So, I finally made it out of Makati. Saturday afternoon, a couple friends from work--Melvin and Duane--and I caught a plane to Boracay. We all work night shift, though I work the latest of the three of us, so we had to wait at least until 8 a.m. Our flight was pushed back from 12:45 to 1:30, which we weren't happy about because we'd already been up all night with no sleep and were due back Monday afternoon.

Our journey was uneventful until we disembarked the plane. We had to fly to Kalibo Airport because Caticlan Airport was closed for renovations until early October. This added an additional 90 minutes to our trip cramped up in a van with five other travelers - an old white man and his young Asian boyfriend; and three guys wearing medical masks who were probably of Middle Eastern descent. This cost us 200 pesos each for the privilege. We weren't told how long the trip would be. We'd spoken to others who'd visited Boracay and were told that the trip consists of a one-hour flight followed by a ten-minute boat ride. It sounded painless. It wasn't.

If Caticlan were open, it probably would have been a smooth trip. Instead, after about 40 minutes of driving in the van and seeing I had no phone service, I began to wonder if we'd been abducted. You really do have to wonder about such things. There are a number of vans waiting to pick people up at the airport, most of them unmarked. Anyone can drive up with their own van, pick up a group of people, and drive them to a remote location with no means of communicating with the outside world. Then what? No wonder there are movies like Touristas and Hostel out there.

We passed four cemeteries that I counted along the way; people burning trash in the fields; skinny children running around barefoot in the streets; dilapidated buildings; and people who looked like they just stepped out of National Geographic.We drove further into the jungle. Only towards the end of the drive when the first glimpses of the ocean appeared through the trees did my sense of unease abate. For photos and video of the trip check out these links:

http://www.youtube.com/kbdunn9
http://picasaweb.google.com/kbdunn/BoracaySept2009#

We finally made it to the boat ride, which was only about ten minutes long. There were additional fees we had to pay before boarding though the boat trip itself was included in the 200 pesos we paid for the van ride.

Another ride in a jeepney lasting about 20 minutes, and we reached the Fairways and Bluewater hotel. The accommodations were phenomenal, though there's room for improvement. I noticed at least three different species of insect in my bathroom as well as a gecko, whose life I decided to spare despite my policy on intruders big and small. I just made sure to close the bathroom door when I wasn't using it. I didn't want the little bastard crawling into my mouth while I slept, though that was no guarantee his brethren or other interlopers hadn't already made their way into my sleeping quarters.

The power failed several times before we hit the town that first night. Of course, my initial reaction was that the hotel was to blame, but later on while walking the beach strip in Boracay the power went out again. Everything but Starbucks went dark. The next day, we ran into a guy named John, who teaches scuba diving here. He's originally from California and taught scuba diving in Hawaii. He moved here and married a Filipino girl a number of years ago. He said Boracay's economy has been booming during the recession since it's beautiful and cheap. The only problem is that now it's developing too fast, which explains why the power went out four times Saturday. Still, there are other parts of the island that remain untouched, so hopefully development of those regions will be kept to a minimum.

There wasn't much for us to do Saturday, getting in so late, so after eating dinner in the hotel restaurant, we cleaned up and headed to D-Mall, the main area where all the action takes place. Boracay has a very active night life, even off season, which it was while we were there. We walked around a bit then found a bar called Summer Place, which was really hopping. We went inside, ordered some drinks, and hung out. We'd walked up and down the beach strip a few times, and this was the most happening place. We'd been told by the people at the front desk of Fairways and Bluewater that Cocomangas was the place to be, but that was on the main road a couple blocks away from the beach. So, we hung out at Summer Place, partied, and had a good time. The music was loud just like ever other club, so I would head outside every so often for some fresh air and quiet. The only problem I had then was dealing with the prostitutes and ladyboys.

"Sir, would you like a massage?"

"No."

"How about a blowjob on the beach with a happy ending?"

I shook my head and kept walking.

One time, a ladyboy--that's what transvestites are referred to here--latched onto my arm.

"Sir, would you like some company," he said in a pseudo-female voice.

I shook him off and kept walking. I was disgusted.

That was it. I was ready to call it a night. We called for the hotel's shuttle van and walked up to the main road to wait for it. We bought a few rolls at 5 pesos a piece at an all night bakery, the most appetizing thing available at that time in my opinion.

We passed Cocomangas on the ride back, and it did seem to be hopping, but one of the prostitutes we'd spoken to earlier said it was a hangout for ladyboys. Whether she lied or not didn't matter. It's location was too inconvenient for us anyway. We just wanted to hang out on the beach, have a few beers, and relax.

The hotel serves a complimentary breakfast from 6:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. We headed down to the hotel restaurant around 9:30 the following morning to get ours. It was a typical buffet with all the usual stuff: fruit, eggs, bacon, rolls, coffee, etc. There were also a few unexpected dishes on hand such as chicken noodle soup and rice. Breakfast was okay but nothing to rave about.

The Mayweather/Marquez fight was on TV live, and we were still lazy from insufficient sleep and the previous day's journey, so we decided to stay and watch while we talked and accessed the complimentary wi-fi on our iPhones. We wanted to order up some mimosas, but that wasn't an option--I assumed they didn't have champagne--so we each ordered other mixed drinks. I don't recall what the other guys had, but I had a pina colada and a sombrero. We had two drinks each, finished watching the fight, then toured the grounds, which were amazing. I would recommend this place for family vacations or anyone who wants to stay in a quiet place with a lot of amenities including a private beach, golf course, and butterfly farm.

We lingered awhile, taking pictures and video, then headed back to our rooms to clean up and head out for the day.

We returned to D-Mall and perused the little shops and restaurants on the way down to the beach. We stopped at a shake shop and bought some mango and fruit shakes which were pretty damned good. The strangest place we came across had to be the Hobbit House, which is a bar run by midgets. Exploitative, I know, but I couldn't help but be amused. I assume that was the purpose. The concept certainly draws attention.

We were hungry again, so we decided to look for a place to eat. We ended up at the Red Coconut hotel's beachside restaurant. I wasn't feeling too adventurous, so I just ordered up a personal pepperoni pizza; Duane had paella, and Melvin had chicken curry. We washed that down with a couple beers, and we were good to go. I can't speak for the other guys, but my pizza was only okay. I'm a little spoiled on New York pizza, so take it for what it is.

Of course, we were still not all that energetic, so we decided to find some lounge chairs on the beach where we could order up some drinks and relax. Unfortunately, I don't remember the name of the place--blogging was the last thing on my mind at the time--but it wasn't far from the Red Coconut, and such places are plentiful along the beach. While we were there, we met John, who I mentioned earlier, and talked to him awhile.

A heavyset woman carrying what looked like a tackle box offered us pedicures, and Melvin took her up on it while we sipped our drinks. We were having a fairly good day, certainly better than the previous one.

It was late afternoon already, and the sun was setting. We would have done more, but this was only a weekend trip. You need at least three days and a better commute. With enough time, there's a lot more to do: jetskis, sailing, boat rides, snorkling, scuba classes, etc.

Still, we wanted to make the most of the time we had, and aside from being bombarded with illegitimate massage offers from local prostitutes, we'd heard from a number of people that we should take advantage of massages on the beach. We opted to check out a spa along the beach strip instead. Duane and I went for the 1-hour full body massage, which cost 600 pesos; Melvin went for a foot massage to top off the pedicure he had earlier on the beach. We all nodded off to sleep at some point, and when we left we were loose and relaxed.

We were also hungry, and Duane had been scoping out lobsters all day. We stopped at a beachside grill that offered fresh lobster and a buffet. Melvin went for the buffet at only 250 pesos; Duane and I opted for the lobster at a combined cost of 1,600 pesos plus drinks or $16 a lobster. I forget how much they weighed, but they weighed the same. The lobsters were grilled and admittedly not terribly pretty, but they tasted good, and we didn't get sick, so it wasn't a bad experience.

We finished off the night by staying out late at the Summer Place bar again--not a wise idea. We were up until past three and had to be out by 7 a.m. to be able to make our 10:15 flight.

The trip back to Manila went smoothly until we reached the Kalibo Airport. We knew to expect the long van ride, but it was a holiday and traffic was light. We reached the airport on time, but when we arrived the computers were down, so takeoff was delayed. Again, we weren't happy. And now we suffered even deeper fatigue than before. Still, delays and all, we managed to get back to Manila only an hour later than scheduled.

In retrospect, not a bad trip. Initial expenses totaled $248 per person including airfare, hotel accommodations, and taxes for the weekend, and we didn't spend much more than that on additional meals and incidentals. With better planning--especially after the beginning of October when Caticlan Airport's renovations are complete--and a longer stay, it will be a much better overall experience for anyone planning to vacation in Boracay. We may even return there for a longer weekend before heading back to New York. We'll see.

Labels: boracay, Fairways and Bluewater