We were drawn by the azure waters, soft white sand beaches, warm tropical sun but we came back richer in ways we didn’t expect. Also I maintain that the Pahari came across stronger than the Rajasthani when it came to braving the tropical sun while indulging in all the glory of the warm waters.
We settled on Philippines after jumping around countries for a while, then again we had two contenders- Boracay or Palawan.I was not particularly enthused about visiting Boracay, it seemed like a ‘once’ beautiful place marred by excessive tourism. Palawan seemed more like my calling, promising pristine untouched beauty and chance of a quite communion with nature.
Thankfully one can venture out to the nearby islands to get a taste of pure untouched island beauty. It was reassuring to watch the lush green canopy of tall trees guarding the boundary of the Puka beach and as the last of the sun rays kissed the sandy beaches, the beach was left to its peaceful pondering.
While snorkeling at Crocodile Island, I glanced into the world of corals reefs and beautiful fishes for the first time. From the boat when I looked searchingly at the waters, I was fooled by the dark shadows, an appearance of shallow waters with submerged rocks. Nothing had prepared me for the sight that was lurking just under the surface for a depth of 6 meters-a blast of color and prettiness that my eyes had never experienced. Our guide told us that fishing is strictly regulated in this area; he also gave us some bread to feed the fishes- this attracted a swarm of fishes very close for viewing.
As part of the island hopping we explored the coves in the private property of Crystal Cove Island. The property had some quirky wooden seating installations (not sure if it was thematic), perhaps for people to relax and soak in the gorgeous views, but mostly they were serving as photo booths for the selfie obsessed. I had seen coves before in San Diego but had not ventured into its belly, this time we descended inside the cold cove and into the clear water washing up persistently. This was also the adobe of some secretive marine creatures; curled up sea urchins and crabs.
Our quirky native residence up the hill wasn’t exactly to the Mister's taste so I tried to bribe him
with Mangosteen. Side story- this tropical fruit had come up in a discussion with a Singaporean about Durian few days prior to our Philippine trip. I know it is a risky move taking recommendations from someone who likes Durian but knowing the Mister's love for trying out weird fruits, I picked up a bunch on our way back to the studio up the hill. Desperate time desperate measures! Thankfully this experimentation was better than the ones where I am on the receiving end..
On the first day of out stay we got introduced to another island regular-the gecko. It was so big and colorful that I first thought it was a decorative item but when it moved I nearly jumped out of my skin. Our host told us about these harmless island creatures and how they got their name, when night came we had no doubts about the name...ge-cko, ge-cko, ge-cko
Since we were on the Eastern side of the island, I woke up early both days to watch the glorious sunrise. We chatted up with our Swiss host as I dug into the sumptuous breakfast (while someone just sipped orange juice). Some people have a lot of interesting stories to tell about their life, their journeys; he was one of them. Talking to him gave us a peek into the old Boracay (a tropical beauty that enamored a man from the Middle East, a warm haven of sun, wind and waters that made a European seek refuge from the brutal cold). The conversation meandered to politics, business, dietary choices…practically everything under the Boracay sky!
We settled on Philippines after jumping around countries for a while, then again we had two contenders- Boracay or Palawan.I was not particularly enthused about visiting Boracay, it seemed like a ‘once’ beautiful place marred by excessive tourism. Palawan seemed more like my calling, promising pristine untouched beauty and chance of a quite communion with nature.
However for a short getaway trip during the Monsoon season, Boracay- the poster child of Philippine tourism seemed like a safer bet than getting stuck in remote Palawan with torrential rains and sketchy infrastructure if weather gods played truant. Thus we embarked on our to trip to Boracay in search of the island soul still throbbing and surviving despite the overbearing limelight thrust upon it. I quietly promised myself that I will better plan the Palawan trip during the saner weather.
Quick note on the planning for someone who stumbles on this post while looking for Boracay travel tips. We took the HongKong to Kalibo direct flight (2.5 hrs) with Cebu Pacific, flew out Wednesday evening and were back Monday evening. This low cost round-trip flight is available only on specific days a week, so we tailored our itinerary around the same. This effectively gave us 5 days in hand to explore Boracay and we did some smart planning. We stayed in Kalibo the first night (reached 10:30pm) and planned for a trip to nearby Bakhawan Eco-Park( 220 hectare mangrove forest) early next morning. In the afternoon we headed to Boracay(90 min drive from Kalibo to Caticlan jetty port, 15 minutes boat ride to Boracay). Transportation option is plentiful between Kalibo to Caticlan jetty port(options are mostly tradeoff between money/time/service).We stayed 2 nights at our comfortable resort on White beach Station1 and the next two nights we moved to the opposite side of White Beach-Bulabog beach and rented a native house on a hill-top.(light wood,bamboo and a thatched roof making it airy)
We did all the recommended tourist activities in Boracay: swimming in the sea, stand up paddle boarding in the relatively calm waters, parasailing, island hopping in a motorised Bangka with snorkelling at Crocodile island and visit to Crystal cove island, collecting sea shell at Puka beach and Sunset Paraw sailing. All of the above were good fun, but I guess it is the unexpected small things that sneak in a well researched itinerary that adds true charm to a travelling experience. I will document some of them here while they are fresh in my mind.
The proprietor of Kalibo guesthouse gave us a tour of his property. I thought that the mounted orchids growing on logs of wood hanging on the wall were pretty cool, their aerial roots too upscale for the lowly earth! Wikipedia tells me that of 1100 species of orchids 900 are endemic to Philippines.
He also offered us some tropical fruits growing in his garden for our tasting; my educated taste buds discerned them as distant tropical cousins of their Indian brethren (Lychee & Keenu). The hospitality and our education of the tropical flora and fauna (with crustaceans thrown in the mix) continued with our next visit to the Mangrove forest eco-park.
All trees are tall, but some trees are taller than others (Redwood trees). All trees have roots, some trees are ‘rootier’(Banyan trees). All trees are cool(shady), but some trees are cooler than others (Oak trees), I could go on but the question is what makes the Mangrove tree special?
“Mangroves live life on the edge. With one foot on land and one in the sea, these botanical amphibians occupy a zone of desiccating heat, choking mud, and salt levels that would kill an ordinary plant within hours. Yet the forests mangroves form are among the most productive and biologically complex ecosystems on Earth”-National Geographic
Walking through the Mangrove forest was a first time experience for me, although a visit to the Sunderbans in Bengal always tempted me, the trip never materialized in my 2 year stay in Kolkata. In Kalibo, a mudflat was converted into a mangrove forest in 1990 as part of land reclamation effort. The Mangrove Reforestation Project provided twin benefits to the local community- a sustainable solution against flooding, and a means of income-crabs and shell fish farming. The eco-trail attracts tourists bringing in generous pesos (park entrance fee) for the park upkeep. Impressive!
The eco-trail is a 1.1 km bamboo pathway through the heart of the Mangrove forest, I was happy to stand on the curvature of the bamboo bridge overlooking the river underneath, flanked by the lush green mangrove forests while listening to the junk, junk, junk sound of the confused nightjars. Every gentle flutter or ruffle got magnified in the quite of the jungle; the most fun was to watch the antics of the flying fish- their zig-zag hop-skip-fly routine! The crabs were the perfect contrast-awkwardly navigating around with their hind legs, while their crab hands didn’t seem to help out much!
I realize that I have already filled up a lot of space even before we reached Boracay. May be I should stop tip-toeing around the sandy beach and jump into the clear azure waters already. As I took in the first view of the beach, I had to admit that I had never seen a pristine beach like this before. The soft white powdery sand had curvy wind scales, the waters so transparent you could see the white fishes running around. This sprawling beach looked like a royalty which made all the other beaches of my existence fade in comparison.
We had picked a resort(Sea Wind Resort) in Station 1, the less congested part of the beach. Also I liked that the resort encroached less on the beach, the front was spacious with the widest beach front. The property had expanded on the opposite side of the beach across the road with spacious garden view villas. I didn’t mind that we had to walk 5 minutes to cross the road and walk to the beachfront. I enjoyed the luxury of just walking into the beach from the resort, enjoy a swim in the sea and then take a quick dip in the swimming pool before lounging in the pool deck with my kindle. It was ethereal to look at the sprawling sea and sandy beaches each time you glanced up. Walking along the beachfront was also a charming sight, especially watching the silhouettes of the sailing boats against the backdrop of evening sky.
Alas despite all the prettiness I could not shake off a nagging feeling especially as we walked past Station 2. Nature had bestowed this place with pristine royal beauty but man had callously intruded her backyard with all the consumerist junk-big food chains, resorts on the sandy beach, loud throbbing music, massage and henna parlors and continuous barrage of touts selling their wares. I could see the dangerous game, how all these frills were trying to woo the multitude of tourists while slowly alienating the purists.
Quick note on the planning for someone who stumbles on this post while looking for Boracay travel tips. We took the HongKong to Kalibo direct flight (2.5 hrs) with Cebu Pacific, flew out Wednesday evening and were back Monday evening. This low cost round-trip flight is available only on specific days a week, so we tailored our itinerary around the same. This effectively gave us 5 days in hand to explore Boracay and we did some smart planning. We stayed in Kalibo the first night (reached 10:30pm) and planned for a trip to nearby Bakhawan Eco-Park( 220 hectare mangrove forest) early next morning. In the afternoon we headed to Boracay(90 min drive from Kalibo to Caticlan jetty port, 15 minutes boat ride to Boracay). Transportation option is plentiful between Kalibo to Caticlan jetty port(options are mostly tradeoff between money/time/service).We stayed 2 nights at our comfortable resort on White beach Station1 and the next two nights we moved to the opposite side of White Beach-Bulabog beach and rented a native house on a hill-top.(light wood,bamboo and a thatched roof making it airy)
We did all the recommended tourist activities in Boracay: swimming in the sea, stand up paddle boarding in the relatively calm waters, parasailing, island hopping in a motorised Bangka with snorkelling at Crocodile island and visit to Crystal cove island, collecting sea shell at Puka beach and Sunset Paraw sailing. All of the above were good fun, but I guess it is the unexpected small things that sneak in a well researched itinerary that adds true charm to a travelling experience. I will document some of them here while they are fresh in my mind.
The proprietor of Kalibo guesthouse gave us a tour of his property. I thought that the mounted orchids growing on logs of wood hanging on the wall were pretty cool, their aerial roots too upscale for the lowly earth! Wikipedia tells me that of 1100 species of orchids 900 are endemic to Philippines.
He also offered us some tropical fruits growing in his garden for our tasting; my educated taste buds discerned them as distant tropical cousins of their Indian brethren (Lychee & Keenu). The hospitality and our education of the tropical flora and fauna (with crustaceans thrown in the mix) continued with our next visit to the Mangrove forest eco-park.
All trees are tall, but some trees are taller than others (Redwood trees). All trees have roots, some trees are ‘rootier’(Banyan trees). All trees are cool(shady), but some trees are cooler than others (Oak trees), I could go on but the question is what makes the Mangrove tree special?
“Mangroves live life on the edge. With one foot on land and one in the sea, these botanical amphibians occupy a zone of desiccating heat, choking mud, and salt levels that would kill an ordinary plant within hours. Yet the forests mangroves form are among the most productive and biologically complex ecosystems on Earth”-National Geographic
Walking through the Mangrove forest was a first time experience for me, although a visit to the Sunderbans in Bengal always tempted me, the trip never materialized in my 2 year stay in Kolkata. In Kalibo, a mudflat was converted into a mangrove forest in 1990 as part of land reclamation effort. The Mangrove Reforestation Project provided twin benefits to the local community- a sustainable solution against flooding, and a means of income-crabs and shell fish farming. The eco-trail attracts tourists bringing in generous pesos (park entrance fee) for the park upkeep. Impressive!The eco-trail is a 1.1 km bamboo pathway through the heart of the Mangrove forest, I was happy to stand on the curvature of the bamboo bridge overlooking the river underneath, flanked by the lush green mangrove forests while listening to the junk, junk, junk sound of the confused nightjars. Every gentle flutter or ruffle got magnified in the quite of the jungle; the most fun was to watch the antics of the flying fish- their zig-zag hop-skip-fly routine! The crabs were the perfect contrast-awkwardly navigating around with their hind legs, while their crab hands didn’t seem to help out much!
I realize that I have already filled up a lot of space even before we reached Boracay. May be I should stop tip-toeing around the sandy beach and jump into the clear azure waters already. As I took in the first view of the beach, I had to admit that I had never seen a pristine beach like this before. The soft white powdery sand had curvy wind scales, the waters so transparent you could see the white fishes running around. This sprawling beach looked like a royalty which made all the other beaches of my existence fade in comparison.
We had picked a resort(Sea Wind Resort) in Station 1, the less congested part of the beach. Also I liked that the resort encroached less on the beach, the front was spacious with the widest beach front. The property had expanded on the opposite side of the beach across the road with spacious garden view villas. I didn’t mind that we had to walk 5 minutes to cross the road and walk to the beachfront. I enjoyed the luxury of just walking into the beach from the resort, enjoy a swim in the sea and then take a quick dip in the swimming pool before lounging in the pool deck with my kindle. It was ethereal to look at the sprawling sea and sandy beaches each time you glanced up. Walking along the beachfront was also a charming sight, especially watching the silhouettes of the sailing boats against the backdrop of evening sky.
Alas despite all the prettiness I could not shake off a nagging feeling especially as we walked past Station 2. Nature had bestowed this place with pristine royal beauty but man had callously intruded her backyard with all the consumerist junk-big food chains, resorts on the sandy beach, loud throbbing music, massage and henna parlors and continuous barrage of touts selling their wares. I could see the dangerous game, how all these frills were trying to woo the multitude of tourists while slowly alienating the purists.
Thankfully one can venture out to the nearby islands to get a taste of pure untouched island beauty. It was reassuring to watch the lush green canopy of tall trees guarding the boundary of the Puka beach and as the last of the sun rays kissed the sandy beaches, the beach was left to its peaceful pondering. While snorkeling at Crocodile Island, I glanced into the world of corals reefs and beautiful fishes for the first time. From the boat when I looked searchingly at the waters, I was fooled by the dark shadows, an appearance of shallow waters with submerged rocks. Nothing had prepared me for the sight that was lurking just under the surface for a depth of 6 meters-a blast of color and prettiness that my eyes had never experienced. Our guide told us that fishing is strictly regulated in this area; he also gave us some bread to feed the fishes- this attracted a swarm of fishes very close for viewing.
As part of the island hopping we explored the coves in the private property of Crystal Cove Island. The property had some quirky wooden seating installations (not sure if it was thematic), perhaps for people to relax and soak in the gorgeous views, but mostly they were serving as photo booths for the selfie obsessed. I had seen coves before in San Diego but had not ventured into its belly, this time we descended inside the cold cove and into the clear water washing up persistently. This was also the adobe of some secretive marine creatures; curled up sea urchins and crabs.
Our quirky native residence up the hill wasn’t exactly to the Mister's taste so I tried to bribe him
On the first day of out stay we got introduced to another island regular-the gecko. It was so big and colorful that I first thought it was a decorative item but when it moved I nearly jumped out of my skin. Our host told us about these harmless island creatures and how they got their name, when night came we had no doubts about the name...ge-cko, ge-cko, ge-cko
Since we were on the Eastern side of the island, I woke up early both days to watch the glorious sunrise. We chatted up with our Swiss host as I dug into the sumptuous breakfast (while someone just sipped orange juice). Some people have a lot of interesting stories to tell about their life, their journeys; he was one of them. Talking to him gave us a peek into the old Boracay (a tropical beauty that enamored a man from the Middle East, a warm haven of sun, wind and waters that made a European seek refuge from the brutal cold). The conversation meandered to politics, business, dietary choices…practically everything under the Boracay sky!
The last day of our stay gave us a different flavor of wind and waves. A typhoon warning was issued for later in the week and we could sense the change in weather. It was mildly windy as we climbed into the sail boat, Paraw for a sunset cruise. Generally it is a serene gentle ride to enjoy the beauty of the sunset, but for us the island had planned a roaring send-off. As the sails caught the whiff of the wind the Paraw gained speed quickly, it cut through the waves sending splashes of water right across our faces. The thrust of the water pushed us backwards, kicked our behinds, and fought our dangling legs; I could barely open my eyes to watch the romantic sunset. It was a wild ride with loud cries and wet amused glances shared between people on board the sail boat..
Later as the evening progressed we witnessed a low tide(full moon night) and watched the receding waters reveal wide stretch of powdery white sand. The view was different in Bulabog beach where the receding waves uncovered swathes of sea-weed. I can just imagine the riches of the Puka beach where the low tide would have revealed all the colorful shells for anyone's taking. Perhaps this is the truth about travelling, you go looking for the beautiful sunrises and sunset, you bring back with you a little Moon-magic.
Later as the evening progressed we witnessed a low tide(full moon night) and watched the receding waters reveal wide stretch of powdery white sand. The view was different in Bulabog beach where the receding waves uncovered swathes of sea-weed. I can just imagine the riches of the Puka beach where the low tide would have revealed all the colorful shells for anyone's taking. Perhaps this is the truth about travelling, you go looking for the beautiful sunrises and sunset, you bring back with you a little Moon-magic.
