Lost in Boracay

I first learned of Boracay from a fellow globetrotter, a pristine beach and tropical island getaway located in the Philippines, and thus the seed was planted. But then I forgot about it, with all the distractions of adult life and trying to court a woman I needed something to do for the honeymoon. Then that long ago seed took root, and Boracay came back to the forefront. I was pleased to learn it wasn’t going to cost me thousands of dollars as I had originally feared it might. It was shaping up to be a dream vacation, plus I would get to see one of my best friends when we passed through Manila afterwards.

Boracay of 2008, was not the same island getaway of 2001, and now that it is 2018, I imagine what I experienced has already faded under the deluge of tourist making their way there over the years and the development to accommodate them all has reshaped the island. I have seen some of the pictures of the new hotels that were breaking ground when I visited, so all of my experiences are a mere time capsule, and won’t be the same as a visitor making their trip today. Some of this is good, but I imagine the beaches are going to be much more crowded than before, so a quiet stroll along the white sandy beaches with only a handful of people around might not be experienced in the same way. I am saddened that Boracay has developed a ‘party’ beach image over its romantic getaway and honeymoon destination it was once associated with. All good things come to an end I suppose.

It came as no surprise when I read in the news that there was a pending closure of the island to tourist for up to a year, which has now been set to a mere months. This is to help the island catch up supposedly on getting everyone to adhere to the mandate to improve the island infrastructure to accommodate the massive resorts which make up the northern half of the island and the tourist they bring. In realistic terms a year would be required, but the business pressure to get the island reopened in time for the winter rush won over. I realized this might seem odd, but I have followed the news a little too closely, possibly out of nostalgia for happier times, who knows, I certainly don’t.

So, what did Boracay offer back in the day? It was a little out of the way, and even with the growing number of tourist was still low key. White Beach, a stretch of white sand running nearly entire length of the western side of the island which had the widest portion and seemingly best quality resorts towards the north end. Past D-Mall, the quality of the hotels and spa resorts is noticeably much more up-market for my peasant blood. I am usually content with the bare minimum, so most of these places were palatal in scale the the place I ended up staying. It is along this stretch of beach that most of the entertainment is. The picture which is often used to promote the island, of the Boracay sand castle, and the palm lined walk which boarders the beach, the catamaran tied off to the palm gently rocking in the waves or pulled to the shore, can all be found on this stretch. The village to the south is where most of the locals live, and there really wasn’t a sense that tourist weren’t as welcome there. We had our half of the island, and this was their turf, reserved for them, and not wanting our further encroachment. Not that we were never greeted with smiles, which were plenty, but we were guest, and beat a hasty retreat before we overstayed our welcome.

Much of the stay was in the cabin or the beach with every meal eating out at various restaurants. None of which stood out, though the Hobbit Tavern was interesting only in that they employed midgets, not for the quality of their food, which was standard catered to the taste of the hoard of tourist.  As you many have gathered I am not picky with what I eat but I still have strong opinions of food, and as I am cooking much more these days I find I am only becoming much more pickier with what in placed before me. Most places tended to taste the same and have the same rustic vibe, or at least this was true when I was there. The upshot on this condemnation on the food scene is that at least you aren’t going to miss something by picking the wrong place as many have similar themed dishes.

There are options to climb a sky tower and to view other parts of the island, none of which really appealed to me, and I barely have any recollection of at this time, but if i find anything in photo gallery that jogs a memory then I may include it in an edit. One down side with my inability to swim is that i did miss out on the opportunity to do any form of snorkeling or SCUBA diving, which being an island environment this is likely an ideal location as the surf on the western half on the island is calm compared to the eastern side, I never looked into it regrettably. There wasn’t many shopping opportunities at the time as well, a few souvenir hats, shells, and t-shirts, but otherwise the pickings were slim.

There weren’t as many touts at that time, which was better than expected. Certainly from the local airport to the pier if you have anything short of a backpack already strapped to your back it will be grabbed and escorted for a small handling fee. While the fee is small it is an annoyance, and even with my preparations to avoid this, they are on a whole other level of “service” to carry your baggage for you. From the pier to the ferry another island visitor tax is extracted and ferry crossing fee. Not sure if another fee was thrown in for operator carpal tunnel, but do recall it to be a few pesos more than expected. The worst of the touts experienced were the tricycle taxi once off the ferry on the opposite side on the island itself. Beyond that there was the occasional beach hawker and massage service crier directing you to their shop or clinic. So this was a little better than feared, and hope that hasn’t changed over the years.

I may visit again, when the island has been purged of the sewage which has been dumped into the surrounding sea, and the travel band lifted, but I am not sure how much of the island will match what I have in my memory. There are plenty of other places to visit, but from my memories it was worth it to go at least once.