A 3-hour sleep removed
from walking on the rain drenched streets of Iloilo City, I found myself
inside a van with a few friends heading to a group of scattered but positively
raved Islas in the Western Visayas
Sea. A few hours of land travel followed before I stood staring at the radiant skies
above. To think, Mia was having doubts earlier in the evening of pushing
through because of the bad weather in Iloilo - the sight that greeted us at
the port of Carles screams of a setting perfect for romping over pure
and glistening sands with a beer in hand.
We missed buying beer
somewhere though – so we opted for bottles of Whiskey during the night. Earlier
in the day, the shining morning sun guided us to the islands of Antonia Beach
where we clambered over an edgy limestone cliff and witnessed a mini-sports
fest participated by a group of youths on the beach.
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| Antonia Beach |
Afterward, we sailed to
the John Lennon of Islas de Gigantes;
the Cabugao Gamay Island, where we feasted over a sumptuous lunch comprising of
a plateful of scallops, the boomerang shaped Wasay-Wasay shells, and adobong pusit.
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| Cabugao Gamay Island |
City slickers us who are
used to avoiding scallops because of its pricey reputation in big city
restaurants, were exulted at the fact that scallops comes at 1-peso each on this part
of the Philippines. Imagine the number of scallops a measly 100 peso would
fetch? Yes, more than the required ration for five hungry people.
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| 1-Peso Scallops. Local fishermen catches starting at 4-5 AM every day. |
We spent the next couple of hours at the island by lounging on a hammock and chilling under the coconut
trees – in between dipping into the crystal clear waters.
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| Batman's Boomerang? Nah, it's Wasay-Wasay |
The
IG-Famous Spot
Although not as
ecstatic-inducing as the Graffenberg Spot,
the position atop a small hill at Cabugao Gamay is where most images of Gigantes
islands seen on Instagram and Facebook, are photographed from.
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| The beautiful miss Aph Cruz of Las Islas Travel and Tours |
Standing on this X-mark
gives you a great perspective to frame the dual shoreline of the island, against
its curving shape leading to the lush green portion of the island. Flanked by the deep
blue-green colored sea and the stunning sunny skies, one instantly creates a
postcard-like picture just by standing here and clicking the shutter button.
Night
One at Gigantes Norte
With Mayan, Sam, Mia and
her then boyfriend – an Australian dude whose name now escapes me – we all spent
the night at Rosewood Place in Gigantes North. The biggest of all the island
cluster in Gigantes, and is also where the 1895 Spanish built North Gigantes
Island Lighthouse is located.
From the small port of
Gigantes North we rode shotgun on a habal-habal
(motorcycle) for each of us. Samantha was extra thrilled because it was the
first time she’s been at the back of a motorbike in a Philippine province.
That night, we huddled
ourselves over a few bottles of whiskey and an almost endless round of table discussions
– where the Aussie boyfriend of Mia took the role of main
conversationalist.
I retired early into our
triple-bed room I shared with Mayan and Sam and slept soundly into the next
beautiful day at the island.
Night
Two at Cabugao Gamay
The next day, our party of
five became one as I opted to stay an extra night while Sam, Mayan, Mia and
Aussie dude went back to Iloilo. It so happened that miss Aph of Las Islas
Travel and Tours is also heading to Cabugao Gamay with her group of clients.
Arranging to rendezvous with her party, she ended up adopting me for another couple of days and I get to enjoy more
feasts of scallops and wasay-wasay shells. That, plus enjoying her magical presence and fun company.
I spent the next two days
just chilling by the beach watching as the skies shift from bright to cloudy –
since there is a strong typhoon passing by in the waters surrounding Panay Island.
Fortunately, other than a
windy span lasting almost an hour in the afternoon, the weather settled back
to summer mode even in the month of August.
The next morning we
crossed over to Cabugao Daku – the island closest to Cabugao Gamay. We rested
under a small nipa hut and enjoyed the more secluded vibe of the island. We
also checked out the small but charming lone home-stay accommodation in the
island as I made a mental note of staying here next time I return with a
girlfriend. (Writer’s note: too bad miss
Aph is already taken now).
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| Cabugao Daku |
It was absolutely and most
definitely, a wonderful way of spending a few days just amassing 25 billion ‘chill time’
just by staring at the beautiful boodeh
of water and bounteous nature that exist all over the Gigantes group of
islands. All that plus the company of two sets of friends; old and new alike.
A Rare Travel Guide
What to Do:
Island Hopping
Gigantes Islands can be
explored in a whole day but for those wanting to have more chill time at every
island and beaches, then a two-day or even a three-day jaunt is advisable.
Rock Climbing –
The view of the Islas de Gigantes becomes more impressive when seen from the
top. Scrambling your way along the many towering limestone cliffs that dot the
peninsula shall give you a magnificent scenery of the surrounding islands.
Easier routes are set up
in place at Antonio Beach and Cabugao Gamay Island where most visitors can take
a photograph; while a harder route in Gigantes Sur (referred to as the “Boulevard”)
should require a bit of technical climbing prowess ascending up the steep and
jagged trail that leads to a breathtaking 360-degree scenery of the whole Islas
de Gigantes.
Other can’t-miss spots includes; the Tangke Saltwater Lagoon and the Bantigue Sandbar. Since we went there during the onset of the habagat season, entering the lagoon proved impossible because of the strong sea current.
Where to Stay:
Travelers can spend the
night at Maruja’s Flora Island Paradise at Cabugao Gamay Island or pitch a tent
at Antonia Beach. Other choices include a number of resorts located at Gigantes
Norte such as the Rosewood Place and Arjay beach resort.
How to Get to Gigantes
Islands:
Iloilo, Kalibo and Roxas
City all provide bus and shuttle vans transportation to the municipality of
Carles. Upon arriving at Carles port, make sure to visit the tourism office to
pay for your environmental fee and arrange for your island hopping boats if you
are traveling D-I-Y style.
