Boracay lovin'

Every year, my core friends, by core friends I talk about friends since kindergarten, make it a point to have our summer rendezvous wherever our pair of rubber slippers takes us. 

Two thousand and twelve is the year of love, and love means Boracay!

Boracay is an island off the northwest tip of Panay Island in Western Visayas. According to the 2012 updates of the Department of Tourism, it has been named as the world's second best beach after the Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos Islands. The influx of tourists each year, especially during the summer season which is from March until May, attests to the island's piquantly stimulating atmosphere; the streets perpetually loaded with Western, East Asian, and local tourists alongside the tribespeople (small-built, kinky-haired,dark-skinned Atis) who still roam around the island freely . The united colors of tourism ^.^

Boracay at the end of summer. 

This is my second time in the island. The first was in 2009 when I took a road trip with good company  all the way from Iloilo City. That was a longer route but it gave me the chance to see the rustic scenes  of Aklan province which, after the butt-heating hours on the road, I do not find enticing.  

Back then, Boracay was like a one big party scene on a white powdery sand to me: loud pulsating music, tanned Filipinas with their foreign dudes, and yeah, tanned Filipinos with their Russian babes, buckets of booze, overpriced goods, kitten-faced Asians, annoying and lousy tourists, and what not. The scenario was quite draining. After 3 years, I found the answer why I was not so fascinated with Boracay the first time. Right, I was a lousy tourist myself: I just sat in one of those stations whose number I could not even remember, enjoyed pizza and ice cream on a hot summer day, snored the night away, and wham, left ( I thought for good). Ok, my bad. We had an overloaded itinerary at that time covering Bacolod, Iloilo, and Cebu that we didn't have enough energy to explore such wonder that is Boracay.

But it's never too late. I am catching up after three years. 

Ruby: Boracay, here I come!

Boracay: Why, who are you? @_@ 

This time it's just Boracay. There are myriads of treasures in the island I have yet to explore and discover. 

Nearing sunset at Diniwid Beach-- a secluded and private beach  *love*

As there are no direct flights to and from the island, I travel from Mactan International Airport (CEB) to Caticlan Airport (MPH). The latter is quite a small one and the aircrafts landing there are limited to a 50-seater due to the limitations of the runway. There are also regular flights departing from Manila (MNL) but Cebu is closer to my heart and my hometown, hence, the choice of airport. Caticlan airport is just within a stone's throw away from the tricycle stand where you can find a, what else, tricycle (!!!) to get you to the Caticlan Jetty Terminal. From the jetty terminal, you have to go on a ten to twenty-minute ride, you can choose between ferries and motorized bangkas (a type of outrigger boat), to finally get to your summer bliss. The docking site in Boracay is called the Cagban Jetty Terminal. From there,  you can take a tricycle (again) to your resort, or if the resort where you stay provides port-to-hotel and vice versa transfers, Cagban is the point of pick-up and drop off. Minimal fees apply for the water and land transportation. 

We checked-in at Mandala Spa and Villas, the Philippines's leading resort and best destination spa. Yes, they do have recognition from different award-giving bodies to support my statement. Settled comfortably uphill, you have to take a ten-minute walk to get to the shoreline and enjoy the interesting qualities of nature. Unlike the beachfronts in other stations where there is a non-stop flow of passersby along the beachfront, Anggol beach (the beach where Mandala is located) is the perfect idyllic retreat in the countryside. Ideal for Ruby's taste. The resort offers different kinds of well-being treatments: Mandala Qi Massage and yoga classes are a compliment for every hotel room you get. They offer carefully prepared and devised massages, scrubs, wraps, and facials at a reasonable price. Also, one thing I find amazing about this resort is their concern for the environment. For every treatment availed of or hotel room booked for, a tree is planted somewhere in the island and what's more, you can name the tree according to your wishes. AND oh, the bathroom! You can bond with nature with the all-glass shower; lovingly flirty with the plants and coral stones and bamboos that surround outside. Who takes a bath with his or her clothes on? Ha! The all-glass design is meant to provide natural sunlight while bathing during the day. It's a way to conserve energy. It was designed by Italian bathroom designer Antonio Citterio. 
Kudos, Mr. Designer ^.^ 

To those who want to regain their sanity, I highly recommend Mandala Spa and Villas. And if you ask me about mine, I never lost it so what is there to regain? Errrr

The interior and and the natural landscape on the entryway

Exploring the island was just as easy as 123 as tour guides and service people are ubiquitous. It was Ona, one of my friends, who made it easier for us as she is a Boracay-regular. Nobody knows the island too well than she does. The loveliest of all places are the less "commercialized" nooks and crannies you have to explore by boat. Remember, when you decide to buy or do something as far as recreation is concerned, DO NOT FORGET TO HAGGLE ^.^ The irony is for foreigners, Boracay is a budget destination; for the locals, it's a luxury. See, it's more fun in the Philippines. Pfffft! 

Shoreline pinkies. With Ona ^.^

This is the famous Our Lady of Lourdes grotto

Beach staples you have to bring to the island. Read: Bring, not buy in the island

I made  a mistake of buying all these here and the price is tripled. 

-A wide-brimmed summer straw hat (discounted) from the tiangge

-A pair of bikini from Nothing but Water ( cannot haggle)

-A cover-up (discounted) from the tiangge

Some alone time at the beachfront at 12 noon. 

I am the only Asian in the All-European crowd. 

Westerners find it funny that some stores here sell whitening products.

Whitening products in a fantastic beach like this? 

Fat ladies, fear not when in the island of love. Who says that the beach is just for the scrawny teenagers or for Crawford bods with bumps in the right places? Ugh, you can't help but dive into the table of sumptuous fresh seafood and eat with bare hands at the talipapa (temporary fish market) and later splash into the crystal clear water or bask in the sun, body against the powdery white sand with BLOATED bellies. Fear not. In taking pictures, angling is quintessential. Second is the hiyak-- the Visayan term for "hold your breath". I do that. Period. But hey, I am not fat! ^.^ 

If you feel like having a live interaction with other tourists whilst your belly is about to burst, a cover-up helps, too. 

Try these mouth-watering Filipino dishes  ^.^

And oh, the isaw ng manok (grilled large intestine of a chicken)

We are able to find time to go to the other side of the island for this trip. That is what I love the most. These are the quiet beaches devoid of human flaws! By flaws I talk about the disturbing noise and unpleasant sights. Yeah, it's as natural as it can be. This is the side of the island that I never knew existed. Makes me want to scream: I want to be a professional loiterer here! It was a sight that filled me with awe and reverence. The beach is so quiet. Wading into the water was such a wonder. Thank you Lord for the wonderful things that are seen, felt, and touched. Yeah, I want to touch Won Bin's hand, too. Seriously! Puhahaha ^.^ 

The kind of pleasure that makes my heart beat fast ^.^ Chos!~ 

It is also during this trip that I found out that the locals adore sunsets. Doesn't one love sunset when one is sad? The people in Boracay are sad?! It's quite the opposite. When I saw the sunset, I thought to myself, it couldn't get any more romantic than this!~ Wow. It was one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen in my life. (Don't worry, I haven't been to Europe yet, don't have as many sights to compare it with ^.^) 

Boating around the island to find the perfect sunset~ 

The night life is for the nocturnal beings. Ha! It's not for a morning person like me. Boracay nights are never dull. Live bands, poy dance, booze, crowds, house music make the party scene vibrant. For the party animals, this is the highlight of their trip. For me, this is my sleeping time. Ha! But there is a particular hang out place where those Rasta guys play the congas very well. My headache was completely gone as Caly and I danced the night away with Jamaican moves and music. It reminds me of our college days ^.^

The city girls look so pale @_@

I fall asleep wherever after 9 p.m.

There are too many water sports and activities that await in the island. I think five days is enough to do enough. The longer the better. Make sure you bring lots of dough ^.^ 
This is my first time to parasail. This would have been also my first time to cliff dive but the  monsoon wind was acting up. Tsk tsk. There are more I wanted to do but will have to reserve them the next time I come here. 

The brave souls: Me, Phil, and Caly 

After long hours of keeping your pair of feet in close contact with the earth and your arms and legs in constant motion with and against the waves, there's no better way to end your vacation than indulging in a massage that uses "long strokes" and "gentle stretches". Don't get me wrong. That's how they describe Mandala Spa and Villas' signature massage. Their female attendants are marked by tasteful simplicity and their speech is loaded with careful diction. I wonder if they had GMRC and speech classes inside the villa. ^.^))) Oh, the treatment was heavenly. A writer-friend described it as "orgasmic". The massage comes with a free sarong with the resort's name in print and a glass of hot tea. And for almost two hours, I have the villa to myself. There's also a couple room but, alas, my lover is one of those aborted babies in China, so it's just me and the sound of the trees that rustle in the wind. And oh, the attendant-therapist.
Long strokes. Gentle stretches. Nothing dirty. So guys, it's not what you're thinking. Puhahah. The is an interesting list of treatments and healing arts offered by the resort. And the price? Yeah, gives you a whirling sensation in the head that it makes you go for another treatment and another and another... Makes sense? ! ^.^)))

That's summer love to me. 

Summer is gone, and the monsoon winds take over and make the seas roar like a hungry tigress. 

People come and go in the island of love. But its charm never fades. It gets enchanting each time you step the docking jetty. Boracay embraces love. 

Now, I miss my girls *Tsk*

Fin.

The best is yet to come =} 

If it were not for...

If it were not for Onaons, I wouldn't have been here writing something for this master-forsaken blog.
If it were not for this erratic weather, I would have been outside chilling and enjoying milk tea.
If it were not for my frisky babies Mac and Choki, I would have been drooling over M.C. and lose my sense of self again. Boo!
If it were not for long weekends, I wouldn't have had the time to entertain shit.
If it were not for the fuzz on t.v., there would have been a better way to spend the evening.

If it were not for the erasure I made, this blog wouldn't have been empty.
If it were not for this deadpan blog, I wouldn't have had the time and energy to write again.

 This is my summer story: FLAMMABLE! :>

The best is yet to come =}