Boracay

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Boracay was the last destination for us in the Philippines and we stayed there for 9 days. This was a mistake on our part as Boracay is a touristy island. We had planned to go for only 2-3 days to see the beautiful beaches then go to Palawan for the rest of our time. Unfortunately we forgot to book the flight to Palawan until later and by that time the prices had soared and it was no longer affordable. Still, Boracay was great, and although it was touristy, we were there in low season so it wasn’t crowded at all.

We flew into Caticlan airport on September 28 and took the 15 minute ferry to Boracay Island. We had reservations at Trafalger Cottages at 600 pesos per night, including private bathroom, fan and ants. From the get-go we knew we wouldn’t stay at this place for the whole 9 days (no wi-fi, dark, tiny room, ants) but when we woke up the next morning and Mike had some fresh ant bites in a region that no ants should ever go, we hit the road quickly, and found a better hotel!

Our second hotel we stayed at for a full week. Orchid’s Resort was 525pesos per night plus 50pesos per day for wifi. Since we were staying for a week we turned on the charm and got the owner to agree to throw in free daily breakfast! Score! This place was the cheapest of anywhere we stayed in the Phillipines and the only place with hot water and a decent wi-fi connection.

Boracay was great for:
1. Sunsets
2. Fruit shakes
3. White Beach
4. Sand Castles
5. Cheap souvenirs if your bargaining skills are up to par

Boracay was not great for:
1. Cheap food
2. Pesky sales people all over the beach (as in, they were EVERYWHERE!)
3. A quiet, non-touristy location
4. Everyone wants your money

The first 4 or 5 days on the island were the same: rainy allll dayyyy lonngggg. We did a lot of sleep catch up those days, walking the beach a bit, swimming in the rain, checking out the markets, but we really spent a lot of time doing nothing. Just as we were wondering if we should leave early, the skies cleared, the rain went away (except for a brief nightly storm) and the last 5 days were filled with blue skies, perfect for snorkeling, sailing and being a beach bum!
One day we took a snorkeling trip around the island (700pesos each including lunch and snorkel gear). As with any budget tour, we were promised 4-5 snorkels and managed to snorkel only 2 times. The first was at Crocodile Island where we saw amazing coloured fish of all shapes and sizes thanks to the bread the boat crew threw into the water. However, when we were there, so were about 15 other boats and while swimming around, I watched one boat trying to anchor, throw in his anchor, get it latched on a piece of reef, reef breaks off because it’s not strong enough and boat tries again. It really hit home about the damage all these boating trips are doing to the reefs in the area and before long Boracay will have no snorkel spots left.

After Crocodile Island we went to another Island which had it’s own 200pesos entrance fee. This island was uber touristy and definitely NOT worth the money (although really, it’s only 4$). There are 2 small caves you can climb into for swimming except the waves were so huge and powerful that anyone would have been instantly crushed against the rocks if they tried swimming, so that was a no go. The second cave we had to crawl through to get to the “swimming” section, which was fun (read: painful), but again, no swimming allowed. They had landscaped the island nicely with statues, huts and unique chairs but other than that, the island was a let-down.

We stopped for a buffet lunch next where local boys we trying to make some money by singing popular KPop songs (“I want nobody nobody but you”) while doing backflips off boats parked near ours. Very entertaining and nice to hear a favourite song from Korea! We rode around the rest of the island where we stopped at Puka Beach for a quick swim. Puka Beach was deserted and had big waves so we had fun playing in the waves as they rolled up onto the shore! We went snorkeling again nearby but the sun was going down and so was visibility and we didn’t see much cool this time.

The next day we went back to Puka beach where we pretty much had the beach to ourselves! We tried snorkeling in a few spots based on a map we’d seen but with a lot of boat traffic we were afraid to go out too far so there wasn’t much to be seen. We had a great, relaxing afternoon on that beach playing in the waves, drinking beer and sunbathing.

We also visited Bulablog Beach on the east side of the island. This beach is nowhere near as nice at White Beach but this is where the kite boarders practice so we spent a few hours watching them on their wakeboards with the big parasails pulling them around the bay, doing all sorts of tricks that I don’t know the names of!

Evenings in Boracay were spent pacing the island trying to decide which of the thousands of restaurants to eat at. This is where the “touristy Boracay” really came in. Most food was catered to a richer clientele with sumptuous all-you-can-eat buffets, seafood grills and bars- all so tempting but just not in the budget We did eat one night at a buffet which was great but we spent the rest of the evening in bed with belly aches, our bodies not used to eating that much food anymore! We caught a spectacular fire show one night with dancers performing routines with flaming accessories!
Walking up and down White Beach or the markets at any time was joined with a near constant “Hello ma’am sir”, “Massagee sir ma’am?”, “Ma’am sir come inside”. The markets were the place to shop with great deals on clothes and souvenirs, including sunglasses as well as t-shirts and beach dresses for 3$ and board shorts for 6$!

On our last night in Boracay we were joined by a couple teaching in Seoul for an afternoon/sunset sail around the island in a sail boat. I think we paid about 30$ for 3-4 hours sailing trip that would be one to remember! The trip started out easy enough, the crew gave us lifejackets that we had to wear but, thinking we were too cool for lifejackets, we wore them open, and layed back on the netting around the boat ready for a relaxing cruise. HA HA. Things changed when we rounded the bottom of the island and the waves got a bit choppy. And then choppier. And then choppier still! Lifejackets were promptly buckled and we hung on for dear life as our boat was pounded by wave after wave completely soaking us time and time again!! It was so bad that our friend put her goggles on because it was impossible to keep the salty water out of our eyes, nose and mouth! What a wild ride! Every time we thought we were in the clear and started laughing about the whole thing, another huge wave would come up and catch us off guard. My sunglasses were the only casualty of the trip as we all emerged with big smiles on our face from the great adventure! Once we rounded to the north of the island, the waves calmed down and we were finally able to crack a beer and enjoy the smooth sailing we’d been expecting all along! Back near White beach, we stopped for a snorkel and saw, among the usuals, a puffer fish and a long pipe fish (both which we failed to get pictures of ☹ ) as well as some beer bottles and litter at the bottom. We sailed back to the beach as the sun was setting and it was the perfect way to end our sailing trip and our trip to the Philippines. We spent the rest of the evening polishing off the rest of the beer and rum we’d bought for the sailing trip, playing cards and sharing our “Korea” stories!

All in all, 9 days was perhaps too long to stay on Boracay, but we left feeling relaxed and ready to tackle whatever Vietnam would throw at us...and it turns out we were to be tested sooner than we thought! More to come soon...

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