Alubihod Beach Hopping

For days, I have been in constant hope of having to spend some time at the beach.

Finally, I did.

Just a boat ride away from Iloilo City and then a 45-minute drive from the warf, I reached Alubihod Beach in no time. Found in the small town of Nueva Valencia in the island of Guimaras, it is just a short stretch of white sand and calm blue-green waters. The stretch is lined by only three resorts, all of them looking fine and accommodating, so there is really no problem which one is best to choose. All their beachfront are all the same anyway. Just lay a beach towel on the sand and sunbathe or swim!

View from the isle

I didn't stay in Alubihod for too long though. I didn't want to. My mind was already island hopping ahead of me when I got there. I needed to catch up to it. Plus, people started coming in the place so I thought it was right time I look and go to more serene places.

So island hopping I went. I need to find those indie beaches, I jokingly thought to myself. There are lots of motorboats for rent along the beach, you just rent one and it goes anytime you want.

This was it! Indie beach hopping was my way to call it.

We got to this little island first. The sun was up, sky was clear, white sand isle, clear blue-green waters, and a lonely log bench lay at rest – it was perfect. Getting stranded in that island for a day wouldn't suck much to me actually.

Pawikan

The next island we sailed to, which I thought would be a long sail, was actually just a several meters across the clear blue sea from the isle where we were. I could have just swam my way across. 

Anyway, the place was serene, only the sound of the small hugging waves was there to listen to. Also, there is this pawikan (Filipino for "sea turtle") caring and feeding station in the island. I actually managed to carry one pawikan.. with care (for its a caring center). After exploring the island some more, off we sailed to the next.

We sailed to this little cave "river" of clear glowing green waters next. A number of bats, hopefully just fruit bats, were a-perched upside down inside and a few spiky stalactites hung the ceiling.

At the snorkeling bay

Silent waters run deep.. really really deep! Of what seemed to be just a foot-deep of clear water (for one can see the sea bed beneath!) was actually a few tens of feet deep or so, according to the boatman. Woah and scarrry.

The snorkeling bay was our last stop. The boatman docked its motorboat in mid-bay clear waters, I jumped off it immediately. Wee! Groups of corals spread and spread indefinitely over the seabed. They don't amount much to Tubbataha but they're a beauty to see. Plus, I found a lot of nemos.

We soon returned ashore to Alubihod and enjoyed the beach, now quite deserted in the late afternoon, one more time. Packed away and a kilo of famous sweet Guimaras mangoes bought on the drive back, the sunset at the warf was as sweet.

All in all, it was really fun (indie fun!). Definitely worth all the sunburns and tan.

I took lots of photos of the islands and myself, you can check them all out here.

"To myself, I am only a child playing on the beach, while vast oceans of truth lie undiscovered before me."
- Isaac Newton