Boracay Day 1 (23rd Apr 09)


I've been on a hiatus for so long when it comes to blogging abt my Boracay trip... not because the trip is bad (on the contrary, in fact)... i was just LAZZZYYYYYYY...

but then again, the trip has been so wonderful and fantastic, i have to boast about it here... hahaha... although, pls dun go there too often, because then u'll make it too commercialized, and then it'll become another Redang...

no just kidding haha... go there as much as u wan, i can let u guys noe which resort is good and which clubbing spot is the BEST! =P

so anyway we took Cebu Pacific fr Manila to Boracay...



We thought we saved alot of money by taking a budget internal flight. but alas, this money saved is NOT worth it at all. it's a pain and torture to take this airline.

and trust me, halfway through the flight, i really thought i was goin to die. No like seriously, i was scared stiff (and i'm not phobic of flying at all) and i even started to pray... except not to anyone up there in particular, seeing how i'm a free thinker. but i was really really scared. and my fren beside me was praying too... my god... the plane was shaking so much, so so much ok... it's easily the worst flight i've ever taken.

and there and then, i told myself, since i'm working already, never ever will i save on this kinda money. EVER. it's just not worth it.

and because the flight was so lousy, it couldnt get through a small rain, and had to land at the nearby airport (2hrs bus ride from where we're supposed to alight)...




dont think u can see my face in that photo, but i was all pale and sickly looking, because stoopid plane not only made me scared stiff, it made me puke like crazy...

And after 2 hrs of bus ride fr Kalibo, we finally reached Caticlan!






not exactly a trishaw though, it's just covered seats attached to a motorbike.






Okay just to let u know the travelling fr Singapore to Boracay:
1) International flight fr Spore to Manila -> 4hours
2) Internal flight fr Manila to Caticlan -> 2hours
3) Boat ride fr Caticlan to Boracay -> 10mins

so anyway, even fr the harbour, we could catch a slight glimpse of Boracay, which got us all excited already!



And our boat fr Waling Waling is here! it's like our private charter... shioks.




All the boats there have those weird things flanking out fr their sides, it's supposed to help the boat balance in water... i guess coz the middle body is so narrow and thin...



the ppl fr Waling Waling were so nice!!! they gave us warm thick towels, a necklace each and a drink...

and the guy was so nice and good looking! ahhaha... he kept asking us wat happened to our flights (we were supposed to reach 1 day earlier, sighs long story)...




It's amazing how well and fast the 3 of us clicked within a few months of knowing each other in the company... and we're not even working on the same floor. i guess this is the power of being Singaporean among all the foreigners around u. there's this unexplainable cosiness u feel everytime u see a Singaporean in my company hahah... it's true!



Look at those waters!!!!!!! omg, they're beautifully clear and the bluest BLUE i've ever seen! and we're not even close to Boracay yet! we're just between Caticlan and Boracay... it's so beautiful seriously. we looked down, and we can see every detail of the seabed and the coral reefs at the bottom of the sea. in fact, it's soooooo clear, u'll think the waters are very shallow, but it's not.

Upon arrival at our beach resort room...



and our room...



I love the beds man! they're so huge and bouncy and warm...

And i think this package that we took is wonderful! it includes:
1) personal boat to/fro caticlan and boracay (i saw the public boats, they're crowded and dirty)
2) A welcome drink (cocktail!)
3) A necklace
4) Free airport transfer to/fro
5) Free booking of verandahs all day (not sure if they're called verandahs, but they're these small little huts along the beach and they're PERFECT for relaxing!)
6) A free massage
7) A free dinner meal by the beach

and get this...

8) A free pair of Havaiians EACH! and they're reaaaaaalllllll!!!!

So anyway once we settled in, we went down to the reception to find out abt all the activities, and to start exploring the beautiful beach which everyone has already raved to us before we even flew there...



it was kinda cloudy on our first day, which really surprised me, because this is their summer period and supposed to be the hottest...




and then as we walked down the beach, the first thing we headed for was this little eatery called "Jonah's Fruit Juice" because the fruit juices there (esp their avocado banana) are supposed to be legendary...




and our view of the beach...



and here they are, the legendary fruit juices...




All of us ordered avocado banana juice of coz, and they are SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO good! it's unbeatable and unbelievable... the best i've ever tasted... and i've tasted many avocado juices before...



Seeee, we're all happy =))




We ordered food too... didnt realise how hungry we were until we saw the table next to us chomping away haha...

but anyway the burgers above are the signature burgers on the island... there's a name for it, obviously i cant rem, it's 2 months ago haha... but basically it's like their version of Ramly burgers...

and then as we walked further down, we saw rows and rows of really cool shops... shops selling little handmade stuff, nice exquisite souvenirs, beach wear... and then now and then, a really nice restaurant or pub pops up...



I really love this row of shops, it totally has the very beach-y kinda feeling... some of the shops dont even pave concrete floor for their inside... so basically even when u walk into the shops, u're still standing on soft white sand...

and yes! their sand is really soft and really white... and everyone is walking around in bikinis, regardless of what they're doing... they enter shops in bikinis... they sit down in atas restaurants in bikinis...

i love love love love it! this is my life...

okay to get back... we walked past this place that was doing glitter tattoo, and in an impulse, chalene and i decided to do it...



lucky for us, it will drop off in 3 days or so... and by the 2nd and a half day, we cant stand the ugliness anymore, and so we were scrubbing at it like crazy haha...

and then it starts to rain -_-'''
haix, serves us right, must be punishing us for getting those ugly things on our bodies...




at night, we decided to claim our free dinner meal at Waling, to make up for the rainy afternoon we had...




the place they set up for dinner is so beautiful and romantic... and those are the verandahs i was talking about...






and while waiting for Jess to go back to the room to change, Chalene and I were lazing around and playing with the camera...



i was feeling so cold in that get-up...
but refused to change, because we will be heading down to the beach aft dinner, and i'm too nua to bath before dinner, and then bath again before i slp...

i dont even noe why i explained the above -_-'''

and our food! when they said free dinner, i didnt realise it's a full course meal!



we had salad, soup, appetizers, main courses... and then pina coladas!!!
and of coz infamous Filipino desserts!



if any of u have ever tried filipino desserts, they're sooooo sweet it's unbelievable...
and i love it! but it's one of those kinda food which u'll have to share, because too much of it will just make u wanna swear off it forever...

aft dinner, we headed down to the beach again haha...



see! 2nd part that i love... even late at night, the entire beach is still bustling with life!




and we spotted the famous sandcastles that were always around Boracay! i saw it on the website before i came, and i told myself i have to find them...

this is just one of them...



isnt it nice?!?!
i wonder how they make it... but apparently it must be really easy for them, because these elaborate sandcastles are everywhere, some even larger and more intricate than this...



Okay Day 2 - I woke up feeling damn excited... you know how sometimes u're on holiday and you wake up finding yourself in an unfamiliar place, and for a moment you just feel disoriented and lost wondering where you are... and then suddenly it hits you! "i'm in XXX!!!! on holiday!!!"

yea exactly what happened to me... =)

anyway i suspect the below photos are fr Day 1 instead, the day it rained. but anyhoos, too lazy to shift the photos up haha...



after lazing on the beach for awhile and absorbing the beautiful waters and sand that lie before us, we took off for the start of our water sports!



we took the motor-trishaw (or whatever that's called), to the jetty where all the sailing boats and yachts are parked...



we had signed up for a day island hopping, so there will be a boat catered just to us! yes all to us, no squeezing with a large grp of noisy tourists haha... AND the boatman has bought us fresh food (according to the shopping list we gave him of coz), so that we can bbq on one of the islands later for lunch... how shioks is that!

i love bbqs wahahha...

and THIS! is one of the nice yachts that we were supposed to rent on our last nite!




it costs around S$400 to rent this yacht for 3-4hrs, and the best thing is u can bring food and alcohol up and the crew there will bbq the food for you! and the best timing to book this is during sunset, so that you can sail out to watch the sunset.

of coz there were only 3 of us, but we were approached by another grp of 4 americans/filipinos to rent the yacht tgt and hold a party on it. i was so damn excited over this lar, but we decided too late, and the yachts were all fully booked =((

next time i go Boracay, i MUST do this!

and sailing out to the sea...



supadupa beautiful! look at the photo on the bottom right. how blue is those waters! i love love it!

and snorkeling baby!




believe it or not, my first time doing it!
when i told my friends i've nvr snorkelled before, no one really believed me, coz according to them, i LOOK like someone who has done it. whatever that means haha...

but i totally love it lar... it's damn fun... and becoz the waters there is sooo clear, even on the surface, you can see the corals to every single detail. and we had tons of bread with us, so when i threw it around me, all the fishes just sped towards me and started nibbling around me haha...

and one of the islands we reached aft snorkelling, "Crystal Cove - The Dream Island"... wat a name right haha...




the island is beautiful, i have to admit...
the sand is white, the waters is blue... and even though u get that on Boracay, but this island is less populated so on the whole, it gives a cleaner and more natural feel to it.




and exploration of the first cave!




the place is so clean, i'm actually surprised... i expected at least some litter lying around. but nope, not a single scrap of paper at all...



we climbed to the top of the stairs and had a magnificent view of the seas...




the boatman is really nice and friendly... and he talks in such a gentle and soothing tone haha... everytime we wanted to camwhore, he'll offer to carry all our bags with him while juggling the 3 cameras in his hand and taking photo of us with each one.

and finally, we came to the entrance of cave #1.




look at how freaking narrow that is. i never tot possible that anyone will be able to squeeze through that.

and in the cave itself...




unlike the other dirty and musty and stuffy caves i've been to (not many though haha), this is really beautiful. the moment we reached the bottom, we were greeted by crystal clear waters, glistening rocks and small fishes darting here and there. the waters are so nice, i can just stay inside all day lar.

aft tat, we made our way to the 2nd cave...



and i supa heart this photo!




looks like i'm in the midst of paradise or something haha...

and while me and chalene were camwhoring with the above scenery, jess went away to buy 3 bottles of iced sprite for us...




for the entire trip, she just feels like an elder sis to us lar, and it's really nice, coz going on a hol with her, u really feel like u're being taken very good care of =)




Cave 2 isnt as nice as Cave 1, it looks very normal. and also there was this guy who has slapped on probably 5cm thick of sunblock lotion on his body, and swimming in the water. i can see waves of white foam behind him when he swims. it's utterly disgusting yucks.




after walking for another 5-10mins or so, we finally reached the scenic place where we're supposed to have our bbq lunch... and tis is the view fr our table...



i dunno abt u, but i've nvr seen waters so blue and clear as this. i know i've repeated this many times, but seriously! these photos do not do justice to the actual beauty! =)

and our bbqed lunch!




tat's only a small portion of what we actually ate. and omg, the squid is heavenly lar!
i didnt try the corn too, it looks kinda mushy to me, even though the guide insisted that that's how filipino home-grown corn looks like when it's cooked.

more camwhoring and lazing around the beach before we went back to Boracay to wash up. On the way back to our room, we passed by this minimart and decided to go in to buy some groceries and what do we see but our very own company's products!




we did abit of self market research there ourselves haha! will not say which is which, but one of the shelf above belonged to my company, and the other to the competitor...

and you know when i saw the prices on my brand being reflected on the shelf, and the product itself, and the promotions that come with it, the thought that ran through my mind was "i churned these financials... i was involved in the approval of this marketing plan" and the after-feeling was undescribable... it kinda reminds me why i love what i'm doing... you can actually see the result in your daily life (i.e. going to the supermarket).

okay work aside haha, we dressed up and proceeded out to the die-die-must-try restaurant that our filipino colleagues have recommended to us...

"CYMA"! A greek restaurant...



the place looked really humble and small, but the service is seriously A-rated... the ppl there are so nice and friendly... and we ordered sooooooo much food!



and EVERYTHING was so good, i'm not kidding.
in Singapore, i'll never think abt eating at a Greek restaurant... but after this meal, i'm CRAZY abt greek food! it's THAT good okay.

and the chocolate brownie is heavenly...
it was a small bdae cake that me and Chalene ordered for Jess, coz it happened to be her bdae on that day!




and more intricate sandcastles we found on the beach...




i have no idea how they made those man... but these are apparently the signatures of Boracay...
On the way back, we passed by this Henna tattoo place, and on impulse, we decided to go for it!




and Chalene and i both getting leg tattoos!




i love the anklet one... i'm so tempted to get one now lar! its so damn nice! and plus it's small and sweet and not that obvious...

after letting the tattoos dry for awhile, we went out getting ready to PARTTTAYYYYY!
there were 2 clubs near our place which are the best and most popular among both locals and tourists, and they sound so happening! we can hear the music all the way fr our room...




i forgot what drink that is, but it's horrible. -_-''
the music is a blast though, every single song got us high, or at least me high haha...




then there were 2 perverted filipino guys who kept trying to get close to us, damn irritating... they're supa touchy and they kept sticking to us...




we took all the photos above to chase them away because they kept pestering us to take photos, and we only took on one condition - that we used our own cameras haha...




we proceeded to another club after that, to escape fr the 2 perverted guys haha...
the other club was playing more of techno songs i think, but most of the ppl were dancing on the beach, in the waters! how cool is that!

it's like the best combination that can ever have! beach + clubbing hee...




all of us took off our footwear and danced in the waters too... and when u walk deeper into the sea, there will be this part there which has no water at all, it's only sand... i have no idea how to explain this here, but it's amazing... something to do with their shoreline or something...



i was feeling kinda pukey after the first club... but i think the sea breeze kinda clear that up abit... haha... i love it lar, i can rem how happy and high we were standing in the sea, looking at everyone around us dance and shake to the music, listening to the amazing music blasting into the night... and the entire beach was alive...

i wanna go back again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

then there were these 2 boyish looking cute guys who approached us haha...



sorry, i forgot to add... crazy guys at that too... haha... they're the funniest duo i've ever met... every single sentence that comes out fr their mouth is damn lame!




ermmm cant rem their names haha... but they're 18 and they thought we were 19! haha good for us! =)




after clubbing till like 3am, the guys walked us back to our beach resort and we sat on the sand outside and chatted till 5am... it's really nice to meet guys who really have the intention of being friends and getting to know you better... never once during the night were they touchy with us...



after slping at 5am the night before, we woke up groggily today at lunch haha...
and guess where we had lunch at? CYMA! i know, again! but the food there is so good!




my stoopid frens say i look 12 year old here. like SERIOUSLY?!?!?! so kua zhang haha...
and the weather is sooooooo freaking hot that day we were walkin around in our bikinis and eating lunch in bikinis...




the manager there personally served us coz he recognised us from the dinner the nite before haha... see! A-rated service!
and he even gave me alcohol swap to remove the ugly glitter tattoo haha...

and the food we ordered...



actually we came back mainly for the mussels coz it's their signature but it was all sold out the night before... and also we ordered beef skewers again! look at the bottom right photo, yes that's the beef, it's damn tender and cooked to perfection lar! damn nice!




and another signature dish of Cyma, their flaming mango dessert!




it's basically baked mango coated in caramel sauce on sizzling hot plate with vanilla ice-cream... so before they served u, they'll put the mango on fire in front of you (similar to manhattan fish market's seafood platter)...

aft lunch we took the motor-trishaw to the locals' market to buy some of the local food back...




and the famous local products market "d* talipapa"!



we went there mainly to buy the preserved mango, which Philippines is really famous for...
aft placing all our barang barangs back in our beach resort, the activities officer (yes, the resort has an activities officer who will advise you on what activities to do and get the best lobangs for u!) accompanied us to the place to take ATVs...




it's damn fun okay!!!!! and we rode the ATVs all the way to the top of this nearby hill, where we'll be able to see the whole of Boracay fr there...




it's supa easy to drive the ATVs actually, it's kinda like a jetski... there's only brakes and accelerator...

and at the top of Mount Luho, we parked our ATVs and climbed up higher because the view fr the top is apparently pretty amazing...




i love their slogan, it's the nicest i've ever seen... esp "Leave nothing but footprints" =)




and there were alot of displays of animals' dead corpses, like this one in particular...




and it was right next to us when we took the photo above... my frens nearly freaked out, i think i was the only one who dared to go so close to take this photo haha...

and our trek higher up...




and finally we reached the highest viewpoint!




you can see White Beach (which is the most happening stretch of beach) behind us...
and more nicer views fr the top...




one of the staff working at the ATV place brought us around the area, coz it's kinda like a mini farm too...



the bottom 2 photos are of a huge cobra and monkeys...
and look at the black puppy! damn cute lar, i feel like bringing him home haha...

Drove the ATVs back to the White Beach after that...




and there was this small section of the beach covered in soft dried algae... and it's really soft and clean, not like those kind you see on Tanjong Beach haha... according to the locals there, these algae get washed up on the shore once in awhile, where they'll dry up and become white sand over time...

which is why Boracay's sand is always so clean and white and soft... not sure how true that is, but that's what all the locals told us haha...

and we booked a sailing boat for sunset! it's damn cheap! i think we paid S$8 each or something...




the most unique thing about these sailboats is they have nets on both sides of the boat which u can lie in while the water splashed against ur butt and u sail towards the sunset! it's damn nice, and plus when u looked down fr the net, u can see so clearly to the bottom of the seabed coz u're so near to the surface of the waters...




and the sunset which we were sailing towards!




there's much nicer photos of the sunset, but i only got them after i posted all these, so they're all on facebook!

dinner at night was at this atas place by the beach called "Atria"...
they have tables and cushions on the beach itself... so basically, u sit on the cushions on the beach facing the sea, and enjoy candlelight dinner... damn romantic lar! =)





and the food we ordered...



the pizza has cured ham on it! that's how i fell in love with cured ham, never heard of it before in Singapore... but it's damn nice! tastes kinda like smoked ham but nicer i think...

and in the middle of dinner, the owners of the restaurant performed some fire act for us...




Chalene cant stop commenting how hot they looked while doing the act haha... but they look kinda like transvestites...

hmmm actually i'm pretty sure they are ahha... oh wells...

bought beer back to the room at night to have a chilling night, just the 3 of us =))



Last day of Boracay - it feels like 4 days is not enough lar! i wouldnt be bored even if i go for 5 or 6 days! just lazing ard the beach makes me happy also lar!




and transiting at Manila airport back to Singapore...



i was wide awake throughout the entire flight coz the view fr the window is so beautiful...




and shopping at the airport store...




and the loot i brought back with me! hee...








the top left photo is the free havaiians that the resort gave us, pretty decent huh! and i supa love the bikini lar! it's better than ripcurl quality but much cheaper...

and all the food i managed to smuggle back! wahahah...




and of coz, one of the nicest things i brought back with me...