Of Mangoes and Baby’s Talc

(Fourth Prize Winner, Philippine STAR Travel Now Essay Writing Contest co-sponsored by Philippine Tourism Authority, Sun Village Boracay Resort and Smart Communications)

Forget the exquisite mangoes.

The sultry island of Guimaras can do a lot more than just titillate taste buds. It can do wonders for the other four cognitive senses as well.

Sick and tired of urban grime and mundane surroundings? Allow vast stretches of blemish-free, almost virginal beaches to soothe any form of visual strain. Can’t stand smog or the stench of city waste? Do your respiratory system a favor and try the atmosphere in this part of the world. Take it from me, worries of the gee-I-wonder-how-much-lead-or-carbon-monoxide-I-have--inhaled-today variety will be forgotten.

Rowdy crowds. Senatorial squabbles. Rock concerts. Disgruntled taxi drivers. Feuding starlets. Need respite from all the hustle and bustle? Look no further. The closest things that could rattle your relaxation on this island would either be the occasional shrieks of glee and excitement from kids or the gentle roar of approaching vessels. But even then, that wouldn’t be too shabby, right?

Have you had your share of blisters from treading on solid asphalt all day? What about unpleasant encounters with shards of glass or wooden splinters? Misfortunes of this magnitude don’t exist in Guimaras. Heck, you could roll on the sands of, say Tinago Beach Resort, and you wouldn’t get a square inch of your skin raked. On the contrary, you will find the sand so smooth – so refined – you’d think you were lying on baby’s talc. Oh, and it wouldn’t hurt for the sand to be strikingly white, too.

And do you know what the best part is? Expenses aren’t astronomical. Contrary to a popular belief, not all the best things in life are free, but hey, if they come cheap, it’s the next best thing.

For would-be trekkers, southwest Guimaras is the ultimate destination. Getting there should prove to be relatively hassle-free. If your point of origin is Iloilo City, the pumpboats are docked in Ortiz. It is within walking distance from the University of Iloilo. You have two options. The conventional mode of travel is a more economical approach that will have the boat drop you off at Jordan. Upon your arrival, hop on a jeepney headed for Nueva Valencia and you’re on your way. The second alternative is to hire your own pumpboat, but while it is considerably the easier way to get there, it will also cost you a bit.

Whatever you do, wherever you go, never skip Baras Beach Resort. It will undoubtedly grab your attention. It is a sheltered inlet that promises interested clients a different world – no noise, no traffic, no crowds, no pollution. Having been there on a few occasions, it is my solemn guarantee that you will not be disappointed.

You have your choice of 10 wooden cottages with nipa roofs, each strategically located among trees to maximize privacy. There are about a million and one things to do. Play table tennis, darts, pool, canoe paddling, or volleyball, free of charge. Rent snorkeling gear and go diving. Hold picnics, or take jeepney rides to the Trappist Monastery, or take a cruise aboard a 26-foot Catamaran. Any possibility of boredom is moot and academic.

Off course, if you’re the homebody type who savors romantic moments and sceneries from the luxury of your cottage, you and your better half can just sit back on the verandah and watch the glorious sunset or gaze at neighboring islands carpeted in luscious green. The resort even caters to tourists who are safety freaks, especially parents who constantly fret over the security of their children (moms, dads, you know who you are). The small, sandy private beach offers safe swimming and shallow waters.

Alubihod has easily the widest beach of the lot. Composed of a cluster of mini-resorts, it has become the favorite of local beach-mongers. With its friendly disposition, spotless shores, reasonable cottage rents, majestic waters, and lush vegetation, competitors have had the hardest time catching up.

Then there is Naburot, about half a kilometer north of Baras Beach Resort. Never miss the opportunity to drop by. What immediately strikes your line of vision is a cool bar made of coconut and nipa. Just perfect for people who live for the nightlife. There are retractable seats with huge umbrellas situated just a few feet from the shore. Just imagine yourself sitting there, with sunblock and shades on, a glass of lemonade on one hand, a Dean Koontz novel on the other, and getting lulled to sleep by the harmonics of a cool breeze and the sound of water splashing gently against the shore.

To be brutally frank, if you’re in Baras, or in Alubihod, or in any resort in this region of the province, it would be a shame if you didn’t go the distance on your boat trips. You’d miss a lot to say the least.

For one, there are numerous coral formations and caves just itching to be explored and photographed (be sure to bring extra film, you might not stop shooting). Needless to say, for quite some time, Guimaras has been a smorgasbord of specimens, capable of whetting the appetite of any marine biologist or researcher in the country or abroad. As a former UP student, my peers and I were never short of excellent specimens for our Field Biology, thanks to the excellent conditions of the reefs. Bear witness (it would be wise to keep your hands to yourself) to innumerable species of flora and fauna that come in a myriad of colors, shapes, and sizes. Clearly visible beneath the immaculate waves, you’d think a painter had used the coral ecosystem as his canvas.

Nature lovers might get a kick out of Turtle Island. What’s with the name you ask? The islet has earned its label on account of being both haven and shelter for various species of Chelonia (and not because its outline mimics that of a turtle’s). Sea turtles are pretty close to the borderline of extinction, so it is fortunate that a place has been designed to look after their safety and breeding. You can play with the little tykes – even feed them – but never attempt to run off with one. It’s illegal you know.

If you have a natural aversion against bats or semi-darkness, I wouldn’t urge you to explore any of the caves. But just picture out from the frame of your fertile imagination what you wouldn’t get to see: Fancy rock formations. Rays of light passing through holes on the wall. Stalagmites. Bat poop.

Guimaras is also known as mangrove country. For the benefit of those who don’t have an inkling of what mangroves are (take it from me, they’re up there on the top 10 list of God’s Greatest Creations), they are trees of the genus Rhizophora that grow at the mouth of rivers and along coasts, over which the tide flows daily. Sleek and seemingly profound, their ecological, economic, and aesthetic significance cannot be ignored. When they’re not regulating water flow or providing food for marine zooplanktons, mangroves work part-time as wallpaper for any sore spot in dire need of a facelift.

I’ve saved the best for last. Now I know that Taklong Island is a little distant (it is actually located at the south end of the province, so it’s not really that far when you think about it), and it may not even be included in your itinerary, but as long as you’re in the province, why not check it out? Taklong is a marine reserve owned exclusively by the University of the Philippines. Since it doesn’t count as a resort, people and litter are both, er, "rare." Electricity is limited, so every time students spend the night at the reserve’s dormitory, lights are usually off before 10.

Never will you find clearer seawater than in Taklong. On a boat ride, you can see right through the bottom of the sea floor and you’d think it was about four feet, when in reality, it’s 11 feet deep. And the coral reefs... man, they’re simply the best. Watch tiny, multicolored fishes flit to and fro, in and out of coral pores. Be mesmerized by different forms of red and green algae anchored or superficially situated on the reefs. Some resemble tiny plastic balloons; others look like petrified floral blooms. Hold sea cucumbers at the palm of your hand and watch them squirt water. Oh, and at night, if you happen to be at the beach, you might want to watch billions of sparkling "gold dusts" sprinkled on the sea. These are actually planktons – microscopic plants and animals – that exhibit the phenomenon known as bioluminescence.

Sadly, people not affiliated with UP or those not officially connected with a particular study or fieldwork are prohibited from taking live specimens home. However, if it’s any consolation, you can collect the pretty shells scattered on the white-capped beach.

So many spectacles, so little time. This is the dilemma – the bittersweet aftertaste – that comes with the Guimaras experience.

So, do you still want to talk about mangoes?