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When in Ivisan

"I've traveled far and wide to explore new horizons only to find that there's so much to see right here in my own backyard." TravelswithCharie
Basiao beach
A view of the islands from our cottage on Basiao beach. We ate a simple lunch of bangus (milkfish) and rice with the balut we bought in Dao and assorted pastries from Roxas City.

Islands of Pulo Gamay and Pulo Maba-ay
There's something to be said about heading to the beach on a weekday. We have this beautiful stretch of white sand to ourselves. All throughout lunch the siren song of the islands beckoned and we wanted to go island hopping but alas the rain caught up with us. All the more reason to come back. 

Oyster Farm
We managed a trip to the talaba (oyster) farm before the downpour. It was nice to see up close how they breed oysters. The old method is to suspend them from bamboo poles as you see here. The new method is to raise them in barrels which are partially sunk in the water. 

Ayagao beach
Another quiet white sand beach on a Thursday afternoon. This is what you call searenity. You can rent a cottage and bring your own food. There's a short zip line above the adjacent beach resort but it was not functioning when we visited. The drive to Ayagao is through a forested area past an orchid farm. It was refreshing to be surrounded by trees the shade of which dropped the temperature a notch and made for a pleasant ride.

Balaring 
We went to Balaring to distribute school supplies at the elementary school there. There's only a one lane road to get there which for the most part is unpaved and we had a rough ride. But we got to see this peaceful cove on our way to the school. I asked the driver to stop so I could take pictures of this hidden gem.

Christ the Redeemer
I had no idea that there is a statue of Christ the Redeemer in Ivisan. No one I know has ever mentioned it to me. But here it is, surrounded by a pastoral landscape and appearing very much like the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro. My friends joked that we didn't have to buy an airplane ticket to see this. We're blessed!

Coconut products
Thank goodness for friends who knew about this Coconut Cooperative where they sell coconut oil products. So I picked up cooking oil, massage oil with lemongrass, two kinds of body soap and two baby coconut trees. Having read the health benefits of coconut oil, I was happy to find a place where I could stock up on these items.

Ugoy ugoy
We stopped at Mayden Bakery and watched as they packaged monay bread at their factory at the back of the store. As it was merienda time, we bought a few of their treats like these ugoy ugoy which are nice and crispy and not too sweet. They're fresh off the oven.

Ivisan is a basket full of surprises. 

It's a 20-minute drive to Ivisan town proper (where Mayden Bakery and the Co-op are located) from Roxas City and a little bit more to the beaches. There are passenger vans departing from Roxas City to Ivisan where you can take a tricycle to the beaches or to Santo Rosario to see the statue of Christ the Redeemer.

*****

Images by travelswithcharie



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