“DON’T pluck or pick the pitcher plants,” warned our guide, as well as a few other locals. “If you don’t want to be thrown about by strong waves on your return to the mainland.”
Off the coast of Culasi – an hour and a half or so from Antique’s central district, San Jose de Buenavista – and accessible by a short boat ride from the sleepy town’s port, sits the idyllic isle Mararison.
Yes, it’s Mararison the locals correct – speculating that the variant Malalison, which has gained greater name-recognition among travelers, may be the product of early tourists mishearing the peculiar Antiqueño accent.
Just a few years or so ago, Mararison – a neighbor of the now congested Boracay Island in Aklan – was touted as the next big thing. Introducing the often sidetracked Antique as a tourist destination on the rise, it boasts both pristine ice-blue waters and scenic mountain views of the vast sea.
Though most are unaware, Mararison is not actually a far-off uninhabited isle. It is home of about a hundred households. This is why homestays and humble cottages abound around the island’s shoreline to cater to tourists. Electricity seems limited to just the evening, but most of the homestays there do have generators.
Though we were surprised upon arrival at the number of tourists already there, it was a welcome sight that at around 5 in the afternoon the large crowds started to clear out as most of the day-trippers returned to the mainland.
Nevertheless, we enjoyed our stay. Wading through the cool waters of the Kawit Sandbar as we waited for the sunset, the Mararison Island Children’s Choir singing their eerie ode to Mount Madja-as, which towered over the island in the distance.
However, it seems the introduction of the island as a tourist destination on the rise has done little to improve the way of life of the local residents. We were guided by locals during our trek to Tuyong-tuyong Hill – the highest point of the 55-hectare island – and they revealed that leading tourists is not their primary source of income. Our guide manong Noy, shares he still sails out at dawn every day to fish, in order to provide for his family.
Nonetheless, these faults subtract very little from the natural beauty of Mararison – truly where rolling mountains meet the shining sea.
Bonus: Hidden gem Bahay Bahol, owned and managed by the Mosquera family – heirs of former Culasi mayor Flaviano Cadiao Mosquera – is the perfect place to fill your stomach after a tiring day swimming.
Just two blocks away from the Culasi port and situated at their ancestral home, Bahay Bahol (Kinaray-a for big house) serves Asian fusion dishes and classic Filipino lutong bahay with a high-end twist: fried canton, sinagang na salmon, and beef paksiw among them. Provincial dining has never tasted this good./PN
Text and photos by Rhick Lars Vladimer Albay
