Days when I went to see and feel what most tourists say as the best summer destination- Boracay Island. This world-famous white beach is situated just a boat ride from Katiklan Airport in Aklan.
I was with Mylene and Arianne, both college friends, along with other acquaintances. After landing and before leaving Kalibo airport, we were generously accommodated by Hsam's family who fortunately owns a restaurant and a resort in Kalibo, named Miggy's.
We reached the island by night time.Thus, we witnessed it's night life and its length of buffet offerings. By midnight we watched fire dancers energetically swirled their poi accompanied by pop music. We just spent the night with a simple dinner and got inked!
"All Is Well"; battle cry of my college buddies; Barkadang Walang Pangalan.
By day, we dared some of its must-try activities. It was crazy how my friends cursed and screamed their lungs out at Fly Fish while I cried laughing at them, especially at Ayang. And because I was so engaged on laughing at them, I lost my grip and was thrown out of the water. Fly Fish was an absolute fun!
And then we went on a ride with an all terrain vehicle. My favorite activity! Our end point is the Mt. Luho viewpoint- Boracay's peak. Upon going back, Arianne's ATV malfunctioned, thus, leaving the two of us way behind everyone else. I was the last in the convoy and so, I had to ran after the team who were very far from us. I felt invincible driving my ATV at its fastest since the highway is free for swerving :) I still wish I could drive it everyday!
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After which, we went on island cruising and snorkeling. Seeing the underwater world was amazing. It was a priceless experience looking down on the deep blue see and watching our marine friends go on with their daily lives... fishes and corals I cannot name but whose snapshot still lingered on my mind. I genuinely enjoyed looking at their world. I pray it would continue to remain that way- regularly visited yet undisturbed.
Speaking of the beauty of our natural resources, we stopped by the far end of the island and saw the infamous West Cove Hotel allegedly owned by Manny Pacquiao, or his good friend (as per PacMan). I was sad and disappointed to see how they agreed to have the mountain cut out and the huge rock formations refined just so they could have a summer hangout 'far' from GenSan, or wherever.
This hotel cannot be found in the island, it was ON the island :( It looks good in pictures, but in reality, it was disappointing. I wish you could see first hand how the planned expansion on its left side was put on hold. Thanks to the National Building Code of the Philippines which pointed a finger on West Cove for threatening to destruct the fragile ecosystem of Boracay.
Anyway, our last morning in Boracay was spent 14 feet 'down under' via helmet diving, as we stared at the likes of Nemo. I was glad to have seen a stone fish :) Here is another sad part in this experience, our professional diver killed a sea urchin, opened it, took something from it, and gave it to the fishes as food. While he was killing the sea urchin, he was also carelessly and unconsciously hitting the corals :( It was for entertainment, but gave us another dismay, in turn.
To sum up all that we have been through in Boracay: it was unforgettable! Now I understand why some of my friends who have been there would anxiously wait for the day they would return. For four days, Boracay gave us an escape route, another world where we can be anyone, do anything, and experience everything.
While the above may be my impression, I wish for certain things to change in Boracay. First, the prices of commodities and services are really expensive. As I observed, most Filipinos who are there are not actually tourists but entrepreneurs and middle men; making profit out of a foreigners' leisure. I am not saying it's wrong; it's actually good for their local economy. What I am concerned about is that at some point, they may forget to adjust these prices to locals, accordingly. And if that would be the case, then local tourists would not be able to experience all of Boracay's offerings because of financial constraints. I hope even one person gets my point here :)
Second thing: I hope that Boracay environmental authorities would be weary of the slow destruction of the marine life brought about by some water activities, like what the professional diver did during our helmet diving. Just to add, we snorkeled the second time at a shallower part of the sea and there, the corals were mostly dead (black). In the site of our helmet diving, the sight was also not lively; mostly coral remains.
Third, there are a lot of prostitutes by night; girls and gays, alike. It was as if they were hiding from the deep parts of the sea and would surface on the shore by dark, dressed with seaweeds. Yes, and you could still see some of them by 08 AM the following day.
On another note, I would like to commend the security and peace-keeping authorities of the island for escorting vagabonds and panhandlers our of the beach. It was an awful sight to see a foreigner took a photo of a panhandling child, then gave him money afterwards. It was sad not because the child is poor and homeless, but because I am a Filipino, as well :( To me, it came across as if foreigners could screen capture our poverty (then exploit it in Facebook as part of their 'Boracay Getaway' album) and then pay us for it, afterwards.
Amidst all the pleasant- unpleasant sights and scenes in Boracay, one can truly find it as hideaway from the stresses in the Metro. You know that you are in the Philippines, but at the same time, it feels like you're not. In Boracay, you can upgrade in being a photographer because every sight is picture perfect; nature gives you 'rule of thirds', effortlessly. The white sand is pure and not sticky. And most of all, you can be proud in saying that Boracay belongs to the Philippines.
Summer, indeed, is more fun in Boracay!
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