The Journey Home

the trip home was also a different experience. Since it was still windy, we had to rent a boat on the other side of the island. Normally, we'd just rent a boat on station 1, which is very near our cottage. Then the boat will take us straight to Caticlan where the airport is. This usually takes 20-30 minutes, depending on the speed of the boat.

Since the waves were still strong on our side of the island (there were no boats in and out of Boracay for 2 days because of the strong wind and waves), we had to take a tricycle to the other side. The tricycle ride took 20- 30 minutes! I wasn't bored though. Seeing the side of Boracay that wasn't developed for tourists was an eye opener. In the middle of the island, there's a barrio not different from other barrios in the Philippines. That was the side of Boracay that I never saw before. On the other side of the island, the sand was not white. It was a shade of brown, with a lot of pebbles. Thre was also o lot of locals in the area. Apparently, this is where the locals rent boats to take them to the mainland. Several foreigners were taking pictures for documentation. I guess they wanted to show "the other side of Boracay" to folks at home. Wish I did the same thing so I could've posted them here. hehe.

It was a shorter boat ride than usual, because the port was closer to the mainland. It took about 10 minutes. But we weren't brought to the usual port area. It wasn't Caticlan, but another barrio, and the port area was dirty. I guess some of the waste of the locals there are dumped directly on the water. From there, we had to take another 15 minute tricycle ride to the airport. That's a lot of rides just to go home! hehe. I would've preferred to stay another day. the sea was becoming calm, and the sun was starting to show after all... but I didn't have enough money to last another day. hehe.I have to go back soon, when it's all warm and sunny. Once residency starts, I guess it would be 3-5 years before I get to see the place again. :(

Stormy Days in Paradise

Last week, my friends and I went to Boracay, which is, according to many people (including me!), the best place to have a vacation in the Philippines. I've been there every year for the past 3 years, and I must say that all those vacations are worth remembering. Even though I've become familiar with the place (it's not that big after all), I can't seem to get tired of "Bora".

This year, my Boracay vacation was very different, thanks to a little storm known locally as "Caloy". We usually go to there during April, but since medical internship ends on May 1, we went there a month later. Upon our arrival, there was a mild shower, which lasted for about an hour. During the afternoon, it was all sunny, we thought the rain during the morning was just a freak weather occurence during the summer. The rainy season usually starts in June or July in the Philippines. We never thought it would come early this year.

The next day, it rained sporadically, but during our third day, it was raining really hard, and the wind was really strong! A little rain or wind can't spoil our vacation though, we still swam in the sea. It was really tiring though, because of all the huge waves. hehe. During the night, the wind became stronger, I found it hard to stand still outside, I thought the wind can blow me away if I didn't hold on to something. THe sliding door in our cottage which was directly against the wind came off, we had to put a table against it. The floor of our room was soaking wet because water seeped through the windows. The roof of several cottages were also blown away by the strong winds.Thankfully, our roof was more sturdy. haha.

It was still cloudy and a bit windy when we left. I still had fun though. I actually liked the cool weather, and I still got to party on the last night. And overall, it was a very different experience! I had a few regrets though--- number 1: I didn't get a tan! I always see to it that I get a tan everytime I go to the beach because some people say I look pasty white at times. Also, there was supposed to be a Concert by Bamboo and Sugarfree (my favorite local bands on one concert! How cool is that?!) last April 13, 2005, but it got postponed because Cocomangas, where it was supposed to be held, was a wreck. For those familiar with the place, I've posted a picture of it, right after the storm. hehe.