travel to Asia

Okay, time to talk about my Boracay trip. Though it was a long time ago already, like almost three years back, it is still fresh in my memory... How i wish me and my sweetheart would be able to go back there, this time with our kids of course. Hopefully, before we go to the US for good.

Anyway, my first glimpse of Boracay felt too good to be true. I have been to beautiful tourist beach spots as well in other countries like Penang and Langkawi in malaysia, Sharm el sheikh in Egypt, Phuket in Thailand, but it's really more exciting to get to finally be in a similarly beautiful place, if not more beautiful, in my very own country. I couldn't believe that finally I’d be able to finally experience what my country has in store for me! It was incredible! I wasn’t too prepared to take in all the beauty that was waiting for us.

When I and my fiancé arrived at the airport there at caticlan, a van was already waiting to take us to a beach nearby where we took a boat ride to get to the island of Boracay. The boat ride took around thirty minutes before we finally set our eyes on the island. The people in the boat with us were very friendly, i couldn't help but keep smiling at them out of the happiness and excitement that was brewing up inside me ha-ha! I was just so excited! There were a few vacationers and hotel staff in the same boat with us. You can tell if they are vacationers because they usually have tags pasted on the upper right side of their shirt or blouses; i guess to help the guide perfectly in easily sending us all to each different hotel. It was fun. i never experienced being tagged before hehehe..

As we reached the pier, there were guys waiting there too to readily help tourists with their luggage for a matter of 20 pesos, or 50 if you are more of a giver. Then the guides helped us, tourists, to get on a small white jeepneys(local type vehicle) that took us finally to our respective hotels after a long journey from Manila. We were the last ones among our group to be sent to our small but very nice hotel since it was at the station 1, close to Fridays Hotel. How i wished we stayed at the Friday's, such a wondefully bamboo built hotel. But of course since we were on a bit of a tight budget, we just stayed at Las brisas. The hotel room was a bit disappointing at the start, especially when i opened the comfort room-well I was expecting a bath tub and there wasn’t, just a shower room.I thought the room was quite old, but despite its negative first effect on me, it became rather comfortable, esp. since the bed and the bedside lamps were quite a beauty. It wasn't actually difficult to learn to love our hotel when we finally went down to check out the beach. We didn't expect that for such a small hotel there was a nice pool there fronting the beach. Cabanas are also available for nice massage or even just for a quite or loud chit chat by the beach. And so i realized, It was actually awesome to find such a beautiful nice little hotel. And when we finally stepped onto the beach sand, whew, i just went crazy with gladness that we visited the place! I couldn't believe that indeed there is such a beautiful place like it in my very own country.

Boracay is indeed one of the must see places all over the world! The beach is really really long and the sand is crystalline white. During mornings the beach is even more crystalline against the morning sun, and you can see how the water is still fine and clear despite the huge influx of tourists in the place. The hotels by the beach were awesome too! And it was so good to just be on your foot by the beach to even just watch the people lying on the beach, swimming, drinking cold drinks by the beach, talking, and having fun under the sun. Awesome place really!

There were also boats docked nearby, waiting for tourists to have their island trips. And those boats by the beach were just so nice to behold, they added beauty and drama to the place.
In the evenings, dinner were really a good time to go out on foot by the beach because as you walk on the powdery sand you could also smell the wonderful delicacies being offered from each restaurant that you pass by. It was really difficult to resist the smell; you would want to go to each restaurant to try a meal or two, if only your tummy can handle it...

It rained on the first night that we were at boracay, thankfully we found a perfect nook to let the rain pass after a wonderful dinner by the beach. While sipping a beer or two with comfy pillows all around us inside a dark nipa hut but cozy bar, it felt so good to look at the rain and whisper sweet nothings to each other amid the rain and people's noise around...

on the day that we had our island trip, the sun was shining so nicely. It was warm and yet we had fun going from one island to another on a boat that we rented just for me and my fiancé for about 1700 pesos. The two boys who guided us also took us to a place where we had fun snorkeling. I didn't know how to swim, yet i was able to snorkel. Of course my sweetheart guided me under the water and i had fun looking at all those species under the water. Gosh I could try to snorkel again since it wasn't that bad during my first time!

Then we went to Puka beach for a great lunch in the middle of our island trip. After lunch, i went for another swim right there at Puka. I just couldn't resist how white the shell-filled beach was. It was more fun to swim there even though i was just on the shallow part. It was so exciting to see how clear the water was underneath and it felt so good to my body that i played a lot on the water on this beach. And we didn't go back until we bought some accessories made of puka shells!
The next day, we rented a tricycle for a few hundreds to take us around the island. The driver was so nice to show us some other great places around the island; sights we wouldn't have seen if we didn't rent a vehicle to take us around on that day. We got to see the other beach on the other side, the butterfly farm, island people, towns, other smaller fishermen beaches and another great beach called Nami that is a bit difficult to go to, but still filled with tourists. At Nami beach there was a beautiful hotel that is set on a rock which was quite interesting. It has an elevator that was rather strange and a bit scary. You'll know what i mean once you get there! And so, yup we rounded the island in just a few hours! It was truly a good decision to rent a tricycle for a day, though some other people won't really recommend it. I didn't see anything wrong about it, anyways. Well, if i have a new camera when we go back there, I’d still rent a tricycle for a day so i can take more pictures of Boracay from different sides,

And how can i forget, the driver also took us to see the highest point of Bora which is called the Mt.luho. The vehicle had a hard time going up to that hill, i even thought we wouldn't be able to make it to the top, but somehow we made it. My fiance and i had to go up this very steep rocky made-up stairs on that hill and we got to see few lonely caged monkeys up there and a few more endangered animals. And then a guide took us to see Boracay from it's topmost part where my sweetheart was able to get panoramic pictures of the Island.
And so, after five days and four nights at bora, we headed back to my place in Bicol. I didn't want to leave yet the place though! It was just so amazing! How can i ever forget the beautiful clear water, the white crystalline sand, amazing beach views, islands, great music here and there, fire dancers, great hotel staff, wonderful food, smiling faces of people from different parts of this world,freedom to have fun,dance or sing if you like, and so on..Oh I wish i could go back there again. Soonest if possible!

mmm..hope you like my story about this travel.. And yes I do recommend a trip to Boracay if ever anyone out there is planning to go to the Philippines Islands this summer!!