Labor Day Weekend 2013 at Boracay

My first two labor weekends as an office employee has been very menial. I am used to taking long vacations and frankly, one day simply isn't enough. So finally, me and some friends from office booked a four-day trip to the island of Boracay. Everyone on the group admits that it was their first time going to the island so we were all so excited even months before the trip. Labor day = perfect time to get away from the stress from work!

Sunset at Boracay

Oops, not the fun part yet. Hope you give me some time to let out this rant but AIR ASIA FAILED ME! Before we have to reach Boracay, we first had to ride a plane first (of course!) Our flight was via Air Asia originally scheduled to depart Clark by around 7 AM. We planned to take the early bus from Trinoma to the airport and we were there early enough by around 4AM just to find out that our flight was rescheduled to f*cking 2:30 PM! We tried to reason that I have not received any advisory about this change (either by email, phone/mobile call, or text). They refused to book us a flight through a different airline and so we had no option but to wait. Good thing, Clark Airport has strong Wi-Fi connection to keep us sane. Damn you, Air Asia PH! I know we bought promotion flights but this is not a way to treat your customers. You definitely you get 99 points for giving the worst customer service I have ever had with plane bookings. First, cancelling flights with no option to rebook to other airline companies on my trip to Malaysia, and now this! Air Asia, you have disappointed me twice already!

ANYWAY, After hours of waiting, we have finally arrived at Boracay! The first thing that caught my eye was the lovely sunset view as we arrived late afternoon. They were not kidding, sunset viewing here was amazing! We chose to stay at Station 1 as this is the most secluded part of the island. And yes, it really is far from almost all the happenings but I got what I came here for: relaxation and enjoyment of this wonderful beach. Station 2 is where all the parties are happening and Station 3 I think are for more exclusive resorts.

view of Boracay's Station 1

The Donyas

appreciating this awesome view of Boracay!

trying out to take portrait shots during sunset, what do you think of the lighting effect? nice, huh?!

There are tons of activities one can enjoy at Boracay, but since I we were on a strict budget we decide to only do try two main attractions: helmet diving and parasailing. There are also other activities one can try such as scuba diving, paraw boat tripping, island hopping, zorb, ATV riding, skim boarding, and many more. How good it is to splurge if you are in Bora! Helmet diving was such a leap of faith for me, since I don't know how to swim (guess everyone's had it figured it out), even though I think the coral is man made and aside from that, there is nothing else to see, I was still amazed with what little I saw. It made me think that I really need to learn to swim to enjoy other activities such as snorkeling since Philippines has a rich aquatic biodeversity. Parasailing was also amazing! We did it at the right time - sunset. The sunlight wasn't too harsh so we were able to enjoy the amazing views of the island with the red-orange hues from the sky.

excited kids!

amazing view up there

Aside from that, the food choices in Boracay is also countless. Seafood, western, mexican, you can have it there. But one of my favorites are the fruitshakes that can help you beat the heat! The Calamansi muffins are also a must-try!

One of the recent developments in the island is that it's also turning out to being one of the hottest party spots in the country! Bora is now the Philippines' version of Ibiza, Spain and Koh Phangan of Thailand. It gets really hyped up on a normal day, just imagine during labor weekend wherein some international DJs even come to the island to partehhh! What's great in Bora is that the parties start by sunset to sunrise.. of the next day!

the long line of crowd

what you need when partying? BOOZE!

Of course, nothing could beat the feeling of just relaxing and absorbing the marvelous view. The sand in the Station 1 and 2 are so fine, I love to just sink my feet in it and feel the coldness seep through. The majestic water of Boracay can hypnotize you with its magical blue hues...

fine sand of Boracay

such a perfect day to relax!

But, wait! I noticed that the water of Boracay is not perfect. While walking en route to Station 2, I noticed these green things in the water, which is most commonly known as lumot in Tagalog. According to locals, there are more of these algaes appearing during the summer season as there are less waves that helps drive them off the shore, and as I have read from a blogs and news sites, these microorganisms form when there are too much "nutrients" in the water and apparently, the source of this is due to the poor sewage system in the island. Well, Boracay is a small island after all, but I hope improvements are on the way, since this place is one of the country's flagship to tourism. I just hopes it doesn't come down for the worst.

#alamna

Labor Day in Boracay was way too crowded, and it would be nice to picture how it was like years back when it was still not commercialized. Now, it's all about YOLOing, sunset parties, delicious food and booze, henna tattoos and massages. It's all just good fun especially when you are with great company, waking up late, sinking your feet to the fine sand, and just letting go of the stress and worries, even just for this weekend. I might just be back next Labor weekend after all.

Willy's Rock

chill.

I shall see you again, Boracay