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| Boracay's White Sand (Station 2) |
Traveling on a budget means you will end up lacking sleep during your
holiday trip. Most budget airlines fly out from Singapore at night. For a three
and a half hour flight, it’ll be too long – and at the same time – too short to
have a good body rest. Just be prepared to be disturbed by the loud and
inconsiderate babbles from Cebu Pacific Air’s flight attendants while sleeping.
And yes, they play guessing games too while on-board.
I took a
Singapore-Clark-Manila-Kalibo-Boracay-Kalibo-Manila-Clark-Singapore flight
within four days. It was the longest, yet the cheapest fare my friend and I can
get during the Chinese New Year weekend. And it’s a horrific, tiring route
which I will never, ever going to take again.
While on our flight to Clark, a Caucasian man suddenly went up to the
front of the cabin and held the speaker phones to his hands. He mumbled his lazy,
uncreative proposal to his Pinay
girlfriend while thousands of feet up from the ground. Half asleep, I didn’t
really bother that much (of course, I clapped a little and slept again). The
stint wasn’t even exciting at all to keep me awake at that moment.
That was just the start of bad things that are about to happen.
POINT OF ENTRY
Upon arriving at the Clark airport, we learned that we just missed our
only inexpensive option to reach the metro – the Philtranco bus. If our flight wasn’t delayed,
we should have been able to catch the bus an hour earlier. As the next one will
only depart at around 1 a.m., we opted for the expensive airport taxi service
(P3,500 per ride) instead. The shuttle brought us to Quezon City where we spent
the rest of the night.
Manila’s Terminal 3 airport has vastly improved over the years. There
are now a dozen newly opened shops and restaurants inside. Free Wi-Fi in the
airport is also an achievement. Well, this is one of the few reasons why I
still love flying via Cebu Pacific whether internationally or domestically, as
passengers get to use this new airport as compared to the old, shabby terminals.
There are lesser number of travelers too in this airport.
I am aware I’m careless at times. When I was a bit younger, I would
usually lose either my wallet or camera during an out-of-town trip. Growing up,
I have learned to be more cautious. But sometimes, the world still conspires
against you and it brings a dash of bad luck on your way. While traveling on a
bus from Kalibo to the Caticlan Ferry Point, again I lost another one – my precious
iPhone. I think one of the bag handlers might have quickly snatched my phone
while he was carrying my bag. Sad. Bye
Instagram.
For the Boracay virgins out there, I suggest that you take a direct
Caticlan flight rather than flying via Kalibo and take a gruelling almost two
hour bus/van ride. I’d rather pay that extra amount instead of saving a few
bucks on the airplane ticket while putting your life at risk. I’ve taken two
Kalibo flights in my life (the last was one circa 2006). And neither of them is
less bumpy than the other. Riding the Kalibo buses is like riding a roller
coaster. You’ll encounter zigzag highways, narrow roads, and endless
mountainous cliffs that will force you to say a little prayer.
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| Caticlan's Port with a small baggage check counter |
Caticlan Ferry Port is a hell den especially at night. Excpect chaos
while inside the port. I really wonder why all these years, the government has
done little in the island’s “gateway port” before reaching the actual paradise.
You will also notice the big ugly faces of Aklan’s (the province which governs
Boracay) public servants hanging in the four corners of the port. Only in the Philippines. Do you really
thing we can put the likes of Bali, Phuket, Maldives and other beach
destinations to shame? Don’t think so. How embarrassing! Que horror…
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| Aklan's Ugly Faces: From the Governor to the Councilors pasted on the port's walls |
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| White powdery sands of Boracay |
ANNA DIZON IS ANNA DIZON
People often say, it’s not the journey but the destination that truly
matters. Good thing, this saying is true in my case. Despite all the issues I
had on my way to Boracay, I quickly buried all these bad vibes quickly in the white,
powdery sand (like literally…) of the
island.
Just like Anna Dizon is Anna Dizon, Boracay is Boracay. And nothing can
beat that.
And what’s the best way to kick-start my exciting beach weekend? Nothing
less but to stuff myself with good food and cheap booze.
I had a hard time finding the best liempo (grilled pork) in town. Most of
the restaurants offer one, but I’m not sure how good they were. Plus, I was
looking for the perfect restaurant with an excellent outdoor ambiance. But all
these things I was hoping for didn’t really happen on the first night thus I
prayed for better days to come.
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| La Carmela de Boracay's Pool Area |
I never liked walking far distances as I get too
tired easily. But whenever I am in Boracay, I always have the energy to walk
about five kilometres each every three hours or so. It’s because everything here
is a sight to behold. From the pristine beach, the happy manongs (uncles) asking you to try out their different water
activities such as the banana boats and helmet diving, to the various quaint
shops and restaurants laying side by side each other.
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| En route from Station 2 to Station 1 |
I never knew February is actually a good season to
visit the island as it’s not overly crowded and the sun is always up (except
for one night where we experienced a short drizzle). Plus, I’ve noticed that
the sea is bluer, greener, cleaner and lesser algae formations this time
around. I assume from March till about May which is the Philippine’s official
“summer” season, Boracay is always flooded by locals while the February period attracts
more foreigners. During my most recent trip, I’d say 50% were locals, 15% were Koreans,
10% were Chinese, while the rest are Caucasians (mostly Americans). I heard
December is also a good season to visit (with cooler winds and lesser chances
of rain).
If you plan to sunbathe or swim in the beach the
whole day alone, it’s better to leave your special belongings (e.g. wallet,
camera, passport, etc.) in the hotel. Don’t ever bring it to the beach and just
leave it unattended. Even if your bag is covered by a towel or a blanket,
there’s a chance that you might still attract some few bad locals (only some of
them, I hope) who might steal your items.
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| Huyyy, Manong! These locals were trying to pretend that they were just standing there under the shade. But the truth is, they were checking out if no one will notice them stealing our things. I wasn't just assuming. Sure na! |
BEST BITES
For those people who are searching for the best dishes
to try in Boracay, here’s a list that I can recommend:
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| Calamansi Muffins (top), Ultimate Muffins (bottom) |
Real Coffee
I thought the muffins here were just a big fad in Manila,
but when I tried out their renowned Calamansi Muffins, the experience was to
die-for. (Although my friend said it’s not too moist for him) This small resto
is only a block away from Astoria Hotel (walk from the hotel towards D’Mall
direction). They have a very tiny signage outside leading you to their nipa hut
café, so better to have your eyes wide open while searching for the place. They
are also popular for their coffee shakes but I didn’t try it as I’m not fan of
heavy caffeinated drinks.
Mesa
Filipino Moderne
Living in Singapore for quite some time now doesn’t
always give you the luxury to eat yummy Pinoy dishes. So I admit, I have always
had that endless craving for traditional Pinoy
dishes whenever I visit home. If you always frequent Greenbelt in Makati,
chances are, you are quite familiar with Mesa restaurant. Although I haven’t
tried it out in Manila yet, I think the brand name rings a bell.
Mesa Boracay (located beside Boracay Regency)
turned out to be the best meal experience for me during the trip. They serve
typical Filipino cuisines, but somehow, they present it in a jaw-dropping,
gourmet-gourme-yan manner. Just the
sight of it makes you salivate. Plus, you get to eat these hearty meals while
sitting near the beach. Must try: Laing Rice, Tinapa Rice, Laing Two Ways, and Prawns
in garlic & butter.
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| Choco Peanut Banana Shake |
Jonas’ Shake
A Boracay trip won’t be complete without paying a
visit to Jonas (located in Station 1, nearby Mother Mary’s grotto). I have seen
the developments of this resto from just a small boxy eatery to a full-pledged
restaurant serving burgers and other meals. If it’s your first time here, the
choco peanut banana shake is really a must-try. But if you don’t like very sweet
shakes, then just go with the typical mango shake.
Aria
If you are looking for something more western, Aria
is a sure best bet (located at the D’Mall, Station 2). Serving Italian-inspired
cuisines, Aria is most known for their thin crust pizzas and pastas devoured
while drinking my favorite berr, a chilled San Miguel Light. The resto also has
a beachfront location, perfect for chill noontime weekends while doing what we
love best --- people-watching.
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| BBQ Platter |
I ❤ BBQ
The search for the best liempo in town finally stopped when we accidentally saw I ❤ BBQ (at D’Mall, Station 2). They serve
various forms of barbecued dishes – from pork, chicken, squid, to even
lobsters. Their liempos are marinated
in special tasty sauces. I was just zoning out while eating it. It’s that good!
NIGHT OUT
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| San Mig Light at Epic |
Pub crawling is becoming more and more popular in this island. It’s a way for strangers to
easily meet each other and mingle around with fellow tourists. They hop from
one pub to another while drinking booze. It looked fun when I saw all of them
wearing their yellow shirts while walking by the beach.
Otherwise, Club Paraw, Epic, and Juicy (for the
pinks out there) are still the hottest bars in Boracay.
FLYING BACK
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| Fire Dancers |
Our travel back to Singapore was much easier as
compared to the initial leg of the trip. Of course, the bus ride from Caticlan
to Kalibo is still the scariest part of the journey. But now we’ve already learned
a valuable lesson while traveling in Kalibo, it’s better to sit somewhere in
the middle of the bus instead of taking the front row seats. Then you don’t
have to see the road, the cliffs, and the every other passers-by on the sides
of the road that the bus driver will seemingly hit throughout the journey.
Despite all these years, I’ve realized that Kalibo
airport hasn’t improved as well at all. The airport is tiny vis-à-vis the
hundreds of tourists flocking in the airport every single day. Thus, expect long
queues getting in and upon check-in. Even at check-in, the airport is that
small and over-crowded, you will never know if you are queuing in the right
airline. There were also no separations whether you are on an international or
domestic flight.
While at the waiting area of the Kalibo airport, it
really looked like a scene in a provincial bus station somewhere in Dagupan or
Tacloban. It was just terrible. There were no food concessionaires (they were
just serving snacks which don’t help at all especially if your flight is around
dinner time). There were not enough seats. And it was just toooooooo crowded…
I was just hoping at that point to just fly out and
head back to Manila en route to Singapore.
It was a short, tiring trip but just thinking about
the idea of experiencing the island of Boracay once again is definitely one for
the books. Traveling to and fro Boracay is dreadful, but once you are there you
will instantly forget how appalling your day or even how miserable your life was.
In Boracay, it’s just you, the sun, and the sand (plus a hundred other happy
people partying in the island with all smiles on their faces).
Other photos:
Signing off,
Super Pao
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