Boracay Baby

On Christmas day the ladies and I packed up our bags and headed to the Philippines for a two week holiday! We caught a late night flight into Manila airport, we had a 6 hour layover (which turned into 12 hours because the closed the airport we were suppose to fly into) before we caught our domestic flight into Kalibo. Once we reached Kalibo we had to take an hour ride in a overcrowded van to the port, then a short ferry ride to the small island of Boracay,(aka Paradise). Why do the most beautiful beaches always take the longest to get to?
Out of all the tropical beaches I have been to this year, I think Boracay might rank first. The white sand and clear waters went on for as far as you could see. We spent most of our days lounging on the beach, sailing around the island, meeting the locals, drinking fresh mango shakes and watching the sunset. And when the sun went down we were up to our usual nightlife antics, especially with the local San Miguel beers costing about a dollar each.I know, I know, hard life for a paid vacation.


Before we knew it, it was News Year Eve and the island was in the midst of high tourist season. We rang in the New Year at a “white party” on the beach with some crazy Aussies and fun Swedish boys. I couldn't’t imagine a better place to start 2010, a beautiful beach with my two besties. I think this year is gonna be a good one!
Our original plan was to leave Boracay after we had fully recovered from our New Years hangovers and check out some of the other island in the Philippines but it’s just so hard to get on that ferry. We ended up making good friends with the managers of our hotel and some of the local bars and we were having so much fun we couldn’t imagine leaving. So our 7 days stay turned into 12 days, we didn’t get a chance to see any of the other island but I think we made the most of our trip. Sure we could have traveled more but aren't the relationships you make more important then the sights you see? My trip can best be summed up in this video I made. I know it's long but there are some great landscape shots and I promise I wasn't drinking as much as it appears.



One of the best days on the island was when our friend Sadrock took us sailing to his home on the mainland. He brought us to a friends house where they were celebrating some Saints day (the Philippines is overwhelming Catholic), they gave us lunch and invited us to their BBQ. It was rare opportunity to be welcomed into the village’s celebration and share some beers with the locals.

But by far my favorite memory from the trip was scuba diving. We had a few hours training before we were dropped in the middle of the ocean for a 40 minute dive. In the beginning it was a little scary and totally unnatural to be breathing underwater but after you get over the mental block it’s amazing! We were swimming through spectacular coral reefs filled with exotic neon fish. I seriously felt like I was swimming in the movie Finding Nemo and all the characters were there. I didn’t even know colors that bright existed in nature. The Philippine's crystal clear water and thriving ecosystem makes it home to some of the best dive sites in the world. I can’t wait to get certified and dive again.

Our last night in Boracay, Brittany and I had serious ambitions for getting permanent jobs on the island. I was in training as a DJ and Brittany had her first shift behind the bar. We plan on brushing up on our skills and applying for jobs on our next visit.


I really feel in love with Boracay. Not only was it a beautiful place but the people are what made our trip. The Filipino people have to be some of the kindest and most hospitable people, not to mention there English is practically fluent. It was so refreshing to be in such a friendly and open culture, which made coming back to Korea that much more difficult.
When the day finally came to broad the ferry to the mainland and endure the flight the Manila, we were all but happy. We spent a night in Manila trying to readjust back to the city life but nothing can quite prepare for the shock of reality.
I was still in my shorts and sandals when we landed in Seoul, where temperatures were below freezing and a couple feet of snow had piled up on the ground. Coming back to Korea was more then depressing then I feared. Getting cut in front of, elbowed and knocked out the way, all before I made my way back to my apartment really made starting count the days till the end.