Beautiful beach views

Boracay Island is just what I need. Relaxing by day...

...and fun by night

Before they decided that I was a cleptomaniac, my hostel hosts in Manila suggested I visit the beautiful, untainted island of Palawin. Marseille suggested Boracay, only because she had been there and had a good time. The Lonely Planet said Palwain was quiet, stunningly beautiful, and quite untouched. It said Boracay was touristy, full of backpackers and a bit of a party town.

I picked Boracay, of course. I need to make friends out here. It keeps my sanity. Between Dubai and Manila, I’m really to connect with some people.

I meet tons of great people

As always, getting there isn’t exactly easy. It requires a cab, airplane, shuttle, boat and trike. I love the Philappines so far in every way, but you pretty much have to fly around to different places because it’s all islands.

Beautiful island

Once I finally check in to my hostel that evening, I walk into the dorm and see 2 girls about to go out. We make introductions (Sabrina from New York and Helen from Sweden). They tell me they’re going out, and shamelessly, I say, “Can I come?”

Beautiful sunsets

And that sets my tone for Boracay. Believe it or not, I stay there for 6 days. There’s not a lot of stories to tell, but a lot of friends to be made. There’s 6 girls in our dorm and we quickly connect. We meet others along the way. By the second and third night, choosing a place for dinner is almost impossible because we have such a big group. It’s social overload, and I love it.

My view while suntanning

Boracay is the easy life, but I realize I need it right now. It’s full of tough decisions:

“It’s just over $6 to get an hour long full body massage on the beach, or a manicure and pedicure. What should I choose?”

“It’s happy hour, so I get 2 for 1 cocktails for $2.50. Should I choose margaritas or martinis?”

“Do we sit on the beach and listen to the DJ or sit inside where the action is?”

“Should I get a mango shake or coconut shake?”

“Do I lounge on the beach today or do some island hopping on a boat?”

I do actually do something other than drink fruit shakes and sunbathe and gab wtih some fabulous girls. For the first time in my life I go scuba diving.

I hadn’t given it that much thought before. I like snorkeling and I love the water, but scuba diving has never made it on my “to do” list. Helen was going to get her open water diver’s license, so I decided to do the intro course with her and do a dive.

This isn't me, but someone else who did the same dive

The 12 meter dive is definitely a great experience. The ability to breathe underwater is awesome. There were copious amounts of fish, vividly blue starfish and coral that looked like it had been attacked by a flambouant painter.

I love palm trees

While I enjoyed diving, I didn’t *love* it. So I decided not to get my diver’s certification, which would cost several hundred dollars (VERY cheap compared to back home) but more importantly take several days. I always have to do, do, do. In Boracay, I just want to be.

And I be.

Beautiful beach views

Even though I stay in Boracay longer than any other place, somehow time flashes by like a lightening bolt, and I’m on my way again.

Where to this time? The first night in Boracay, Helen, my new friend from Sweden, asked me if I want to join her to Malapascua Island.

Helen (left) becomes my new travel companion and I'm sad that Emir (right) can't come with us!

Of course. It’s always about the people I meet and sharing the experiences with strangers-quickly-turned-friends whenever I can.

Malapascua, here we come.

Dazzling fire shows at night