So one of my Korean teaching colleagues and I decided we were sick of the wretched Seoul winter of 2009/2010 (it was a record cold and snowy one), and we wanted some fun and sun. Enter the idea of basking on the beaches of Boracay Island. I hadn't heard much about the island before, but I didn't need much convincing. The plan was, we would visit my Turkey friend and her boyfriend in Manila, spend a few days there, then jet off to Boracay.
The heat of the Philippines was a welcome change, but the smog, lack of green space, and general dirtiness were not. Apparently, before you're too turned off, this is really only an issue with the capital city. Most people visiting the Philippines, literally touch down, switch planes, and set off to a remote island/mountain/beach/jungle getaway. Manila had it's pros, but more about that later. To get to the island of Boracay, you have to fly (in our case a turbo prop) to the city of Caticlan (you can also fly to Kalibo) then take a bumpy boat ride to the island.
It's a tourist trap! But what did you expect? Should you go? Sure! Must you go? Not necessarily; there are many other amazing places to visit in the Philippines. We took a gamble coming without a hotel reservation, but we walked around (for a long time while trying to be "guided" by helpful residents) and finally found a newer hotel, tucked behind some other buildings. We had an amazing week of fresh seafood meals, excellent breakfasts (Real Coffee & Tea Cafe is awesome), lazy days in the sand, fresh juices, fire dancing called poi, and fabulous beach sunsets. We even met a super nice bartender named Bong (who actually came recommended from Seoul friends) that made some wickedly strong but delicious drinks called "Miss Boracays." Overall, a very relaxing time well spent!
