8 Reasons Why I Keep Coming Back to Province (Memories of Guimaras and Maasin)

In my previous blog, I have mentioned how the province-like aura of Daraitan reminds me of my own province, Guimaras. Guimaras and Iloilo have been my escape since I was a child. I always look forward to summers spent in our probinsya. Those were the hometowns of my mom and dad and it also feels like home for me. 

So, here are eight of the many reasons why I like visiting our provinces.

1. A break from the city life

Province life is so simple yet serene. It is very very far from the city life that I used to struggle every single day of my life. We don’t have that fancy vacation house in our province but ours is full of joy and memories. And btw, it is the same houses that my parents lived when they were young.

Here’s the one where we usually stay. It’s my mom’s house. It was just reconstructed once but almost everything is what it is used to be. The front part is the living room and the back part is the dining area (we have a very deep well inside the dining area). 

 The kitchen is outside the house. Very traditional. My grandmother’s banga are still alive! They store our drinking water there.

We have a good amount of space around the house. Different plants grow around. We have Indian mangoes, bamboos, gumamelas, bougainvillea, cotton, and many more. We also have different animals roaming around the house—chickens, dogs, geese, ducks, etc. The back of our house is mostly rice fields with carabaos soaking in mud, cows staring blankly, goats chewing grass, uncles plowing the field, and children playing in a hot summer day. 

Some days we also go around the neighborhood who happens to be our relatives also. When the tide is low, we used to gather seaweeds, gulaman, or other sea creatures. We even had a punot, a fish farm, when I was a child. When the moon is high, we go there and catch fish sometimes using nothing but our bare hands. Those memories are priceless but my most favorite thing to do is watch the sunset by the port. The silhouette of Mt. Kanlaon becomes more beautiful as the sun sets and the lights of Negros turn on.

Going in and out my mom's hometown, we have to take a motorboat ride from Iloilo City. My mom always scold me because I love it when the waves are high and it seems riding a roller coaster. She said those are dangerous. Well, I guess that doesn't work for me.

That’s how I spent my childhood in the province and if I could just press any playback button of life, I will gladly return to those times.

2. Good Food

I have no regrets of gaining extra kilos everytime I return from province. Who can blame me? My lolo is such a good cook and he always wants us to taste the best of the sea and of his flock. I am not fond of eating seafood but when he cooks it, I can’t say no. Have you heard of adobong pagi (stingray)? Or adobong salagubang (beetle)? Sounds weird but delicious!

Have I mentioned that the sweetest mangoes of the Philippines came from Guimaras?

3. Trace my ancestry and time for relatives

“Hey, you’re the daughter of Joan, right?” “You’re already a grown up!” “Is this the child of Bauting?”

I always hear those words when I’m in province. There are many people who know me and I don’t recognize most of them at all. Where have these people been all my life?

Every time I go back to province, I make sure to know or be familiar with some of my relatives, even just those who are of second degree. A bond with cousins and relatives is really different from the bond with anyone else. The comfort is just so real.

I once went to Maasin, Iloilo, home of my father. I went to a mini historic place there and I found this list of previous leaders of Maasin.  I found my surname there, dated 1909!

4. Know my parents more through their roots 

How naughty my parents were when they were kids? What are their hobbies or the “crazy stuff” that they do? What shaped them as a person and what are the things they grew up with?

These are the questions you will only answer if you see them for yourself.

In Maasin, there is a place they call Gines Hill. My father still knows how many steps you take to get to the top. It's 106!

The statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus awaits you on top with a good view of Maasin.

There’s this place called Balaan Bukid. My mom used to go there when she was still a child. I am really amazed with the religious practices of people in the province.

Meanwhile, this is called the suba or river. When my father was a kid, he used to take a bath here and sometimes he and his siblings will go here naked. It was summer when we went there so water is not that high.

This is the basin or the Metro Iloilo Water Shed. This is where my grandfather worked.

See the contrast of the purified water and not.

I feel some kind of belonging everytime I know more about my province. A familiarity in a strange place.

5. Learn history not written in my textbooks

Each place has its history and it’s more exciting if it’s the history of your own place.

Before going to our father’s hometown, we pay visit to the San Nicolas de Tolentino Church, the “Model of Temples”. It was built in 1834 headed by Fr. Ramon Alquizar, an Augustinian priest.

Another historic place in my father’s hometown is this salty spring. They say Maasin (salty) is called as such because of this spring. When invaders came to Maasin, they drank from the springs of this place and surprisingly, among all the springs, there is one which is salty.

History never fails to entertain me. They will always be part of me.

6. Discover for myself

Of course, stories are not enough for me. I have to try it on my own.

From tasting the water from the Maasin spring

To climbing Balaan Bukid which I consider my very first climb (I wasn’t a mountaineer then).

I was enchanted by the beauty of nature and the view atop Balaan Bukid. From there you can see the whole Iloilo City. Beautiful.

We also made a side strip to Holy Family Hills where there are life-sized statues of Saints and religious personalities. Very simple yet beautiful. The silence there is so perfect.

7. There will be someone to take my pictures

They just love to take pictures. “Punta ka dyan, pose ka. (Go there and pose.)” I know the feeling of not-having-a-decent-picture-of-yourself-because-you-are-the-one-holding-the-camera so who am I to say no?

Fine. I am not your VS angel.

8. Create beautiful memories

I really love the simplicity of life. The basic. I appreciate every little thing that the nature has to offer.

I love those fallen calachuchis,

The carvings on a bark of a tree,

The mud,

The trees along the road,

Even the dry ends of a flower in a summer season.

Everthing. 

Nature and history is timeless. Whether it’s your parent’s time, yours, or your children’s generation, it will still be beautiful. You just have to claim your own time and make your own meaning out of it.

Daraitan: Conquering Fears

Finally, I had the time to blog about one of the most unforgettable trips of my life. It's Daraitan.

I can proudly say that this trip has taught me a lot— courage, faith, trust, and appreciation. These are things that we rarely quantify for our self because more often than not, we lack those. We always have this desire and passion within us but these never came to life because we don’t take heart to accept whatever might happen.

In Daraitan, we took the leap of faith.

pre-Daraitan
It was the end of the first semester of my sophomore year in college and my friends and I planned a hike. It is really meant to be a climb of Mt. Daraitan but that didn’t happen because we arrived kinda late and our guide won’t suggest we push through (Besides, I am still not allowed to climb without permission from USTMC and I don’t want to be breaking rules of my beloved org). Instead, we soak ourselves in the majesty of Daraitan-Tinipak River that streams at the foot of Mt. Daraitan. I have no regrets anyway.

We were a bit unprepared for everything. We were just able to contact the tour guide the night before our visit. His name is Kuya Willy and he is the head guide of Daraitan, may it be the mountain or the river. You can reach him at 09069533470 and he will be the one to arrange stuff for your one of a kind trip. We agreed to meet at MRT Shaw at around 4 am but because of some mishaps, we were able to leave Shaw at 6 and rode a jeepney to Tanay, Rizal. It was a beautiful ride with the cool breeze of December winds kissing our cheeks though. When we reached Tanay, we had an hour ride of tricycle to Brgy. Daraitan. From there, we still have to cross a river using a balsa for just 5 pesos. We had another tricycle again to reach the munisipyo where we met Kuya Willy.

Daraitan is such a simple barangay. Just your usual province. Peaceful. I like it there and it reminds me of my own province, Guimaras. We walked until we meet the Tinipak River. No words can describe the beauty of this flowing water. The current is so strong I made sure I was careful walking through the stones because I don’t want to slip. I don’t even know how to swim.

There is also this stream of water that, I think, came from the mountain. It is potable, says Kuya Willy. And indeed, it is so cold and refreshing.

After walking, crossing bridges, skipping landmines (aka poops), seeing few other hikers and tourists, exchanging smiles with locals, we finally arrived at the Daraitan River. We took our lunch there and rest for a while. We weren’t able to notice the time because the place is truly breathtaking.

After a while, Kuya Willy asked us if we want to go to the cave. Without hesitation, I eagerly said yes but one of my companions is scared. She said she would rather stay there and take dip in the water. But later on, we were able to persuade her. It rained when we continued to leap from stone to stone so we still wait for the rain to stop. What’s worse is that it made the rocks more slippery. I nearly slip in one of the big rocks. Whew!

This is the hardest part of crossing those rocks. You can really see that beneath you, the current is really strong and one fall will mean your life. Kuya Willy said that the water beneath is deep and once a tourist fell and it took hours for them to see his body. You have to cross slippery bridges made of woods. But I say to you, it is truly rewarding. I was in the middle of one of the bridges when I took these.

Here’s my friend, all smiles after she conquered her fear. That stone is one of the hardest to cross and after clinging on to it she said, “Take a picture of me. I need evidence.” She even managed to have that smile on her face. Brave.

We went inside a cave. I fail to have a decent picture because it’s dark and we don’t have enough flashlights. I was only using my phone to take pictures then. The cave frightened me at first because one, it is so dark. Two, I can hear the strong current and my i-don’t-know-how-to-swim instinct is being triggered. And three, I’m really afraid of snakes or any slimy animal that we might encounter inside that cave. But none of those really matter. I am there and I conquered them all. There is also a small swimming pool inside. The water is so cool but we decided not to stay there long enough.

We get out the cave and struggle of crossing rocks and crossing bridges begin again. This time, we are braver.

We had our time in the Daraitan River before we finally left.

Daraitan is really amazing. The people are really nice. It’s a hidden paradise and a good place to unwind, free your spirit, and conquer fears. As my friend posted a picture after our visit she quoted, “In the end, we only regret the chances we didn’t take.” Truly, after the knees shook and the heart beat fast, you will feel valiant, bolder, and stronger.

It was already getting dark when we left Daraitan. I will definitely go back here, I told myself. And when that time comes, I will be ready to take Mt. Daraitan.