Island hopping in Guimaras

Our two-hour tour of the coves, beaches and islets near Alubihod beach proved to be the highlight of our day trip to Guimaras last Tuesday. Unfortunately for us, it was also the only time last week that the rain poured and we also started late so we were no able to maximize our trip. Yet it was still worth it and we are already planning for more.

Alubihod beach in Guimaras

Our boat tour started/ended at Alubihod beach. The beach is just small that a mere 10 minute walk would cover the entire length - though it is one of the biggest beach in Guimaras and that's why it's popular.

Raymen Beach Resort in Alubihod beach, Guimaras

We headed out to sea around 2pm in small outriggered motorized banca. The sea was calm allthroughout that we fully appreciated the the beaches, coves, cliffs and even the clearness of the sea itself

Our first stop was the PawCaFS - Pawikan caring and Feeding Station. At first we were wondering why we were headed to an area that was full of houses and no beach, but when we saw the sign, we knew why.

PawCaFS - Pawikan caring and Feeding Station

For some minimal donations to keep this farm alive, visitors can hold and have some photo ops with these sea turtles being cared for. They also have some puffer fishes which you can also hold out of the water.

We then continued our boat trip, this time looking for a place where we can dip and enjoy the sands. At last we found it! A small stretch of sand in a small cove between two low cliffs that have caves in it. A picture perfect scene!

This is how it looks like from another angle. It is very small and looks totally isolated. perfect palce for the banca to dock, for us to have a dip in it's perfect water; clear, not so deep and rigth temperature. The boatmen told us that this stretch of sand only appears at this time of the year, during summer, when the winds bring the waves to other directions this small beach is inexistent.

But it is okay since right beside it, past the cliff is a much bigger beach which serves as home to a few families. How lucky there are to have some good beachfront for the rest of their lives.

After dipping the waters of "our own private beach", we continued our island hopping. This time it was something different, as we approached a cave to which we thought we're just going to have a closer look from the outside ...

... yet we went inside as the boatmen expertly maneuvered our banca inside this small cave. It was low tide that time and they had a small difficulty doing it compared during hight tide. There were bats inside and that time a snake with blue and white stripes. Another good place for photo ops.

We just then continued with our boat tour and saw many other beaches, islands and limestone cliffs. We got to see numerous natural attractions Guimaras has to offer. We even passed by some private resorts like Baras beach resort and the famed Isla Naburot. Not to mention a religious retreat for nuns on top of a hill - which we thought they sunbath in two piece bikinis -lol.

It was raining (slightly) that time and we were also running out of time as we decided to go back to back to Raymen's. Still the natural wonders along the way were picture perfect that we felt our two hour island hopping was so short that we already planned on coming back even before we went down at Alubihod beach.

Read more about Isla Tiniguiban aka Isla Pulang Pasayan

Ultimate Ilonggo Favorite: KBL Kadyos, Baboy, Langka

K.B.L. or Kadyos, Baboy, Langka is the ultimate favorite dish of most Ilonggos. It is also one of the most missed native dishes as kadyos and the souring ingredient, batwan , are hard to find when outside of the Ilonggo region. Basically, it is boiled/stewed pork dish owing its "deliciousness" to the combination of the soft and tender pork, the tamed sourness of batwan and the malinamnam na sabaw . One of the "secrets" of the malinamnamn na sabaw , is the fact that the pork, whether just the plain meat or pata (hocks) are first grilled or broiled. This gives the broth a rather smoky taste that makes it more appetizing.. Learn how to make the Ilonggo dish KBL (Kadyos, Baboy, at Langka) with the recipe below. Ingredients 1 kilo Pata (pork hocks) or pork cubes, GRILLED and sliced into bite size pieces 1 unripe Jack fruit, cubed 2 cups pigeon pea (kadyos) 6-8 pieces batwan fruit (or tamarind powder) 1 piece pork broth cube (

An Ilonggo favorite - Valenciana

Found in almost all occasions like fiesta, birthdays, reunions and others, Ilonggos really love valenciana because most if not all have grown accustomed of having it in special gatherings at home. A complete " go, grow and glow " dish because it has the carbohydrates, protein and vitamins and minerals in just one spoonful, Valenciana is really an " occasional dish ". Here's the recipe for Valenciana

Takway

The gabi (taro) is just one of those plants which is edible from "roots to tops". The most popular of which is the tuber part which is used in a variety of dishes and mostly in combination with coconut milk. Its leaves, of course, is the main ingredient of a Bicol specialty, laing . It is dried then chopped and sauteed with other ingredients including, again, coconut milk. Then there is takway . The local term for its tendrils/runner, that part which is torn between being a stem or a root for it neither grows upwards nor downwards - it grows sideways . Scraped off of its outer skin, takway is often a key ingredient in vegetable dishes like laswa and the gabi tuber with coconut milk and local snails know as bago-ngon . It is also popular when cooked adobo style with guinamos , the local bago-ong . It is very popular in the region that even big supermarkets sell takway in style - cleaned and plastic wrapped in styro with some additions to make it easier to prepare.

A native (foods) welcome in Guimaras

Even after having breakfast less than an hour that time, we couldn't say no to this lot of native delciacies that welcomed us in Guimaras. First and foremost, Guimaras best known produce is their sweet mango famous almost worldwide. And it comes with it's best partner, ibos. This brown baye-baye variety is made from toasted rice thus giving it a more disctinct flavour compared to it's more "caucasian" cousin. I like the one wrapped in banana leaves compared with the one in plastic for it gives it a more native feel. So when you're in Guimaras, be sure to check out the markets for these native delicacies that can make your trip more gastronomically satisfying.

Batwan

Ilonggos know batwan or batuan by heart as the fruit is almost endemic to the Western Visayas. Its scientific name is Garcinia binucao, derived from the Tagalog name for the fruit, binukaw. It is a large green fruit with large seeds and its a favorite souring ingredient in most Ilonggo dishes especially KBL or kadyos, baboy, langka and the Ilonggo-style paksiw known as "pinamalhan". It is characterized by a tamed sourness compared to tamarind and kamias . The fruit is sold by pieces or kilo in wet markets and even big grocery stores. Batwan is the preferred souring ingredients for the Ilonggo favorite- KBL. The photo shows boiled batwan with skin and without skin (right) A favorite riddle when we were young - "Among the many fruits in the forest, but one (batuan) is the best. What is it?"

FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

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