Weekend Getaway Adventure at Guinanayan Island

Tweet

Pin It Now!

Rapu-Rapu is pretty famous with its stories of Aswang. It was said to be that Aswang can fly hunting human as prey during at night while leaving its lower part somewhere in the forest where it could not be seen. Though in the modern period there have been no records reported that was attacked by Aswang.

Albay is rich in culture that even in the modern age stories of Aswang, Maligno, Kapre, Tik-tik are still being shared to the children.

Trivia

The Islands of Rapu-Rapu was once part of the Province of Sorsogon not until it was declared in the late 1984 to be part of the Province of Albay due to the decision of its residence. It is composed of 3 islands namely, Batan Island, Rapu-Rapu Island and the Island of Guinanayan.

Because of the geographical location and abundance of natural resources, the people prefer to focus on agriculture such as farming and fishing as their livelihood.

Guinanayan Island

I know what it feels like to be in Rapu-Rapu since it was the birth place of my mother and heard many stories from her and we also have countless visits during fiesta and reunion but I am having a mixed emotions of anxiety and excitement with our travel.

We chose Misibis, Bacacay as our port to take the shortest and safest route to Guinanayan island since not all knows how to swim. There are of many locals offering rides to Guinanayan with affordable price but luckily for us one of our colleagues have a boat of their own.

As the boat arrived, we hurdled down the shore carrying all the foods and drinks. It was a fair weather as we depart from the mainland so we decided to sit at the roof to watch the view. We didn’t mind the katig or outrigger runs through the water and splashes in our faces nor the sunny weather burned through our skin. Oh No! Out of enjoyment we forgot to put on sunblock.

It took less than an hour to reach the destination; As we saw the landmark of the island we are astonished by its beauty – white sand, clean shore and calm sea water. I ask myself, "What more could you ask!"

As we go down the boat and touched the water it felt very refreshing. We could not any longer so we hurried and search for cabanas, put down our bags, place the food and went to the shore and enjoy ourselves.

Eat food, Pilipino style! Who needs spoon and fork? The taste of roasted meat and grilled fish while on the beach is perfect and it is even more appetising while eating with your hands.

After eating, we make sure that we don't waste our time loitering. We put some sunblock and walk along the long stretched white sand to check out some sights. We also took souvenir photos with the Guinanayan landmark as our background.

An hour or two after, we noticed that it was low tide so we took some time to check out some of the fishes and crabs that are trapped in the puddles. We also saw some sea urchins near the seaweeds. I am sure that nobody wants to be pricked by those nasty spines. We noticed two kids under the sun, we snooped and see what they are doing. Funny to see them catching some small fish using a small deeper.

The sun sure knows how to drain our energy. We took some time to rest under a tree. Our nap was sure relaxing as the breeze passes through our skin while the birds make sounds and the sun is high. The feeling of Paradise!

As we woke up, a friend of our colleague passed by on a small boat. I was so happy that he asked if we could sail and tour us half around the island. Luckily they agreed.

Sunset to Night

The sun is already to go down and many of the tourists came to the shore to watch the sun while other are enjoying the water. Some of our colleagues played volleyball with the other tourist while some took time building sand castles.

As the night approaches we prepared our tent. There were no rooms for rent in Guinanayan, not as of today but I hope that someday there would be.

There were no electricity on the island but thankfully there is an available generator. To give more life on our getaway, we gathered all in one mat put out some drinks while sharing stories. We also hear some locals playing random old songs that I never heard before. Life in Guinanayan could never be simpler than this.

We have a lot of talks and sharing as the night ends. Some of us prefer to sleep outside the tent for experience. Mosquitoes? Don’t worry, there are no mosquitoes in the island. I have my insect repellent but I was unable to use it.

Amenities

Since there is much to be desired from the Guinanayan Island and you shouldn’t expect more aside the wonders of nature and the relaxation it can offer. You may do as you please to satisfy your stay in the island just make sure to be considerate with the other tourists.

Here are some basic amenities that is available in the island.

1. Volleyball – There is an available small beach volleyball court at the end of the shore. I am not sure if you can rent a ball or its free since we have our own volleyball when we visit the place.
2. Snorkelling and Swimming– If you love being in the water you may relax and enjoy yourself with the freshness of the water. There are available floaters in the store. 
3. Fishing – Since the island is abundant with fishes. You may take time catching fishes. According to some fisherman, there are places in the island where you can catch huge fish and if you are lucky you might have yourself a small shark – I am not sure if they are kidding me or not. 
4. Tour – If you love touring on the sea you may rent a boat and check out some part of the island. There are said to be caves carved by the sea waves. You don’t have to worry because the water in the area is very calm especially on summer season. 
5. Camping – the island has no check rooms like resorts or nipa hut. You have to experience the way we spend our night watching the stars in our tent. You may bring your own tent if you like but there are for rent tents available.