Part 1: Boracay

We left for Boracay on January 6, from Hong Kong airport. In line we were right behind someone who looked just like Mel... which was cool and spooky (any relatives over here Mel?). Right from the beginning it felt a bit like we were two kids pretending to be grown-ups, and dealing with everything, from plane tickets, to airport fees, currency exchange etc... I have traveled before, but never so independently, I have always felt there was at least someone who knew more than me when it came to traveling, either my parents, or Luis, but this time, there was just Erwin and I. First we flew from Hong Kong to Manila, where we had to change airports to fly to Caticlan. We waited for our pre-arranged transfer car with a bunch of “hotel-finders” who were very entertained by a picture that the Hong Kong travel agent had given me, showing them in the spot where we were supposed to wait. Our car came quickly, and took us on a very short ride through Manila, this was my first glimpse at the city, and Erwin’s first sight in six years, so that was pretty cool. Anyways, after a few bumps we safely checked in at the domestic airport and boarded the plane to Caticlan.

Erwin in Hong Kong Aiport

On the plane from Manila to Caticlan

Exiting the plane in Caticlan

In Caticlan, we disembarked from our very small propeller plane (Mom you would have loved it), and we were greeted almost immediately by "Ate" Hazel. She was in charge of making sure we got from Caticlan Airport to our hotel on Boracay Island (a different island). We safely followed her from van, to boat, to tricycle (my favourite part of the journey), to our hotel, Surfside Resort and Spa. On the way I think Erwin was working his charms on Ate Hazel because she later became our sort of friend/tour guide/protector/local food provider while we were on Boracay. We spent the first night walking the beach from end to end (about 11 km) then we found a beachfront place to have some Filipino food, which turned out to be adapted to Western tastes, it was still good, but not traditional. After a lingering meal we made it back to the room safely.

Jetty boat - like the one we took from Caticlan to Boracay

On the second day we had our first of many breakfasts at the hotel, which was great. By the end of our stay we had tried the entire breakfast menu, including Daing na Bangus, Tapa, Longanisa, and Tocino; I guess that means we stayed just the right amount of time. We spent the day exploring the beach in the daylight, went for a dip in the clear blue ocean, ate lunch at Andoks (which was great) and went to church in Balabag Church. We were standing outside for the service, because the church was PACKED. Afterward the service we went inside, it was a nice surprise to see the simplicity of the building, which was a stark contrast the Catholic churches I saw in France. It is probably wrong for me to be presumptuous, a lot of people come to this place each week probably for all different reasons, to be thankful, to sing to share, but, to me, it seemed like a lot of people were looking for hope and a reason to keep working so hard, almost all serving the tourist industry that the island’s economy almost exclusively depends on.

Our breakfast spot everyday

On Monday, I think our first stop was the bank, which was a bit of an adventure. First, we walked from our hotel up to the main road on Boracay, where we got a tricycle. The tricycle is about a 6 person vehicle, that was already over-full (by some standards) with 5 middle school girls, a driver, and a local guy passenger. Anyways, Erwin still confidently flagged it down, and then sat in the child seat, squished next to two giggling girls in the front, while I squeezed in with three other girls in the back. So this normal 6 person vehicle (by the way that means 3 Western passengers, and a driver) was now holding 9 people! Anyways, we arrived safely at the bank, where there was a lined up gun check-in outside. We made it past that safely only to be greeted by a major queue. I think some people had been camped out there for days. Luckily, we discovered before waiting long that we could accomplish what we needed to at the unoccupied ATM.

This day we took out first boat ride since our journey from Caticlan. The sky was overcast, and the wind was high, so it was the perfect conditions for sailing. Erwin directly approached the caption of a VERY small boat called “Wind Song” instead of going through the traditional middlemen. The two of us ended up on the boat with a three man crew. There was a guy in the middle that called the shots and the two other men who spent most of the time moving to the right spots to keep the boat balanced, and also chatting to Erwin. I parked myself right in the middle of the plastic mesh that we were supposed to sit on, first, because I was too scared to move while the boat was moving, and second, because I wanted to absorb the full scenery. We were moving incredibly fast, on just wind power, and seeing nothing but sky and water (with coral lurking underneath); it was incredible. That night we had a very uninspiring buffet dinner… accompanied by some live music. Later we headed down the beach for a San Miguel and some more singing (by others and Erwin). Oh yeah… We ran into a Filipino family from Calgary that Erwin knows on this day! That was pretty cool, it is such a small world.

Sailboat just like the one we took

Family from Calgary that Erwin knows

Tuesday, I am not exactly sure what we did, I think we started the day chasing crabs with three local kids (who probably should have been in school). They were really cool, they showed us all the techniques, of how to find the right whole and follow it all the way down to the crab, and then what to do when you find a crab. Unfortunately we never had any success, but it was fun to tag along. I have a theory that crab-digging take a lot of skill because only one of the boys was actually successful at finding crabs, the other two were just his henchmen. We had crepes for lunch and then we headed back. Oh yeh I remember now, we had booked a boat ride with Ate Hazel so we had lunch and then went to meet her. We met Ate Hazel and then took another tricycle to meet the boat man at Calban boat terminal. From there he took us on a four hour ride that included snorkeling (we saw cool fish, sea urchins, and a star fish), a lot of waves, and view of the ocean. I think that night we also went for a massage, and relaxation package at the spa at our hotel… that was one of the most romantic and relaxing experiences ever. We finished the day with pizza, shiskebab, and calamansi juice (my new favourite) at “Hey Jude”; the food was great, the conversation was phenomenal, overall a great evening, that we capped of with another musical performance.

Catching crabs

Snorkeling

Me on the boat

Wednesday, was our last real day in Boracay. We slept late, had our breakfast from the selection at the hotel. We walked along the beach, picking up coral and shells, and having one more try at trying to find the crabs. We stopped at a Henna tattoo shop and both had personal temporary tattoos made by a really interesting (and talented) art student from Manila, who I am pretty sure moved to Boracay to “find himself” (a great reason to leave home). Actually we were there for almost three hours. Then we took a recommendation to have lunch at a little place set back from the beach… it turned out our decision had bad consequences that hit later. That afternoon we took a banana boat (it was as much fun as you always said Ala!) and went for our last dip in the ocean. We spent the last night walking all the way from one end of the beach to the other. We stopped to climb a small island/rock in the ocean that was only accessible at this time because the tide had gone out. On the rock there were some trees and a Mary shrine, it was pretty cool. We ate dinner in a little hut on the beach at the Waling Waling resort, and I sipped on the best tasting, freshly squeezed pineapple juice I think I have ever had. We stayed there for hours, contemplating life while swinging in hammocks beside the table. We went for one last San Miguel at a nearby club and then walked the whole length of the beach again back to our hotel. By the end of the day I think we were vacationed-out…

Getting (temporary) tattooed

Erwin getting a customized Filipino design

Zenning out after a wonderful dinner at Waling Waling


The perfect end to a vacation

On Thursday morning we packed, watched our last Filipino music videos on MYX, and ate our last breakfast at Surfside. Ate Hazel came to pick us up at 9:00am for our flight to Manila. We took the tricycle back to Calban, and then the small boat, called the jetty, back to Caticlan. Throughout the whole trip Erwin managed to dodge the porters who were trying desperately to get a hold of his bag so that they would get a tip, it was kind of funny. We took a van from the jetty port to the airport (about 2mins) and then passed through security. We had to wait a very long time for our flight, because taking a plane from Caticlan is more like taking a bus, it is kind of a first come, first serve basis. Anyways, the extra time gave Erwin a moment to call his Uncles to tell them we were on our way to Manila. Ate Hazel also took the opportunity to give us some Boracay treats, including taro pancakes and dried bananas. Finally the time came for the two of us to board the plane. It was the end of a long, relaxing/exhausting vacation.

Too tired to hide anything