Boracay Trip, July 2012

After working at a company for 6.6 years, I've decided to try something new. It was in this context that I took a vacation at Boracay. I wanted to take a break before I began a new adventure.

I chose Boracay Island in the Philippines for several reasons:

1. I wanted to go to a beach to relax and to get tanned.
2. Boracay is relatively near to Taiwan, and the cost was manageable.
3. Boracay is recommended as one of the most beautiful beaches by several travel magazines.

The journey consisted of a two and a half hour flight from Taoyuan to Kalibo airport, followed by a one and a half hour bus ride to Caticlan Jetty Port, and finally a 15min boat ride to Boracay Island.

For four nights, we stayed at the Boracay Recency Lagoon. The room was great; big and clean. The bed was very comfortable too. The killer feature of this hotel was its swimming pool. I have no regret with the choice of lodging.

We visited three beaches in Boracay:

1. the White Beach, 
2. the Bulabog Beach, and
3. the Puka Shell Beach.

The White Beach was definitely the most popular and busiest part of the island. The beach was divided into two halves: the outer part which was closer to the sea and the inner part which was closer to the mainland. The outer part was filled with beach chairs provided by various hotels. The attendants recognized which hotel one was staying from one's beach tower. We spent several hours a day on these chairs, listening to the waves and falling asleep under the sun. The inner part of the beach was filled with restaurants and bars. Happy hours started at as early as 12 noon!

Personally, I felt that the bars and restaurants covered too much of the beach. The beach would be more even more beautiful if those shops were located further inland. Nevertheless, the scenery at the White Beach was breathtaking, especially at Sunset.

Puka Shell Beach was my personal favorite. Located at the North East part of the island, it was beautiful and quiet. The scenery was postcard like. It was the most beautiful beach that I had ever visited, and if I ever return to Boracay, this will be my number one destination. 

This was my first time to Philippines. The natives of the Boracay Island seemed to be less wealthy than I expected. During my TuTu rides, I saw houses where there were only dirt tracks and puddles of muddy water. A local school had the infrastructure of what one would expect from a 70's movie. The living conditions of the natives reminded me how fortunate I am and how comfortable my life is. It also taught me how unequal resources are distributed across the world today and how important good governance is. 

All in all, it was a very enjoyable vacation. If possible, I plan to have a beach vacation at least once a year in the future. Traveling makes the eyes see, and the sea makes the heart sing.