Boracay Beach Vacation

The third and final leg of my August extravaganza was a week in the Philippines with Jerel. We had been planning to visit Sanya, China's version of Hawaii, but the lure of scuba and our desire to communicate in English prompted us to reconsider at the 11th hour (almost literally!). The journey to Boracay island was eventful, involving a jet, a prop plane, a small boat and a 'tricycle' (like a Thai 'tuk-tuk').

Boracay is a popular Asian tourist destination, known for its gorgeous, fine, white sand (great for sandcastles!) and offering a wide menu of water and windsports. Boracay also has a great culture - we found the locals to be very warm, hospitable and generally relaxed, positive people, and appreciated their refraining from relentless tourist hounding.

One good example of Filipino hospitality is the help I received when we were stuck at the airport in Manila on standby for the next flight (long story). In typical Chana style, I had my heart set on a particular breakfast and the limited offerings in the waiting area (doughnuts and mysterious fried foods) just didn't cut it. A little birdie had told me that there was a Starbuck's past the security check in the boarding area, and I became determined to get there for some baked goods, despite my lack of boarding pass. After much discussion with various security staff, it was determined that a private escort to the staff cafeteria was the way to go. When we were thwarted at the cafeteria security check, the staff consulted again and I received a private escort through the boarding gate security. There was no Starbucks on the other side, but fortunately there was a cafe that served delicious croissants :)

Our typical day consisted of strolling down the beach to the scuba shop, then heading out on the boat for a morning dive with our fellow scuba regulars, taking a leisurely lunch back at the hotel poolside (stopping for a banana-peanut-vanilla smoothie at Jonah's on the way home), then spending the afternoon in some combination of scuba diving, walking along the beach, and poking around the many tourist shops with local goods. One day, Jerel and I tried our hand at kite-boarding, and quickly understood why it takes 2-3 days to move from kiting to kite-boarding. Unfortunately, lack of wind prevented Jerel from continuing beyond day one (while I wasn't so disappointed).

We spent our evenings pleasantly wiped out from the day, dining at one of the many beachside restaurants (where Jerel took advantage of the fresh seafood!) or in some cases eating at 'home' with the hotel rooftop to ourselves. We didn't venture into the many nightclubs besides to stick our noses in them and see that the very loud music appeared to be a failed attempt to attract customers (we were there at low season) though we did involuntarily 'enjoy' the music of nearby clubs from our hotel room.

I left the Philippines convinced that it is one of the best kept secrets in beach vacation destinations and I'd highly recommend it to anyone seeking a little fun in the sun and relaxation!