Guimaras 2015: Tatlong Pulo

After 9 years my family and I went back to Tatlong Pulo for our family summer vacation and to celebrate Nanay Jo's birthday.  ^__^ Yay! I really thought we couldn't do a summer getaway this year so despite our financial troubles I'm glad me and Tuka were able to tag along in this trip. Hehehehe..  ^__^


HOW TO GET THERE

First from Iloilo City we went to Ortiz and took a pump boat ride to Jordan Wharf. Jordan is the main port and entry to Guimaras Island. Tickets cost Php14/person and pump boats are available from Monday-Sunday. However, if you are planning on bringing your car along, you're gonna have to go through a different port, I think they call it Guimaras Roro. My family and I did that in the past however, I did not make any of the arrangements so I don't know much about the details.

If you're not from Iloilo, there are no direct flights to Guimaras so you're gonna have to go to Iloilo first then Guimaras.

At Jordan we rented a multi-cab that would take us to the rough road leading to Tatlong Pulo. The road going to the beach is a bit steep so multi-cabs and tricycles don't enter the road anymore. From the main road we have to do a 40-minute trek then viola! THE BEACH!  ^__^

I've been to Tatlong Pulo thrice before. The first time we rented a jeep so there was no trekking involved. The second time we were riding my uncle's 4x4 so again no trekking needed. The third time I was with friends (RGs) and we neither have the money to rent a jeep nor were we old enough to drive anything so we did the short trek.

Doing the trek back then was easy. Doing the trek while carrying a lazy 13-kilo toddler in his terrible twos was a total NIGHTMARE.  T__T  It was horrible. He wouldn't let me rest. If I stop and put him down he would throw a fit and he was too lazy to walk on his own. Huhuhu..  :(

Overall though, the whole trek was an experience that was horrible, exhausting and enjoyable all at the same time. I guess for Nanays like me, we should take fits and tantrums with a grain of salt, It's the only way to survive. Hehehe.. Besides, vacations with Tuka is 10 times more fulfilling (and exhausting).  Hahaha!  ^__^

You can skip the trek if you want though. You can either rent a jeepney, bring your own car or ride a pump boat straight to the island. Your pick. Multi-cabs cost Php500 one way and pump boats cost Php1500 one way. So if you're in a tight budget, doing the trek is a must. :)


THE ISLANDS 

There are 3 cottages available in Tatlong Pulo. Entrance fee is Php150/person per day. My family and I stayed for 3 days and 2 nights so that's Php300/person total. No additional fees for the use of the cottage.

You can bring your own food, no additional payment for corkage and you can also order food from the caretakers in charge of the resort. One medium-sized kaldero of  cooked rice is Php60, ice is Php4/piece, one native chicken cooked adobo or tinola is Php300 and labor is Php250. Labor includes cooking, buying ice, buying drinking water, taking your garbage etc.. You can also borrow plates and utensils, pillows and banig and other needs.

We did a bit of both. We brought our own food and at the same time ordered from the caretakers. We also grilled some pork by ourselves but the chicken dishes were cooked by the caretakers. Since I have a toddler, I always bring our own water for safety reasons. And since the cottage wasn't big enough for everyone we also brought tents, sleeping bags and duyans to make our accommodations more comfortable.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NANAY JO!  ^__^

Our tents all prepped up! 

Tuka's duyan training for possible future err.. activities. :)

THINGS TO DO

Swimming and snorkeling of course! The water is clean and the caretakers clean the shores during the afternoons so you can also sunbathe if you're okay with the summer heat in the Philippines. The beach is a bit rocky so we wear our slippers when we swim. If you have aqua shoes (only Tuka has one in our family) then you can wear those. The reef is actually very healthy, it wasn't always like that. 9 years ago snorkeling in Tatlong Pulo would have been uneventful but now the reef is blooming! I ain't kidding. The water is not as clear as Bora or Palawan admittedly (not enough sponges maybe?) but the reef is at par. Give it a few more years then it might be as colorful. :) So bring your snorkel gear when you visit the place.

You can also rent the small banka the caretakers own for Php250 so you can go kayaking if you want. There's a small cave at the right side of the island or you can go to the islet in front of the main island. During low tides, you can swim or walk there but that would mean stepping on some of the corals so kayaking during high tide is a better option.  :)

You can go island hopping as well if you want. You can explore the island - go to the lighthouse etc., you can have a bonfire at night or you can just hang out at the beach - relax and do nothing. We did all of the above. Hehehe..  :)

During early afternoons, it's usually pretty hot so the kids don't swim or snorkel. They'll either take a nap or siesta, eat snacks under the shade, or just hang out and play (usually with the sand). 

Pugak doing some artwork at the beach.  :)

Chill. ^_^

THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS

It's a beautiful place and the reef was great for avid snorkelers like me. Tuka and I even had a run-in with a sea snake that nearly gave me a heart attack. The place isn't crowded so you can really relax and to top it all - it's very affordable. So yeah, I would like to come back again.

BUT... There's no electricity in the island. So, if you have teenagers that are in to gadgets, bring a power bank. Bring mosquito repellents for everybody since mosquitoes can be a pest at night. If you have toddlers, bring your own drinking water to be on the safe side. AND if your kids need a cool environment in order to sleep, be ready for a night of fanning them. Hehehe..  :)

My family can rough it out so Tatlong Pulo is fine for us. But if your family isn't in to that then this island is not for you. ;)

For Tuka, I just brought the usual summer gear. A sunblock (age appropriate), long sleeved wet suit, off lotion, our own water, snacks, milk needs, clothes, diapers and other toiletries and of course aqua shoes. 

It was exhausting but definitely worth it. I had fun, Tuka had fun, H and I didn't fight and was able to work really well together during the entire vacation and from what I can see we're getting better at this whole family vacation thing. Definitely a big improvement from our family summer vacation of last year. Hehehe..  :) 

So, here's to SUMMER 2015 and to many many summers more!!  ^___^

XX

  

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Guimaras 2015: Land Tour

A couple of family friends from Japan came to visit a week ago and they wanted to see Guimaras but did not want to swim so we decided to do a land tour instead of the usual island hopping tour.

I've been to Guimaras many times but I've never done a land tour before. The only time I went to Guimaras without any plans of swimming or snorkeling was when me and my family visited my Grandfather's farm (next to Oro Verde - the mango plantation). 

So, this was a new and exciting experience for me albeit exhausting. :)

NEED-TO-KNOWs

To get to Guimaras, first we went to Ortiz Wharf in Iloilo City and from there had a 15-minute pumpboat ride to Jordan Wharf (main port of Guimaras). The tickets cost Php14/person.

In Jordan we went to the tourism office, registered ourselves and received a pamphlet about the tour that we were about to have.

Our transportation was a tricycle and our driver was named Michael and you can contact him through (+63)908-324-6835. The land tour cost Php1200 if you exclude the trip to The Windmills and Php1500 if you include it. This rate is good for a maximum of 4 people and a maximum of 8 hours only.

The land tour includes a visit to the following places: The Windmills, Guisi Beach and Lighthouse, Balaan Bukid Shrine, Raymen's Beach Resort, Valle Verde Mountain Resort, Trappist Monastery, Family Holy Hills, The Smallest Plaza, San Miguel and the biggest Mango Plantation in the island.

THE PLACES 

We went to the smallest plaza first, nothing interesting really. It's just an ordinary plaza only it's very small. So if I was gonna do the land tour again, I'm gonna skip this one out. Then we went to Holy Family Hills which was nice and interesting for our Japanese visitors. They learned more about the most popular religion in the country and more about our culture in the process. 

We visited The Windmills next which for me was the most interesting part of the tour. The windmills were huge and pretty awesome. I haven't done any research about this upcoming project in Guimaras but I have to admit I was impressed with the 27 windmills that they have built so far. Whether it's truly for the people or not however remains to be seen.

Next, we went to the Trappist Monastery. Lighted some candles and offered a prayer for our families. Checked out the property and bought some mango based products. After that we went the biggest mango plantation in the island then off to Raymen's for lunch.

We did not do any swimming because our visitors weren't very fond of the very hot weather. They were concerned with their skin, they felt hot and one of our visitors felt a bit sick during lunch time.

We ate Filipino food at Raymen's so that our friends could experience them. Drank cold beer to cool down a bit and then we're off again, this time to Guisi.

We skipped the Balaan Bukid Shrine because the trek isn't something our friends can do without feeling exhausted afterwards and we also skipped Valle Verde because our friends are bit old for the zipline. Hehehe..  ^__^

In Guisi, we visited the lighthouse, went down to the water so that one of our friends can try and take some underwater photos and drank some more refreshments. It was frickin hot that day, I think 34-36 degrees (?).

THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS

This was my first land tour of Guimaras. It was new and refreshing for me so despite some 'issues' I really did enjoy the tour. It was different and so it was exciting for me. However, from the many water adventures that I've had in Guimaras the land tour pales in comparison. 

I would recommend this tour for young peepz, who don't lack sleep (I haven't had a decent night's sleep since I became a Mom), likes adventure and road trips, likes roughing it out (the tricycle ride is a bit bumpy and hot) and of course those who are in a tight budget.

I would not recommend this tour for families with young kids. I doubt I would survive this tour if I brought Tuka along. It would have been torture. Besides, I think kids will like the island tours more.

Overall, I give it 3 stars out of 5 since I'm nice that way. Hehehe..

So, there you have it. My land tour experience.

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P.S. I apologize for the blurry pictures. I'm gonna have my eyes checked next week. They've been acting up lately. All pictures are unedited. ^__^

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