Happy Fourth of July from Hong Kong… although I am not in the USA for Independence Day, fear not. I still partied in proper American style. A bar downstairs from the office celebrated its one year anniversary by having free food and drinks for everybody. To boot, the name of the bar is Liberty. So my Fourth consisted of unlimited free booze in a place called Liberty. Not a bad replacement considering how far from home I am out here.
Celebrating at Liberty!
But the real subject of this entry is about my past weekend. I haven’t been able to write about it earlier, but it’s been a cause for excitement for months now. My friend Iris just turned thirty, a major milestone. To celebrate, we all coordinated and planned a surprise long weekend in Boracay, a tiny tropical island in the Philippines. Until a few hours before our plane took off, Iris had no idea of what was about to happen. Then, at our local bar, Typhoon, last Wednesday night, Iris unwrapped her birthday present to discover her passport! We then told her that we had talked to her boss and gotten her some days off work, and that she and her boyfriend Alex would be going on vacation! Excitedly, they both went home to pack, and the rest of the crew headed to the airport express train with balloons, champagne and a birthday banner for part two of the surprise: the seven of us—me, Rich, Silja, Frank, Amy, Sonia and Aziz—are all coming with you!!!
Arial view of the island of Boracay
It was a phenomenal weekend, from start to finish. Everything went off without a hitch, and the experience could not have been better. But because we were all so afraid of ruining the surprise over the past couple of weeks, I made sure any mention of the impending getaway was kept out of my blog. Those last few days were a little stressful, trying to hide our excitement or worrying that a friend unaware of the surprise would mention the trip in front of Iris.
Since there are no direct flights from Hong Kong to Boracay, we had to connect in Cebu on the way out. Our first flight was on a normal-sized airplane and perfectly pedestrian. Our second flight from Cebu to Caticlan, the tiny airport on one of Boracay’s neighboring islands, was anything but. Due to the small size of the airplane, every passenger and their carry-on luggage had to be weighed at check-in, so the combined weight of the group could be properly distributed among the rows of the aircraft!
One of the plane's propellers
The plane's propellers, just outside my window, spun furiously throughout the flight, creating a terrific buzz for its entire duration. And as we made our journey, the sun began to rise over the Philippine Islands. It was an exciting way to start the trip, and it definitely contributed to the whole feeling of adventure surrounding our journey.
Sunrise from the window of our prop plane
After landing in Caticlan, we had to take a tricycle (or “trike”) to a pier and then hop on a short ferry ride across the channel to Boracay, where we took a second trike to our hotel. But finally, around 7am Thursday morning, we had arrived in paradise.
About to land at Boracay Airport in Caticlan
Probably the smallest airport I've ever seen!
Rich, Amy and me reflected in the rearview mirror of a trike
Our hotel, Banana Saging Guesthouse, was lovely. Far from luxurious but full of character and perfect for our group. And since my friend Sonia is friends with the owners, we had the run of the place and got a special discount on our rooms. The hotel was on Bulabog Beach, a serene and tranquil spot with beautiful blue water and swaying palms. Some of the best memories of the trip are just sitting around on our beachfront sipping on fresh pineapple juice and Tanduay rum, watching the trees dance in the breeze as the waves crashed into the sand.
Banana Saging, our guesthouse in Boracay
Bulabog Beach
Beachfront of Banana Saging
Thursday was a leisurely day. After settling in at the hotel and feasting on omelets from its ramshackle “bar/restaurant” we made the short trek over to White Beach, Boracay’s picture-postcard stretch of sand. It must sound cliché to say it, but it just might be the most perfect beach I have ever seen. Even in the Caribbean, I don’t ever recall seeing clearer water—it almost felt like swimming in a pool! And offshore, in the water, linger countless blue-sailed boats.
Blue sailed boats anchored off shore
White Beach, Boracay
Almost four miles long, White Beach is lined with bars, scuba establishments, souvenir shops and countless restaurants of every variety imaginable. I couldn’t get enough of it. Lounging on the comfy beach chairs sipping San Miguel—the Philippines’ national brew—was about as magnificent as a first day on cloud nine can be. Day turned to night, we had dinner at a trendy little Indian place (complete with a mesmerizing electrical storm), and we all finished our night back on Bulabog, at a relaxed bar next door to our hotel.
Up bright and early on Friday, we again took the post-omelet walk over to White Beach, which by this point I had decided was the most beautiful beach I had ever laid eyes on. I could have easily spent the whole time there, but luckily some others convinced the group to charter a boat and sail around for the afternoon. We ordered some pizzas and loaded up on rum and coke and then took off. If I needed any further proof that the Philippines is one of the most heavenly places on earth, this was it. We swam and snorkeled in the calm seas, and every now and then a small boat would drift by selling ice cream or fresh coconuts. And the rocky islands we glided past were dramatic, rugged and impressive.
When the boat arrived back on Bulabog Beach, the tide had gone out. This time of year, the beach at high tide is literally only a few feet of sand, but at low tide it stretches for meters and meters. After the boat couldn’t sail any further, we had to alight in knee-deep, sea-urchin filled water and precariously walk towards the shore. It was certainly an adventure!
Dinner that night was certainly the most memorable of the trip. There’s this fresh seafood market in the middle of the island, and it’s become very popular for vacationers to visit the market and buy all kinds of fish and shellfish. Then you take your purchase to any local restaurant and they will charge a small fee to cook the food any style you like. We feasted on shrimp, swordfish, crab and snapper. And they even made French fries out of our potatoes! What a meal it turned out to be, and what a night that followed!
Aziz bargaining for our prawns
After dinner we walked the entire stretch of White Beach, past the Facebook Resort (whatever that is), an adorably mischievous monkey and some boys playing in the sand. The whole area was so lively and interesting—people trying to sell sunglasses, give you massages and get you to eat in their restaurants.
Eventually we came to some beachfront bars where we rocked out until the wee hours of the morning. It was hot, and we were all so sweaty, but dancing up a storm with the gang and all the people we met was so much fun. The crowd was friendly, and I honestly felt transported back to the Jersey Shore's bars at points, especially in one place called Guilly's Island.
Dance floor
Frank, Silja, Rich, Iris, Amy and Alex on Friday night
Jager bombs in Guilly's Island
Unexplained: our favorite picture of the night, but we
still have no idea how Rich inspired such fear from Silja
Me with Silja and Alex
From down below!
Early morning trike ride back to our guest house
Saturday, our last full day, might be the highlight of the trip. In the morning, Aziz, Sonia and I went to Puka Beach, a less touristy but equally beautiful stretch of sand on the north shore of Boracay.
Riding on a motorcyle in the surf on Bulbog Beach
Puka Beach
As I was swimming in the sea, three Filipino kids came by on a floating log. I’ve written before about the wonderful people in the Philippines, and this trip only further reinforced my notion. The kids were so funny and happy, and they wore my sunglasses and (unsuccessfully) tried to convince me to give them a few sips of my San Miguel. The beach, the children and the moped ride around the island were incredible.
The icing on the cake, however, came afterwards. I finally managed the tick off one of my lifelong goals of going scuba diving. I’ve literally wanted to dive since I’ve been about eight years old, but somehow I never got around to it until now. And although it took me a few minutes to get the hang of it, the experience was nothing short of breathtaking. We fed the fish, got a close-up view of the colorful coral and had an all around great time. I can only imagine how much more there is to explore in the vast world under the sea. I think I will definitely make the effort to get PADI-certified so I can participate in more intense dives on future Southeast Asian vacations.
Me, Alex and Rich on Saturday night
Saturday night started with beachfront Mongolian Barbecue for dinner with Amy, Sonia, Rich, Alex, Silja and Iris, followed by some live music on White Beach. When the girls left, things got crazy, especially after Alex, Rich and I found a popular bar called A Summer Place.
Long story short, we made it back home just in time to watch the Sunday sunrise from our hotel—a great photo opportunity to be sure!
The view on the early morning walk home
Boracay Sunrise
Operating on no sleep, the last few hours of the trip were surprisingly fun: sipping my last pineapple juice and rum, taking one final dip in the crystal clear waters of White Beach, saying our goodbyes to the friendly staff of Banana Saging and journeying back to the ferry pier to catch our flight.
Our last morning in Boracay
But there was one last surprise in store that none of us could have seen coming. Our flight to Manila was supposed to take off just after 2pm, giving us almost five hours in Ninoy Aquino International Airport before our evening flight to Hong Kong. But the 2pm flight was overbooked. We got bumped to the 5pm flight, still giving us enough time to make our Hong Kong connection, yet instead of enduring a five hour layover in Manila, we found a quaint Filipino bar on Caticlan where we ate, drank and recapped all the great stories and indelible memories of our trip. To “compensate” us for the inconvenience, Cebu Pacific Air gave us each a free round trip ticket anywhere in the Philippines—not a bad trade off at all as far as I’m concerned!
Celebrating our free flights in Caticlan!
Book ended by pleasant surprises, this trip to Boracay was truly phenomenal. I’d been hearing about this tropical paradise since my arrival in Hong Kong, and now I understand what all the fuss is about. Hopefully as the tourists pour in over the years to come, the island will retain its small town charm and decidedly Filipino character. Stay tuned to find out how we use our free tickets!
Enjoying one last 'San Mig Light' at the airport in Manila before our flight to Hong Kong
