Boracay Day 1

Just came back from Boracay with 2 of my girlfriends, Nina and Jean :) it was kind of a last minute decision and we tried to keep costs low so we travelled via a very long route... took a budget flight from Singapore to Manila, an internal flight to Kalibo, a van from Kalibo to Caticlan, and finally a boat from Caticlan to Boracay.

arroz at Terminal 2

never eat Ya Kun at Terminal 2 :<

This Jean. Sleeps through anything.

Finally at Kalibo! After 8 hours or so, huhuhu :<

There's no need to pre-book your transport; a door to door from Kalibo to your hotel at Boracay will set you back about 1000-1200php round trip. When we first arrived at Kalibo there were tons of transport providers waiting at the exit of the airport; we opted for a 250php ride which included an "Oyster ferry" ticket from Caticlan to Boracay. However, upon reaching Caticlan we had to wait for half an hour for the Oyster ferry to come. We saw that there were Bankas going off like every 5 minutes, so it's probably better to pay 200php for the ride from Kalibo to Caticlan (without ferry fee) and hop on a Banka (25php payable outside the entrance of the jetty) to save on waiting time. in addition to transportation fees, we had to pay 75php for the environmental fee and 100php for terminal fee. did not understand why. the jetty wasn't in any way world class. the toilet was clean though. maybe that's what we were paying for.

eh. You don't need these.

Bankas

When you reach Boracay there will be tons of trikes waiting for passengers.

We paid 100php for a trip to our accomodation - Frendz Resort at Station 1 which wasn't beach front, but close enough for the price. It was a 2 min walk to white beach and a 2 min walk to the main road. Basic and clean, cost us about USD$15 a night.

our own patio

Le fabulous view that took our breaths when we first saw it:

yay!

White beach has nicer powdery white sand at station 1 which kinda gets progressively worse going down station 2 and 3. shops that sell food, beach gear, and tout tourist services line the beach making it a place that's throbbing with activity from sunrise to sunset. The water is clear as crystal - the only thing marring it would be the seasonal green moss... or algae (?) that wasn't even offensive at all. It was a bright green... and really fluffy.

fluffeh

We arrived about 3pm, got changed, and explored the area a little... made a downpayment for a trip to Ariel's Point (more later) on our third day, grabbed a fruit shake and snacked on a chori burger (tastes like ba kwa wrapped in bread). After which we just nuaed in the waters, taking in the beauty of it all. Seriously. The long trip was all worth it!

Street food!

From a store called "Eat My Balls" :\, chicken and squid balls!

BBQ meat! had no idea what it was on the bottom right though. Chicken intestines?

Exploring shops by the beach

Handmade soap! Smells really good

Jonah's fruitshakes :)

SUN, SAND, SEA!

Went for a 1hr massage (350php) at a place near Real Coffee called Boracay Dream's Massage. It's in a little alley, on the 2nd floor so it offers more privacy than beach front massages (advisable if you're female - they maneuver your bikini while massaging you). Best massage I've had in a while... all 3 of us fell asleep.



Decided to have dinner at D'talipapa, which is a place that offers cheap and fresh seafood. Note that it closes at around 8pm so you should be there by about 6.30pm. What happens is that you pick and choose what you want to eat from a wet market, bargain like hell, then bring your catch to any of the nearby eateries that offer cooking services. We had a meal of fresh fish, 2 kinds of veg, 2 kinds of prawns and 2 kinds of squid for about SGD$20 a person. They had gargantuan lobsters and crabs for sale as well! and oysters! But we were on budget lah, so...

THE SIZE OF THOSE THINGS!

Where we settled to get our food cooked (the other places were all full!! :<)

Anyway one thing we realized was that they tend to go crazy with the salt when cooking and it's most apparent in the vegetables, so if you're planning to eat here ask them to go easy on the salt!



What we had: kang kong and napa fried with garlic, squid done in butter and adobo (soy sauce, Filipino style!), fish fried with spring onion, prawns with cheese, and steamed with garlic. *drools*

After din we took a trike back to station 1 and walked down the other way towards station 3... before realizing we could have walked back to station 1 :| Boracay by night offers al-fresco seafood bbq by the beach, cheap drinks at pubs, fire dancers and really good live music!

the fire dancers were all male btw, some dressed as female, but hella sexy ;)

the 2 and their bukos

3 of us settled at one of the "clubs" further up station 1 where they offered low tables and cushions so you could drink by the beach. One thing about drinking in Boracay is that they don't hold back on the liqueur! Had a pina colada, true beach bum style.

nina is not even drunk.

Watched people getting high and dancing, on the dance floor and by the beach, ate some bbq sausages (so good!), and decided to lie by the beach to take in the sea breeze and watch the stars.

Yup, we fell asleep for a while by the beach before Nina woke up abruptly to drag us back to Frendz resort.

End of day 1, just the beginning! Stay tuned for helmet diving, zorbing, cliff jumping and tattooing D: