Bora Bora

One of the famous tourist destination in the world is the small island of Boracay in Malay, Aklan. Bora as a lot of people call it is a small island located of the coast of Caticlan. It is a mountainous island known for its fine white sandy beaches. Currently, the island has become congested as alot of famous hotels and resorts are being constructed in the small island. This was the place I visited last March 13-15, 2009.

The Trip

I didnt sleep last Thursday, I spent the night surfing the internet. I left home around 11 PM and I just stayed in Terraza. I drank my favorite beverage which was Fit and Right Four Seasons. At about 2:30 I started to wait for the jeepney going to the agreed place that we would meet. I waited for quite some time and at about 3AM, my students met me and we took the taxi to the Tanza Terminal. It was 4:30 AM, when the bus left for Caticlan. It took us about 6 Hours and since none of us really slept that day, everyone is dozzing off in the bus, however since the bus trip is not really that pleasant, I always wake up.

We had a lot of stop overs but how many they are, I really dont know since I was never awake the whole time. The only thing I remembered was eating buko pie in Kalibo, Aklan.

First Day- March 13, 2009

We arrived in Caticlan Port and we boarded a pumpboat. However, I was shocked to know that we need to pay Php 125 each. Fifty for both Environmental and Terminal Fees and 25 pesos for the boat fare. We reached Cagbang Port in Bora and the staff from our hotel was waiting for us in the port. We got a tryke and we arrived in Q Lodge in station 2.

We went to the beach after a few hours, however we went into the other side of the island. We went into Bulabog Beach instead of the main beach in Balabag. We roamed around the smaller beach and inched our way into the main beach and into D'Mall.

After lunch, we roamed around D'Mall. This place in Bora is so cool since there are a lot of stalls and restos that one could choose from. We ate in Big Mouth and I had a delicious Burger Steak. The price of thge food in this resto is in mid-range, however their servings are hefty. I really enjoyed the burger steak since I am a fan of this kind of food. This is the first time I ate rice in 2 weeks. We also bought some souvenirs in the stalls around D'Mall. I saw an old friend who was working in Bora as well. It was really fun to see a familiar face in an unfamiliar place.

We went back to the hotel around 3Pm and I rested for a few moments. My first night in Bora was also nice, however it was quite lacking. We ate at Red Coconut and I tasted lobster after a few years. We also had sizzling rib eye steak and sizzling boneless chicken as well as sinigang na hipon. Very expensive though. We drank Emperador that night and after 3 shots, I was drifting to Arcadia.

2nd Day- March 14th

We woke up around 9 AM, and we ate breakfast given to us by the hotel-Omelette, hotdogs and toast. Today is Island Hopping day.

We left around 11:30 Am after we bought chicken, pork and prawns. The motorboat was waiting for us and for a fee of Php 1500 for three hours we started the tour. We moved to the other side of the island and we stopped in one of the snorkling areas in the island. Seeing the underwater panorama was veryu relaxing. There are a lot of fish and the sea patrol are very active in guarding the area. We paid 40 pesos for the snorkling fee and 100 for each snorkel.



We arrived in a small island called Magic Island, and this island is very beautiful. There are small nipa cottages located around this small island, where visitors could sit down and eat. All you need to pay is 70 pesos per person and 40 pesos per kilo on any food you want them to cook. After eating lunch, we headed back to the island. My female students went shopping in the mall and what we did was drink shake in Aria, an Italian restaurant. However, as everything in Bora is expensive, the watermelon shake costs more than a hundred.


We returned to the hotel and again we rested a little. By 4:30 PM, I contacted the tour coordinator and we went sunset sailing. We paid 700 pesos for a short time sailing into the sunset, stopped for a few minutes and head back to the beach. Boracay sunset is really very beautiful. Its one of the most fascinating sight I ever seen. I took alot of pictures as dusk comeths.




Our last dinner in the island was also very special. It is because I got to eat one of the most expensive dinner I ever had in my life. We ate in Aria again, and this time we tried 4 dishes. Two orders of an Italian steak at 700 pesos each, an Italian Sausage that costs 350, a Pizza worth 550 pesos and a plate of spaghetti that is 350 pesos also. Plus the fruit shakes that cost about 120 each. A gastronomic experience indeed.



My last night in Bora was quite short as well. After dinner, I spent about 5 minutes swimming in the water since I haven't had the chance to swim in the island's clear waters. Well I went snorkling, but swimming in the beach was different. We toured around the stations and checked the bars and the facade of hotels. We stopped by in Juice bar and we watched people dancing in the bar. By 11PM, I escorted my students back into the hotel and I went out again to meet my friend Joseph. We stayed in Hey Jude and drank a bottle of beer before we head home around 2AM.

Last Day-March 15th

I woke up early and I ate the soup served for breakfast. We checked out around 10:30 AM and we went to D'Mall for the last time to buy presents. I even saw Daryl, my co-editor in the University paper. We went to Cagbang Port and paid 75 pesos again for the fare. Fifty pesos for the Terminal Fee and 25 for the fare. As we reached the Caticlan Port, luckily there was a Ceres Bus Liner heading for Iloilo City. It was around 12:30 that the bus started moving.

I really cannot forget my Boracay Trip, since this is the again the time I came back to the island after a very long time. I really cherish the 3days and 2 nights I spent on this island paradise. I really want to bring my family back to Boracay and it will happen very soon!!! See you again soon- Bora-Bora!!! Pictures are from my Facebook Account- Bane-Myke Parcia Pinto is my account name!