Boracay Diaries: Day 4

January 26, 2014

Sunday. Our last day in Boracay. Know what that means— souvenir-shopping (and other stuff lol)!

(Photo: Adrian Penus)

On our 4th and last day, we did what all first-time tourists do on their vacation: shop for souvenir items. We actually had two shopping sites to choose from: D-Mall and D-Talipapa. We opted for the latter, since we’ve been there before and that’s where I bought my hat.

(Photo: Mike Asuncion)

I didn’t buy a lot of stuff because I don’t want to go home with so much bulk in my bags— and also because I don’t have enough money anymore. Haha. In fact, I wasn’t able to buy anything grand for myself. I was eyeing a nice black swimsuit and a cute sundress from one of the stalls, but I decided to turn my back and walk away from them while I still can. All I got for myself was a cool black statement shirt, a big black bag for my “excess baggage,” and a little jar keychain with sand inside. The latter hangs by my picture board in the office, so I can always be reminded of my sweet escapades. 🙂

(Le shirt, the only design that caught my attention. The rest were just… meh. *Taken in the office days after the trip*)

(Aaaaand the Bora keychain, together with my Puerto Galera cellphone trinket. Hehe.)

I think it took us almost two hours to shop. I don’t know if that’s long already, but for a not-such-a-big-fan-of-shopping-because-I’m-thrifty-and-very-picky person (*raises hand* Me! Me!), the time was super short.

(Done shopping. Whew! Photo: Adrian Penus)

After that, we headed to the beach, hoping to catch the sunset for our last group shot there (and swim for the last time). Fortunately, we made it before the sun finally went down. Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough time to swim our last swim because we had to be out of the island by 7.

Sunset snaps:

(Gorgeous sunset!)

(There goes the sun! Photo: Adrian Penus)

Group snaps:

(See that vacant spot? Yeah, that’s for our officemate who wasn’t able to join us because of some “unforeseen circumstances.” Lol. Photo:  Mike Asuncion)

(I really like this shot. 🙂 Photo:  Mike Asuncion)

(…and this too. Preparin’ to jump! Photo:  Mike Asuncion)

(At the port… just because we had to prove something for our officemate. Haha! Photo: Paolo Supena)

Well, what can I say? That trip in Boracay really got us all talking for days. Needless to say, we had that very evident “Bora hangover” for weeks. Lol.

We had so much fun. Personally, I enjoyed Boracay a lot. I love going to new and exciting places, so I really had a great time there. Plus, my officemates are the best people to be with in vacations like this! They’re just… awesome. 🙂

(Photo: Adrian Penus)

So, where to next? We don’t know yet. Sagada, perhaps? Or Cebu? Davao? Anywhere… I just wish I have more money in my pocket. Hahaha.

Happy blogging (and travelling)!
❤ Jane

Boracay Diaries: Day 3

January 25, 2014

Finally, the jam-packed day 3 of our Boracay trip!

(The highlight of my third day: fly fish! Don’t worry, we’ll get to that 😛 Photo:  Mike Asuncion)

Okay, I’ll skip the breakfast part… but the boys are worth mentioning here. Because even though they didn’t have enough sleep, they were the ones who prepared a hearty table of delicious breakfast for us. Sweet. Lol.

Anyway, our first activity was supposed to be island hopping, but the boat wasn’t available yet when we got there. So we decided to try the banana boat first.

(Thrilled at first, but… Photo:  Mike Asuncion)

I was quite happy at first because banana boat turned out to be a bit cheaper than I thought, but as we got to experience it, my happiness wore off. It was more like a “pencil boat,” and the activity was very far from what I (we) expected. From what I know, a banana boat should be, well, banana in form and it involves turning the passengers over to the water. But all we got were endless splashes and sprinkles of painful salty water. No flipping, no thrill— just heaps of beach water splattering on our faces.

(“Happy” kids lol. Photo:  Mike Asuncion)

It was really disappointing; so not worth the price. But I’m willing to give banana boat a second chance… as long as it gives me my money’s worth. 😉

(Of course, a getaway won’t be complete without a jump shot. Haha. Photo:  Mike Asuncion)

Next: island hopping. Another disappointing activity.

We were promised a “three-islands-for-four- hours” experience, but we ended up having a stopover on one island only. One of my officemates like to call it “island circling.” According to manong, our boat companion (lol), it would be risky to go to the other islands (which I heard were amazing) because of the stubborn waves. We just complied and had lunch on that single island’s beautiful white sand.

And oh, before that, we were told that we could go snorkeling for free. Of course we accepted the offer, but when we got up, we were charged P20 as a “tip.” Wow. Island hopping in Puerto Galera is soooo much better.

Snaps:

(Ready to go island hopping circling!)

(Happy kid snorkeling and feeding fishes lol. Photo:  Mike Asuncion)

(While some of us formed sand figures and chilles by the beach, my other officemates had other plans in mind. This one’s my favorite shot. Lol. Photo:  Mike Asuncion)

Strolling the other side of Boracay under the scorching sun wasn’t a really good idea, but we had no choice. Haha.

(Wow, I still can feel the burning heat of the sun while writing this caption hahaha! Photo:  Mike Asuncion)

Up next: fly fish! Yes, we were so bummed by the two previous activities, but the fly fish experience made up for all the negativities!

(All smiles before the extreme event! Photos:  Mike Asuncion)

Fly fish was the bomb! Really worth spending for. Fly fish didn’t disappoint; it soared very high (literally) and exceeded our expectations. We almost slipped and fell but, fortunately, we didn’t. Hahaha. I may have screamed my lungs out for the entire activity, my fly fish buddies may have had their eardrums damaged, and we may have pulled many muscles without any warm up (thus the body pains afterwards), but we all can’t deny the fact that we really had a freakin’ great time!

(Lol. Just… lol.)

(Super happy kids after the blood-waking activity. Photos:  Mike Asuncion)

Last, but definitely not the least: ATV!

(Them big wheels. Hahaha. Photo:  Mike Asuncion)

I love biking and the occasional motorcycle driving (whenever my dad allows me haha), so when I heard about this activity where we will ride big vehicles and wander around the mountains, I immediately put it on my to-do list. And just when I thought the experience would be so liberating and feel kinda “badass,” well… it totally was!

(Photo:  Mike Asuncion)

Navigating a machine that’s heavier than what I usually ride wasn’t easy, but it sure was worth it! Thumb pains and other soreness got nothing on the adrenaline and thrill that these big wheels gave me!

(Happy kid wishing to take that blue baby home hahaha. Photo:  Mike Asuncion)

Day 3 was a blast! Out of the four days we spent in Boracay, this is my ultimate favorite. Sure, there were a few lows at the beginning, but the day capped itself off with new and amazing experiences that we will never, ever forget.

I’m saying that because it’s been almost a month and I can still vividly remember that day. Haha. Well, except for the money we spent on each activity. I’d rather recall the happy moments than their monetary equivalent. Hahaha.

(Ending this post with a cute selfie. Lol. Ice candy, anyone? Photo: Ian Alegre)

Happy blogging (and travelling)!
❤ Jane

Boracay Diaries: Day 2

(First of all… wow! This post is sooooo overdue. Oh well… better late than never!)

January 24, 2014

Day 2. The “real-but-technically-not” day we saw and conquered Boracay. 🙂

Woke up earlier than the usual (before 6am ack!) and cooked breakfast with my officemates-slash-travel buddies. First breakfast in Boracay felt awesome! Our menu included the usual longganisa, hotdogs, sinigang and fish, but that breakfast felt really different. Hehe. It’s nice to eat super early in the province every once in a while. 😉

(Breakfast like kings! Photo:  Mike Asuncion)

After eating, we went to the town proper to buy some meal ingredients and, well, go to the beach. Got myself a nice sunday hat to complete my “by the beach” look!

(Feeling like a tourist with my bodyguards (lol)… well technically we were tourists there!)

Then we finally headed to the beach. Happy kid really mouthed “Wow!” when she felt the famous white sand and saw the equally-famous crystal-clear beach. Again, wow.

(Wow…)

After admiring Boracay’s true-blue beauty, we just wandered around and ate lunch. Here are some snaps:

(With Laneybear! Photo:  Mike Asuncion)

(The whole gang! Photo: Ian Alegre)

(Happy lunch! Photo: Ian Alegre)

We spent the whole afternoon touring the whole thing— from Station 1 to 3, I think? Haha. And oh, some of us got Henna tattoos. Happy kid’s first time to have temporary ink on her back!

(Happy kid’s getting her back inked. Lol. Photo: Rochelle Domingo)

(Was thinking of getting a Swastika tattoo (lol), but then I saw the dreamcatcher design and… well…)

After the inking session, we just chilled by the beach, had desserts, swam a little (unfortunately the water’s too cold for a long dip), and made some sand artworks until sunset. See here:

(Yummy choco cookies n’ cream dessert from Atlanta Crazy Crepes!)

(Our sand “art,” inspired by Adrian’s smaller version. Both were instant tourist attractions, beating those intricately-made “Boracay [insert date here lol]” sand carvings. Hahaha.)

(The smaller— and much more realistic— version. Photo: Adrian Penus, the artist himself haha)

After that very exhausting afternoon, we went home and re-energized with dinner. The girls decided to stay and rest while the boys went out and partied. I don’t know why we didn’t have the energy to go with them but… oh well!

(The boys. Lol too bad the girls weren’t in this pic! Photo:  Mike Asuncion)

So there you have it… day 2. Very simple, but at least we got to know this very gorgeous island that is Boracay. Next: action-packed day 3! 🙂

(Ending this post with a sunset shot, of course! Photo: Adrian Penus)

Happy blogging (and travelling)!
❤ Jane

Boracay Diaries: Day 1

Date: January 23, 2014

Basically, our day 1 in the beautiful island of Boracay was just all about travelling and resting. But what made it special was the fact that it was my first time to go inside an airport, board a plane and land in Boracay. 🙂 *still getting kilig here*

(Waiting for our flight at Terminal 4! Photo:  Mike Asuncion)

(Happy kid!)

The experience was beyond amazing. I’m acrophobic, but not the “scream-and-faint-and-all” type. I can handle my fear, so when our plane took off, I was ecstatic. Too bad I didn’t get the window seat, but fortunately, my officemate agreed to switch places with me. After the plane had settled, I moved to her place near the window and was so amazed by the view.

(Up up and away!)

(Sunset!)

The cloudy view wasn’t the only highlight of my ride. While sightseeing and all, a little kid sitting in front of me caught my attention. To this day, I still don’t know his name… and most of the things he told me while we were playing. Hahaha.

(Meet “Aylayutoo!”)

Yes, he’s Chinese; that’s why I didn’t understand what he was gushing about (well, most of it because I did understand “ni hao ma,” “xie xie” and “zai jian”). We had a lot of fun playing and talking (despite the language barrier lol), so much fun that I didn’t notice we were landing in Boracay already.

(Aww. Isn’t he cute?)

Oh, right… the “Aylayutoo” thing. Before we completely parted ways, I asked his parents for his name. I think the mother told me, but I really didn’t understand a single word. Then I jokingly said “I love you” to the kid. To my surprise, he replied with “I luh you too!” So there; since then I always refer to him as “Aylayutoo.” Again, xie xie for the awesome plane ride!

Okay… so after we got off the plane, we drove to JettyPort (bloody 2 hours!) to ride a pump boat. Now, if you’re following our footsteps, kindly prepare for three different payments. Hahaha.

And by the way, it was so cold when we got there. Tip: always bring a sweater and/or a scarf wherever you go— even at the beach.

(With our life vests on. Safety first! Photo: Paolo Supena)

(This moment was so important to us, we just had to take a picture of it. Hahaha. Photo: Paolo Supena)

After another ride, we finally made it to the house we’re staying in. We’re lucky enough to be welcomed and accommodated by my officemate’s relatives. 🙂 The path to the house was a complete challenge for us— rocky with steep stairs and no lighting at night. But the house was super comfortable! It was everything city people dreams of— warm, cozy, and with a very nice province feel.

(Tired and sleepy! Photo: Ian Alegre)

So that was day 1. Watch out for day 2 (and 3 and 4!) 😛

Happy blogging (and travelling)!
❤ Jane

Boracay Diaries: Introduction

Posts in order (for easy navigation):

• Boracay – Day 1
• Boracay – Day 2
• Boracay – Day 3
• Boracay – Day 4

——————————————————-

There’s always a first time for everything— first plane ride, first white sand, first extreme water ride, first motor ride on the mountains, first “slightly-dramatic-walk-on-the-beach-with-fading-footsteps-behind,” first ink on the back… For me, all these “firsts” happened in one place: Boracay.

Oh, what a wonderful place. Crystal-clear waters, beautiful white sand, exquisite view of sunset… For a first-timer like me, Boracay was a piece of heaven. Never mind the crappy island hopping experience. Never mind the horde of Koreans everywhere, making it seem like we’re on South Korea instead of Boracay. Never mind the banana boat that was more like a lousy pencil boat. Never mind all the negative stuff— for me, Boracay is the bomb!

I’m glad to experience one of our country’s world-famous tourist attractions, but I’m even more elated because I was with my favorite people on the planet: my officemates. 😉

(Photo:  Mike Asuncion)

Nuff said. Now I give you… the Boracay Diaries! Join me as I share how we spent and enjoyed our four amazing days travelling and basking in Bora’s glory. Stay tuned!

Happy blogging!
❤ Jane