I describe my weekend in Boracay as unique ultimately because I was ALONE in the trip. My partner in crime backed out at the last minute because she got sick. We were supposed to celebrate her birthday there last Friday. I could have just called off the whole trip but since my PAL Econolight fare, among other conditions, was…
3. Forfeited if ticket is unused.
4. Non-rebookable / Non-endorsable / Non-upgradable
… I decided to take the trip by myself. For soul-searching? LOL. It wasn’t that hard finding my way in Caticlan-Boracay as I only had to go with the flow of the crowd and ask around. I kept in mind to not act like a complete ignorant tourist lest some locals take advantage of me.
I stayed at Isla Gecko Resort where Sarah reserved us a room. Their wifi service was not so good so I still had to resort to using Smart 3g to connect to the web. On my first night in Boracay, I just stayed in the hotel room because it was too dark and I didn’t know my way to the beach yet. Isla Gecko is a minute-walk to and from the beach.
The next morning, I walked to the beach, basked in the beauty of nature, and took some pictures. The white sand was nice, but as far as beaches go, I’ve seen better. I called my best friend to ask her what’s there to do in Bora, aside from clubbing and drinking (which I’m not into), and she suggested island hopping. A few minutes later, a local approached me and offered that I come with them, plus 3 other guests that are also from Manila, on an island hopping trip.
On the way to the crocodile island, the waves got bigger and the wind stronger, so the boat owner had to turn back and stop at this food establishment called Calirojan, near the Jetty port. As we waited, my companions had their lunch while I sat in one corner and ordered a Coke Light. I’ve almost finished off the contents of the can before I realized there was something wrong with the cola’s taste. I turned the can over and found out that it was past its Best Before date! I told the store owner about the expired Coke, but he was indifferent. I think he already knew about it.
The island hopping trip was an epic fail. We didn’t drop by the islands as planned but only sailed around two islands and went back to Station 1. I made a few friends, though. There’s this girl from Pasig City who’s staying in Bora for a month or maybe longer. The reason? After she had a big fight with her family, she shaved her head bald and traveled to Bora by herself. She’ll be coming back home only if her hair is long enough so her family wouldn’t suspect anything. Haha.
That night, I walked some more around Station 2 and took some more pictures. Boracay is so alive at night, it’s like a small city sitting on a beach. I was disappointed though, because everything in Bora is expensive. Even the medicine at the drug store!
I woke up the next day and had my breakfast before going to the beach again and do some nature- and people-watching. A few minutes later, a local lady, Ate Ainee, who was also with us on that “island hopping trip” saw me sitting alone and came to talk to me. All in all, I was asked six times by six different people why I was in Bora by myself. And all six of them had to rub it in my face by telling me “that Boracay is no fun if you’re with nobody.” I agree with them, but I really didn’t mind.
Anyway, back to Ate Ainee. She offered to take me on an ATV ride to the top of the mountain for only P500. Compared to the other activities in Bora, such as Parasailing, Banana Boat, Sea Tour Helmet, Jetskiing, which all cost P1300 or more, the ATV ride was cheap. With nothing else to do on the island, I agreed to go with her.
As it turns out, the ATV ride became the highlight of my trip! While everyone was tuned in to their televisions watching the DeLa Hoya-Pacquiao fight, I was driving toward the peak of Mt. Luho, the highest mountain in the island of Boracay (which was really not that high), overlooking the beaches, the sea, the golf course and meadow, and the luxury hotels. I loved the exhilarating feeling I got from driving that ATV!
After that mountaintop experience, I went back to Isla Gecko to pack my bags and head to Caticlan. My return flight with PAL was in Kalibo, Aklan since that’s the cheapest one Sarah and I could fine online two weeks ago (yep, cheaper than Cebu Pacific or Seair). The travel to Kalibo, aboard an L300, took more or less 90 minutes.
By 7:00pm of Sunday, I was back in Manila. The Boracay trip was quick, and it was kinda lonely, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I’m definitely coming back to give that ATV a go again. And probably try Parasailing too. It looked pretty exciting from where I was standing!
I didn’t get anything back as souvenir from Bora except a shirt and a sando for Deej. And also, a flu. I think I caught it from that cleaning lady at the hotel. *sniff*
More photos here!
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