This is yet another solo travel/ adventure that I wasn’t so sure of pushing through. I laid in bed thinking about what to do– that is four hours before the flight.

Also, this is the first part of my March YOLO trip.

Finally convincing myself to just do it (the convincing part is the hardest of all. I kept telling myself that I should treat it as a reward for stuDYING hard for the candidacy exam I took earlier that day), I booked an Uber ride to the airport at 12 midnight.

As always, I did not check-in online; I had no itinerary, just places I want to go stored in my mind, and I hardly even made a hotel reservation. But I still set off to Iloilo.

I booked the 4:20 A.M flight – a flight booked dating nine months ago (thank you, seatsales), so I reached Iloilo at almost 5:30 in the morning.

ARRIVING IN ILOILO

Without any contact in the city, I had no choice but to hail an airport taxi that cost me Php 350– more than the fare I paid for my Quezon City to Airport Uber ride.

People holding “metered airport taxi” will approach you but it’s a lie. They will charge you a fixed rate and (as I saw) the Ate who drastically dragged me to the taxi stand seemed to have an unwritten agreement with the driver (she asked something from the driver before we drove off).

Tip: I learned that a better choice is to ride the shuttle van bound for SM City Iloilo because it only costs Php 70- 100 (depending on the time you reach the airport). At SM, ride a taxi to any port, bus station, hotel, or anywhere you need to go. It will cost you less of a taxi fare. However, if you’re in a group of 3-5, better to take a taxi in the airport and just split the expenses.

First stop: MALALISON/ MARARISON ISLAND

I have read blog posts telling that the island is the Batanes of the Visayas. Even haven’t gone to Batanes yet, I can say that they are right all along.

So how to get there?

From Iloilo airport, go to Molo Bus Terminal. Look for the vans/buses bound for Culasi, Antique.  I chose the Van ride because I was too tired and I could use some sleep that time. It is 5-hr butt-numbing ride, actually. Fare: Php 200.

Tell the driver that you want to go to Malalison Island. On my part, the driver even dropped me off to the tourism office in the port. You have to register. Entrance and environmental fee is Php 30, both for day tour and overnight stay.

After registration, the tourism officers will give a short briefing about the ride and the island. Apparently, there is a fixed price of Php 750 per boat, regardless of its size. Mine, however, could fit 20 people but because it was a Tuesday and there were no other guests around, I had to pay for the whole boat.

Here’s the thing, it depends on you if you want to stay there overnight but I suggest don’t. The power supply in the island is available only at 6:00 PM until 10.

The boatmen will wait for you because they will also be bringing you back to the port. My original plan was to sleep in the island but I changed my mind. So instead of them picking me up at eight in the morning, I’ve asked them to wait for me until the afternoon. They only had 3 hours to wait, though.

CAUTION!!! Make sure you have an exact Php 750. It was the only time I never wanted to give a tip, but I was still ripped off. The boatmen were so mean. It’s okay that they cannot fluently speak Tagalog but I was their only passenger. They were not talking to me. I was asking about what I should do once we get to the island but they were never helpful. They even smoked cigarettes in front of me! The captain/driver of the boat was smoking for the whole 20-minute ride to the island while I am sitting on the bench provided for passengers just right his back.

I only had 1000 bills so I had no choice but to give it to them after they brought me back to Culasi. I was waiting for my change back, I’ve told the other boatmen almost five times about it, only to be taken for granted. They set off as if they did not hear anything nor see me standing waiting for my change. What a drag!

Because the boatmen did not tell me anything on what to do in the island, I roamed around alone. After 15 minutes of having the most boring time of my life, I actually thought of just going back to the mainland, but then I felt the urge to ask the locals on what to do.

They were so helpful. They brought me to where the cottages are and there were guides waiting in there. Look for the people wearing green shirts!

Whoever first in the list will be your guide.

My memory is again failing me. I can no longer remember my guide’s name but she is an 18-year old, 2^nd year college accounting student. She did not go to school for two days straight. The reason? She apparently had no money. She chose to patiently wait for “tourists” she can tour around the island to at least compensate for her meals in downtown Culasi, where she goes to school and rents a bedspace.

The fixed rate for guides in the island is Php 150 but please if by any chance your guide is a student or the young ones for the matter, at least be thoughtful enough to add even a little amount for their fee. Most of the guides in the island are students without choice but to wait for the abundance of tourists so that they have something to spend for food and other necessities. In that Php 150, they still need to give Php 20 to their barangay council.

So here are some photos of Malalison. Be ready for hiking but all the dread will be washed off once you reach the mountains, I tell you. The view is just magnificent.

I left the island at four in the afternoon. I did not wait for the sunset though my friends told me to. Because I was alone in the boat going back, the schoolchildren and other locals requested to come with me. Who am I to say no? That was all I ever wanted.

After Malalison, I went to Tibiao, Antique where the Kawa Hot Baths are. Watch out for my next post for DiY itinerary, expenses, and that one for the books adventure/s.