Here comes an entry about my visit to the golden island of Mindoro, Philippines. The main purpose of the visit was Visita Iglesia, as it was Lenten Season at that time. The 7th largest island of the Philippine archipelago, Mindoro got its name from the Spanish Mina de Oro (meaning “gold mine”). But hey, there’s no literal gold on the island. What you will see are stretches of golden rice fields! Which makes no difference for the nature-lover in me.

The island is a member-province of Region IV-B Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan). According to online sources, it was a single province from 1920 to 1950, until it was divided into two: Oriental Mindoro and Occidental Mindoro. The island is known for the tamaraw or Mindoro dwarf buffalo, a bovine which is endemic on the island. Mindoro is also home to indigenous tribes called the Mangyan peoples.

Some of the popular spots on the island are: Puerto Galera, a UNESCO-designated Man and Biosphere Reserve and home to white-sand beaches and diving and snorkeling areas; Mt. Halcon, the country’s third highest peak and home to the tamaraws; the 423-feet Tamaraw Falls; Sabang and other beaches; Alibatan, and other smaller islands.

For today’s post, I’m sharing some of the things to see when visiting Oriental Mindoro, the eastern side. During my visit in 2012, the easiest and cheapest way to get to Calapan City, the capital, which I really like because of its cleanliness, was to take a ferry boat from Batangas Port. The ferries were small and took about an hour of sailing to get to Mindoro.

But if the destination was Puerto Galera, there was a combined tourist bus and boat service from Manila. Visit this site for more infos about Si-Kat Ferries: https://www.si-katferrybus.com/.

While it is true that animism has been an existing religion on the island, Catholicism was still prevalent and was very much alive during my visit. Here are the churches I got to see:

San Nicolas de Tolentino Church

The Good Shepherd

San Isidro Church

San Agustin Church

As you may have noticed, the Catholic churches in the province share almost the same design and architecture. Mostly modern. However, the ancient Bancuro Church Ruins was an ecxeption. Located in the town of Naujan, it is believed to date back to the 17th century, built by Augustinian priests to serve as a place of worship for native converts and as a fort against the Moro invaders. Unfortunately, the Moros conquered the town in 1824 and burned the Church.

The Ruins is more popularly known as Simbahang Bato or Church of Stone. What makes it really popular aside from its history is that the walls are made of adobe and sea corals! I thought it was special and awesome. At present, the Church houses a chapel where priests have been holding Holy Masses.

Moving on.. Here’s the gold:

Say ‘Hi’ to hard-working Filipino farmers!

As evidenced by the pictures, the province is mainly agricultural – a rice haven! One thing to admire about the locals was that they were pretty content with what they have. And they were happy to share the wealth of their lands to visitors.

Not far from the town proper is Benilda Resort. There’s a really nice and cool ambiance in this place. You can read about the resort, their rates and facilities, on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Benilda-ng-Bancuro-Resort-Restaurant/128000013936542

The resort got some nice statues for photo shoots, like the Blind, and the Mute, and the Deaf monkeys!

Going back to what’s natural, Naujan boasts of black-sand beaches with a pretty strong tide and a beautiful golden sunrise. One might consider this as another “gold” on the island?

I had an absolutely fun vacation in Mindoro, thanks to my aunt Amy and uncle Ding, who got busy playing badminton in the beach amidst the strong winds on our last day on the island. The province with its breath-taking scenery and hospitable locals is something to remember. A great reminder that gold isn’t necessarily a piece of metal.

I don’t particularly enjoy sailing, but the views going back to Batangas were amazing. It was cool to pass by numerous islands. Some even looked like the back of a whale.

Getting nearer Batangas port in Southern Luzon, we caught a glimpse of this huge statue of Mama Mary. I wonder if they have finished constructing it..

And we arrived at our destination.

Hope you enjoyed reading this post and will consider visiting Mindoro on your island-hopping escapade in PH. ALL PHOTOS AND VIDEOS ON THIS BLOG ARE MINE.  🙂 #spreadloveandpositivevibes