We started our Antique tour with a visit to the Malumpati Spring in Pandan, Antique. Bugang River, that runs through the spring is dubbed as the cleanest river in the country.
Malumpati Spring is known for it's cool, crystal clear and, wait for it, blue waters. Yes, blue! I confirmed it with Caileigh, and she said that the water was indeed BLUE. You can't question toddlers.
We availed a packaged tour from Pandan Beach Resort for Php500/pax. It included a private van service from the resort, entrance fees, a cottage (I believe), snacks, and packed lunch. But a friend told us that you can just go to Malumpati Spring by taking a tricycle from the town center.
This summer, we were so blessed to be able to travel and discover new places. From our Negros tour last May, we hopped on to Iloilo to meet our relatives who came home from Canada for our cousin's wedding.
They say it's always sunny in the Philippines except even during the monsoons. So even if it's already typhoon season in the country for the month of June, we still took the opportunity to visit beaches and tourist spots.
This time we went to our neighboring province of Antique. We spent almost 5 hours of driving along the coast of Antique. The beach on your left and its gracious mountains on the other side. It was a very tedious drive but the view was all worth it.
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| Right after we got off the van |
The first leg of our Negros tour was spent in the beautiful city of Sipalay. We arrived very early for the 2 pm check in at Nataasan Beach Resort so we rented a boat for island hoping.
Instead for availing the resort's boat service, we rented from those that were anchored by the beach. They have agreed for a 2-hour trip (13 pax) for only 1300Php, and some of us rented snorkeling gear for hundred a piece.
The sea was calm. The ocean breeze was refreshing. The water reflected the sky in a deep blue hue and in shallow levels, you could see what lies underneath. Crystal clear. We were really in awe as to how clean the water was.
Our first stop was in this islet that used to be a home to a Grotto of Mary the Virgin but after the super typhoon, it was destroyed beyond use. It has a cave underneath that you pass towards the other side of the islet. The cave, as CJ discovered, was housed by dozens of bats and it gave out a strong pungent smell. I didn't dare pass through the cave as Caileigh was hugging me like a little monkey so we just sat on the sands with the water level just below my knees. The water was, as I've mentioned, crystal clear and we've seen a few fish swimming near by.
