Villa Igang at Guimaras Island

Have you been to Guimaras Island? If not, then you should. It's a place worth the sight. Last December 2010, I had the chance to visit the island the 2nd time around with my family. My 1st visit was fine but i didnt get to see the beauty of the place itself. We spent our time there at a crowded resort, it was a sudden trip and was not well-planned. But it was worthwile because it was spent with my family. However, last December, my sister took the time to search for a good place there and booked us in to a more private resort than the 1st one. This time around, i had the luxury of getting to know how beautiful this small island is. I tell you, it is a wonder.

Guimaras island is a small island known as the "Mango country". I grew up in Iloilo City but with all my years there, i never had the chance to visit this 15-minute boat ride island. I guess as they say it, most people are a foreigner in their own land and i'm one of them. But majority of it was because i was really not the outgoing type when i was young. I think this is the reason why if i get to travel, i marvel with the little details of the place i visit to. I easily get awed by the beautiful works of our God. So before the year 2010 ended, I got to see one of God's marvelous workmanships one more time in this small island called "Guimaras".

We had a reservation at a place called "Villa Igang" located at poblacion, Nueva Valencia, Guimaras. At first, i was not expecting much of this planned vacation, because 1st, i already visited the place, 2nd, "Igang" in Cebuano means "hot" and i'm not a fan of hot places, and 3rd, this is just an overnight stay because we had to go back to iloilo in time to celebrate the new year. SO what can you really expect in an overnight stay? Not much right. Anyway from the port, we rented a "multi-cab", it's a small jeepney-like ride to bring us to the resort. The travel was about 30-45minutes and it was smooth, no traffic and I enjoyed feeling fresh air blowing all over my face. When we got to the gate of the resort, we had to either wait for a motorcycle to bring us to the resort because they won't allow our ride to bring us there (I guess, that's part of their business) or walk for about half a kilometer to get to the place. That time, we had no choice but to do the latter because there was no ride available. So we took the challenge of walking. I say it's a challenge for us because if you've seen my family, you'll know that walking is not part of our everyday routine. Yes, we are a "BIG" family (literally big) but we also have "BIG" hearts and together we conquer "BIG" challenges such as walking hehehehe.

As we walk our way towards Villa Igang, i can't help but walk in admiration and be grateful to the Lord. Leading our way are beautiful old trees, looking strong and lively. It's as if they're welcoming us towards the resort. Also, beautiful views that made us stop along the way to capture every scenes. Me, my eldest sister and one of my nephews made sure that each scenes are captured with us in it eheheheh. It was a "Picture-picture" time for us. I learned that Villa Igang was originally planned as a conservation area for tropical foliage and marine life. No wonder, the place was well taken cared of. Also, i forgot to mention that they have a butterfly garden at the entrance and mangrove sanctuaty. Though I didnt get to visit the garden and the sanctuary because we wanted to settle in the place already.

Finally, we reached the place and got 2 rooms for P2,200 only and each room is good for 6 people already. We comfortably unpacked our belongings and enjoyed the scenary. My neice and nephews decided to jump into the water and started their own world. Some started preparing for lunch and we, siblings, had the chance to bond and reconnect.
The next day, i woke up early in the hopes of getting a glimpes of the sun rising. I positioned myself at the end of the bamboo walkway facing the water, patiently waiting for the sun to come up. Unfortunately, the sun was shy that day and spent its time hiding behind the clouds. Nevertheless, i managed to have my quiet time, meditating and mostly thanking God. This is truly a "must-need" escape from the day-to-day crowded city i've been spending most of my 2010. God truly is amazing!

Around 9AM, we rented two "bangka(s)" (small boat) for an island hopping. We visited the "pawikan" island, where baby pawikans are kept and taken cared of until they are big enough to venture to the sea. We also visited a cave (i forgot what it's called) and a white-sand island. We spent an hour or two visiting different islands, cave, etc for around P400 for an hour per bangka and P100 the hour after. We got back to Villa Igang with just enough time to prepare to leave.
I don't usually enjoy an overnight outing because i see it more of a hassle than an enjoyment. Just think about all the preparations you need for just a short stay, i feel that it's not worth it. But i don't want to spend my time with my family purely in iloilo alone. I wanted to visit places with them even for just once every year, that's why, i agreed to visit Guimaras again though originally, i was hoping to go to Bacolod. However, this expereince was never the same as the 1st time. At first, this was just an ordinary trip for me. I went with no expectations but i fell in love with the place and left with complete satisfaction!

Thank you Lord and thank you Villa Igang!

How are you today?

A few days ago, i had lunch with some of my friends at work. We chat about a lot of things but one thing really stuck to me. A friend was talking how amused he was with his nephew and shared that kids when hurt tends to disregard it when no one sees what happened to them. However, when someone asked, if they're okay? or if there's something wrong? They won't be able to stop themselves from crying. Then i realized that this is true not only to kids but to everyone, old and young. It got me thinking what is causing us to break down when someone tries to comfort us? We spent so much time trying to deny getting hurt or in pain. We put up a mask and pretend that things are fine. We do everything to avoid conversation about what's hurting us and we are very successful in doing so. However once someone who knows what we're going thru, tries to comfort us, just a simple question of how are we doing or are we okay, will break us down to tears. Why is this? Is this something out of human nature that when one comforts us, we are uncapable of masking our emotions? Why is it so difficult to feel numb when you look into familiar eyes and hear words of comfort?

Earlier today, i realized that when we are in pain, the 1st human reaction is to deny it. We reject the idea that we are hurting. But when a friend tries to comfort us, this CONFIRMs the pain we're going thru and that's why we break down. That's why it's harder to hide the pain because now, someone else has confirmed its existence in our lives. Now, we can no longer deny it. Funny in situation like this, we most likely bury our feelings deep down inside and turn on the "stone-cold" mode persona of us. Instead of letting it out, we keep it within. We want it to go away but we hide it within us. Isn't this an irony?

Today I want to tell you that God is our Comforter. Everyday, he wants to ask us how we are doing? He posts this question to us but day after day, we avoid that conversation and we go on our daily routine, doing our best NOT to fall into that confrontation with Him. Why are we so afraid to admit that we're not okay. Why are we pretending? Is it really easier to run away from this and pretend to be happy when we're not? They say that the 1st step in moving on is when we've accepted that we're stuck. And the best person to reveal this is the Person who knows it all, God Himself. So today before anything else, take a little time with God and say what you really feel. It's okay, He knows it anyway.