The April 26-27 trip was supposed to be reserved for the Silay-Talisay Tour, Panaad Festival in Bacolod and the Yagyag Festival in Sibulan Oriental Negros. But changes happened, so I have to scrap my trip to Sibulan and replace with with an island hopping escapade in Guimaras.
Mangoes as far as the eye can see
I didn’t have any qualms about changing the plan since I also love to visit Guimaras again. The last time I went there was in 2005. And that was before the MV Solar 1 Guimaras Oil Spill incident. So I really do not know how gloomy or damaged it was during those dark times.
But when I returned there, everything seems normal. As if nothing happened. You wont even get to hear people say the word “disaster” or “tragedy.”
Everything’s back to normal, really. The beaches have already been cleaned. The mangroves now start to grow again in marshlands and tourists return to Guimaras.
But when I say Guimaras, the first thing that comes into my mind is the golden fruit the bore golden riches in the province, the mangoes. Guimaras mangoes are said to be one of the world’s sweetest. As what my friend Kiko said, the Guimaras Mangoes are the only one of its kind that has passed the USDA Regulations for Fruitflies.
As a matter of fact, no one is allowed to bring in fresh mangoes to Guimaras. You can, of course, buy and much as you want, but you can never bring any mangoes coming from other place.
Mangoes coming from the province of Guimaras are of the highest quality. Most of the time, they are exported to other countries like in Australia and United States.
The Mangifera Indica fruit while it is still hanging on the tree is well taken care of just like an infant. It is individually wrapped in old newspapers and magazines so that it will not be infested by insects or be eaten by fruit bats. Careful handpicking of the fruit is also done to avoid scratching the skin which could make or break its market value. Those large golden hearty fruit which bore no scratch screams for premium price but of course, the sweetness which the Guimaras mangoes is known for, is always guaranteed.
WARNING!!! If you are reading this from another blog, it is possible that this has been copied without my permission. BYAHILO: Ito ang Trip Ko!