A short 15 minute hop in a motorized outrigger from Ortiz Port in Iloilo City and we were on Guimaras Island . (The fare is P14.00 each way.) We could see the island from the dock in Iloilo . It was a fun ride with water splashing into the outrigger when the waves were particularly high. I got slightly wet as I was sitting right by the porthole. When we arrived at the Jordan pier, we made arrangements for a jeepney to take us to our hotel through the tourism desk which is a few steps from the waterfront. It costs P400.00 for the ride to Nueva Valencia with a stop at the Trappist Monastery along the way. We visited the church inside the monastery grounds before we approached a monk to pray over us. It was a calming experience and so glad we did this. Then we shopped at the in-house gift shop where they sold everything with mango in it: mango tart, mango polvoron, mango jam, mango flavored biscotti, mango piaya, and dried mangoes. Mango is of course the prime commodity of Guimaras
“If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home.” - James Michener