Back from Boracay Vacation
I finally had a long needed vacation and took the family to Boracay. It’s been more or less 8 years since I last set foot on that island and a lot of things had certainly changed. If you’re planning on going to Boracay for the first time and you expect to come to a “tropical paradise”, let me spoil it for you and tell you that you will be sorely disappointed. “Tropical”, yes. “Paradise”, hell no! You’re 16 years too late.
It was about 16 years ago when I went to Boracay for the very first time. Back then, it was still the “tropical paradise” as most of us would have pictured it. A simple bamboo and nipa hut for accommodations. No running water, we got water from a nearby well which we had to boil because it had a bit of salt in it. No fricken jetskis or watersports or scuba diving. No bars. No hotels. It was “tropical paradise” in the truest sense.
Fast forward to 8 years ago. Boracay was just emerging as the “go to” place in the Philippines and was even touted by some as “the best beach in the world”. Back then, they had a system of “boat stations” and you can tell the ferryman where you wanted to disembark. You had 3 stations to choose from. Contrast that to today where they have a single port of entry into the island and you now have to take a minicab or a tricycle to get to the stations. This is perhaps the best thing that has happened to this island. In the days when you had the choice of getting off at the station you wanted, there was a significant case of algal bloom on the beach. I don’t know if they had it figured out back then but pollution is one of the causes of algal bloom. Spilling petrol or engine oil in sea water, in addition to pollution coming from the steadily increasing population all combined to provide a nutrient rich environment for algae to quickly multiply. In the morning the beaches would be stained green with algae and they had people with improvised rakes scraping them off the beach. Today, there is not a hint of green. They have tightened up on environmental pollution controls and more importantly, having a centralized port has kept pollution from ferry boats in check.
On the way to station 2, we passed through a concrete paved road that cuts through the whole island and snakes its way around what used to be hilly areas. I was a bit disappointed because in my opinion the developed areas are way too developed. The little island has lost its charm. Along the way I saw new developments under construction. “E-mall” is currently being developed. When you’re in the city, you can never have too many malls. But when you’re on a tropical island looking to “get away from it all”, one mall is one mall too many! You can pretty much find everything you want/need in “D-mall”. If you’re bargain hunting, there’s the old “talipapa” for you. I really do not understand the need for another mall on this little island.
Ranting is over, I did have fun although I really had to fight the urge to go to an Internet cafe and just “check my email”. I went to this place to disconnect from everything, even if it is only for a couple of days. Again, if you are looking for that tropical island experience you will not find it in Boracay anymore. As it stands now, you come to Boracay to just “sort of get away from it all without really getting away from it all”. You can pretty much find everything that you want if you really need to. There are places with high speed Internet access. You can play some golf. You can eat popular cuisine from almost any nation on Earth. So there’s really no point in getting away from it all if it’s all right there staring you in the face.
I didn’t go there just to go to the beach. I also went there to EAT. Here are some places we’ve tried:
Big Mama’s – small place by the beach near station 1 serving hot pot bulalo (the house specialty) and other Filipino cuisine. You will want to try their other stuff as well, such as their sizzling sisig. Cheap and tasty, always a winner.
Chopstick Noodle House – find it in D-mall. For gut-burning noodles and soup from pretty much every nation that serves gut-burning noodles and soup. This place also has high speed wireless Internet access if you’re looking to connect without shelling out big bucks.
Backyard BBQ – also found in D-mall. You can’t miss it, it’s the little place with the funny signs all over the walls. Pretty good barbecue. I have to say probably the best barbecue joint I have tried on the island. All the other barbecue places serve barbecue that taste exactly the same. I wonder why… It’s probably because they soak the meat in vats of this stuff and then use more of the same to for basting?
Cindy’s – also in D-mall. Cheap, excellent grilled pink salmon. Bring your appetite if you order the spare ribs.
Overall we had a pretty good stay. We found good, cheap accommodations at station 2 in one of the bungalows at the beach front. It had cable TV, a small fridge, hot shower, and of course air conditioning. This is because it’s off-season during the months of October and November so most of the hotels and villas will be rented out at lower than usual prices.