Anything Under the Sun
Guimaras - the Emerald Isle (4)
On the natural scenic views -- A century ago, in 1894 when Dr. Jose P. Rizal returned to Manila after his exile in Dapitan, he dropped at Iloilo. Viewing Guimaras from the ship, he exclaimed: "a beautiful picnic ground . No doubt, he was awed by the many beautiful white sand beaches around the island.
When the Spaniards came, they were also stunned by the natural beauty of a place in the island and called it Buenavista which means "good view" -- now a town. Parenthetically, Buenavista is the only town in West Visayas with a traditional folk song. It is entitled "Sa Banwa sang Buenavista".
During the Spanish time, the Muslim raiders of Panay and Negros under Sali, Silonga and Dallan Bakang, used the tranquil bays of the island as their rest and recreation centers. This was because Guimaras then was scarcely populated.
The tourism industry of Guimaras is mainly anchored on the beauty of these beaches and islets plus some caves and waterfalls. Its white sand beach include those of Alubihod, Puting Balas amd Morobuan. Of the islets, the province has Tatlong Pulo, Nagarao, Romagangrang and Roca Encantada.
All in all, there are 24 resorts and seven have already been reached by the oil spill as of this writing.
Man-made tourist destinations are: Jordan Plaza -- the smallest plaza in the whole world with a size of a basketball court; the Trappist Monastery -- the only Catholic contemplative monastery in the Philippines; and the internationally famous Pagtaltal -- a living re-enactment of the passion and death of Christ participated in by a cast of more than a hundred in ancient Jewish attire. Held on Good Friday, this is often called the "Oberammergau of the Philippines". All these destinations are in Jordan, the capital of the province.
Lastly, there is the Ave Maria Shrine (also in Jordan) more popularly known as Bala-an Bukid (Holy Mountain) at the top of Mt. Bondolan overlooking the City of Iloilo. It is a favorite pilgrim destination every May 1.