The Islands of Sipalay

The sun was up bright, and I was all set to explore the islands. It's been a while since I have gone out for a whole day to island hop, so I was pretty excited. Rene, the manager of the resort, arranged a pump boat for me for P2,000. I said I just wanted to visit as many islands and beaches we can. 

The closest island to Punta Bulata was Danjugan, a small island visible fromt he beach of Punta Bulata. The island is surrounded by stunning coral reefs making it a marine protected sanctuary. However, the island was closed for that day, since a group of marine biologists were surveying and studying the area. I asked if I could just stay for a little while or pass through, but the resort said they were pretty strict.

I was frustrated, since Danjugan was the island destination in the area, but the sight of others from a distance consoled me. Our first stop was Turtle Island, named so not because it had turtles in its waters, but because of its shape.

We were greeted by the caretaker of the island, who had an interesting pet goat. The island is used as a stopover for picnic lunches, hence you can see two huts here. 

Turtle Island had an expansive fine coral sand. I waded until the edge of the sand bar, where the water turned azure. There was no other tourist in sight and the surrounding islands were in lush green. 

We bid farewell to the caretaker and his goat, and moved further on, passing through the shores of Sipalay town. I was amazed at the islands that jutted the coastline. They reminded me of Guimaras. It was hard to dock in any beach on these islands, since the tide was low. I was pointing out beaches, but our boat man told us that not all can be visited, since they were privately owned. Even Turtle Island was privately owned, and not everyone can visit.

This made me frustrated again, and wished that there was a law prohibiting private access to beaches. In Thailand, all beaches are public, there are just some lines for private resorts to call their own. But these islands didn't have a resort, so why keep it private and prevent tourists to experience their beauty. Anyway, we cruised further on to one of the most popular beaches in Negros - Sugar Beach.