We're sitting at the lobby of Hotel Palwa now, taking in the cool air-con comfort to seethe our (almost) wrecked nerves after missing our 10.30am boat to Siquijor. The next one is at 2.30pm, and it's only 11.15am now. But it's ok I guess, because at least it allows me the time catch up on my final blogging backlog. And at least, it allows me an escape from the descend of this sudden funeral-like atmosphere.
This is the part where the Visayas really comes into the picture. We had spent the immediate 5 days after Taiwan still on Luzon for Kabayan and Taal. Back at NAIA Terminal 3, our island escapade never seemed clearer. Unfortunately, ammendments by Cebu Pacific left us flying to Kalibo instead of Caticlan where a free shuttle bus will take us from there to complete what we had initially paid for. As if that wasn't bad enough, the flight was scheduled for a good 2 hours later and by the time we checked in at Boracay, it was already 9pm. Thanks to Ms Melody, a personnel of the tourism board who was deployed to assist us stranded passengers, we got a good deal at Tan's Guesthouse (P1800/night) at Station 2 on White Beach.
Boracay is an island paradise meant for party-animals. We fell in love with the immaculate beachfront promenade almost instantly, what with the warm glow of crimson lights, thud-thumping music emanating from the various bars as well as the powder-fine sand that melted beneath our feet. But for me, it was a sort of enigma. It's the sort of place where you'll enjoy with friends or companions, but yet I experienced a sort of abandonement amidst the crowd, a sense of forlorn amidst excitement. Aly and Farahdi had the luxury of trying the parasail, marine walk as well as the ATV drive the next day. I shall request that Aly furnish a write-up for this because I could never capture an accurate account of their experience.
Like I mentioned, I was cash-strapped and the only thing to do was to rent a mountain bike (P300/day) to tour the island. Not that I hate cycling (I love it to bits in fact), but I believe I could have enjoyed it better with people around. I made my rounds to the northern and eastern reaches of the island. Puka Beach was sublime, with its postcard-perfect sands and rocky cliffs to one side. Diniwid had a village charm while Bulabog had the low-key fishing town atmosphere. They all had something different to offer and on hind-sight, I enjoyed the chance to do all that on my own, taking in whatever I could whiff unobstructed by any other person's concerns. For the first time, it felt good to be ignored. That's a mean feat considering I'm such a social creature.
We met up around 6pm to catch the sunset at White Beach before dinner. Although arguably one of the best I've seen so far, the throngs of holiday-makers that crowded he water's edge sort of spoiled the atmosphere. Aly and Farahdi had their usual Indian fare while I opted for an all-you-can-eat buffet at Bug's Grill (P250/pax). We then pilgrimaged to Summer Place where I was bought over by the live acoustic performance. Farahdi charmed the bartender and got us some virgin mixes. And to put icing on the cake, I was sabotaged to perform a song with the band.It was nerve-wrecking; I don't think I've recovered from the shock yet.I sang Mraz's I'm Yours and that got us anew friend. Flabia, a Brazillian exchange master student from Japan,joined us for t rest of the night. We stargazed on the sands before retiring to our rooms at 2am.
We checked out of our rooms at 11am the next morning and headed straight to Starbucks where Flabia joined us for breakfast. She's a ball of fun really. It was a pity that we had such a short time together. By noon, we left for yet another underrated island paradise. 2 days on, we're still on our way there. I can't wait for the nipa cottages and endless beaches. It's an island of mystery, they say. I'm thrilled to see what magic it'll work on us.
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