Boracay

At exactly 4pm on August 20, I received a text from SEAir (our airline carrier to Boracay).  The so-called “fastest airline to Boracay” cancelled our early morning flight to Caticlan due to technical reason.  I immediately called their number and told me that they already booked my group to the next available flight via Kalibo which I did not accept since the flight was scheduled late in the afternoon.  My original schedule was at 6:30 am and I already made some arrangements for the boat, accommodations etc.  What bothered me most was that the customer service representative told me that there were no other flights ready to accommodate us.  What they did not know, I was already calling Cebu Pacific for our flight in the morning to Kalibo which was the only available flight going to Boracay.  The representative even asked me to just book our flights to Cebu Pacific and they will just refund the amount, which I vehemently disagreed. I insisted for them to book us and pay for our one-way fare.  It was a long and tiring afternoon just to arrange a trip.  By the way, we booked this flight as early as March 19.  Well one thing is for sure, if there were other airlines offering their route I will not take chances in taking their flight again.

August 21 at 11 am was our scheduled flight via Cebu Pacific.  At the airport, we took our breakfast and shop around for personal stuff. The group was so engrossed with the airport that we checked-in when almost all the passengers were already boarding the plane.  Everyone enjoyed the flight and when we finally arrived in Kalibo,  I immediately looked for a van to take us to Caticlan.  The van that we rented cost us around P1,000 good for eight persons only.  Imagine if the previous airline did not cancel the flight we could have saved P125 each.  Upon arrival at jetty port, the “fastest airline to Boracay” personnel arranged our free boat transfers and we only paid for terminal and environmental fees.  From the port, we rented a multi-cab for P250 going to our resort. 

From the resort, we just unpacked our things and proceeded to the nearby restaurants for snack.  I chose to stay in an Ilonggo restaurant for a La Paz Batchoy while my other companions went to a restaurant with exuberant prices.  After our short break, our guide fetched us for the All Terrain Vehicle (tel. 036.2884235 / 0929.4702537).  We were properly oriented and at first we were nervous because we will be driving along the main road.  Most of my companions did not have the driving experience so I ended up driving the vehicle.  As I was driving, I accidentally hit one of the ATVs and after that experience I was more careful in driving.   We stopped at the Mr. Luho viewpoint (PhP50.00 entrance fee) where one can see the beauty of the whole island.  It took us one hour for the trip and paid for PhP400 each.

In the evening, we had our dinner at only P125 each with unlimited soup and rice.  And then we went to a bar and since my companions were generally women, we ordered for two pitchers of margarita.  After an hour of drinking, my companions were a bit tipsy and decided to go back to their respective rooms to rest.

The next day, we rented a boat (P1,300) to go around the island with our guide, Nards (0930.9254031 / 09303898269).  I was surprised that aside from the boat rental, we still have to pay for the insurance (PhP100 each).  I was asking for the insurer and details of the insurance but the people cannot provide for the full details.  Everyone appreciated the snorkeling activity (P20.00 fee) but dissatisfied with the life vest.  It was very difficult to swim wearing their life vest as it did not properly fit our bodies.  We also went to Puka Beach for our swimming.  The water was turquoise blue and the sand was white.  My companions swam and posed for some photos.  It was very hot at that time so I opted to stay in the boat.  It was already 12 noon when we went back to main land for our lunch and shopping. 

We shopped at the nearby market and I was surprised to see dried starfish being sold as decorations.  It seemed that starfish doesn’t reach its rightful size as juvenile starfishes were dyed and sold to tourists.  I hope the Department of Environmental and Natural Resources could limit the catch and sale of starfish because as a diver it would lessen my chances of seeing these creatures alive underwater. 

In the afternoon, we rode the banana boat.  It was the scariest ride I had because it took us nearly 30 minutes for the whole ride and the arrangement was only good for 15 minutes.  The speedboat driver was very happy upon seeing the group was shouting as we crossed the waves.  It was raining and we were grasping at the boat’s handle out of fear in going overboard.  Due to the number of bounces and waves we’ve experienced, my shorts got ripped! 

As much as we wanted to try the reef walk, we were not permitted to do so because of the bad weather giving us a good reason to go back to Boracay. From the ride, we had photo at the sand castle built by a native and we donated P20.00.   And then, we proceeded to the grotto for another photo and we swam along the shorelines. After the tiring activity, we tried Jona’s fruit shake.  It was the best shake I have ever tasted.  The price was very reasonable and the shake did not turn to water easily.  

At night, we had buffet dinner for P280 so I haggled with the owner to include the drinks to our meal.  After the heavy meal, we had coffee at Starbucks since most of my companions did not want to drink liquor beverages.  Before the night ended, we still bought some few things as souvenirs to our families and friends. 

Early morning, everyone hurriedly took the breakfast and for the last time, we all swam in front of the resort before we left for our flight via Caticlan.


Visited last August 21- 23, 2010