here when we arrived. We had the beach to ourselves!

View of lush green mountain of Gota Island

Discovering Palawan's Jewel: The Puerto Princesa Underground River

After spending three nights in El Nido, it's quite sad to accept the fact that we were leaving this paradise very soon. The worst part of a great trip is to leave the place you fell in love with. We bade goodbye to El Nido but the good part was leaving to explore another Palawan's wonder - the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park - which is a natural world heritage site.

The entrance to the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park

Travel Photo Friday: The Monkey and The Tortoise

Yes, this photo reminds me of the folk tale our kindergarten and elementary Filipino teachers used to read to us in school. The Tortoise and The Monkey (Ang Pagong at ang Matsing) was a creation of Dr. Jose Rizal, the national hero of the Philippines, which reflects Rizal's affection and compassion for the youth. The story was also published in a London magazine in 1889. For those who haven't heard about or forgot this story already, you can read it here. :-)

Caramoan: Lahos Island

Lahos was the first island that we visited on our first day of Caramoan island hopping tour. Lahos island is part of the short trip since it's located along with other islands and islets in the southern part of Caramoan Peninsula. They are quite close from Paniman beach, which is one of the jump-off points for island hopping.

It was almost 12 noon when we left Paniman. The sun was on its highest and we couldn't wait to get in the small motorized boat. Kuya Ramil and his grandson were our tour guides slash boat men. En route to Lahos island, we enjoyed the scenic view of limestone karst and lush green mountains.