Okay, okay! Boracay is a tourist destination fit for relaxing, unwinding, and fun. Observing a Holy Week is totally a different story, plus, going in a tight budget? Maybe not in a peak season like the Holy Week. Maybe it’s not a good idea. But, travelers like we are, let’s see if it’s possible to do that. Keeping the week Holy wasn’t the first idea, I must admit. There was no backing out, so off we go to the trip. We took the RORO in going to Caticlan.
19 March 2008, WEDNESDAY: The Treachery of Judas
A week before the trip, we purchased the tickets for four in GASAT Bus lines in Alabang. Reservations are supposed to give you the assurance of getting the seats on your scheduled trip, right? But that didn’t turn out good on our side because the moment we had to get on the bus with body number 226172, our RESERVED seat numbers had somebody sitting on them! To make the long story short, we had to put up the fight, cause a scene and delay their scheduled 2:30pm trip. We hadn’t won the argument, though, but we swore we will not ride on GASAT Bus lines from then on (what a coincidence I happened to know in the news that MMDA branded their bus bound for Ilo-Ilo as culorom, two weeks after the incident. I’m just not sure if it’s the same bus number).
We commend DIMPLE STAR instead for a welcoming travel to Caticlan (hail to you, Kuya Ruben and the DIMPLE STAR people for the patience!)
20 MARCH 2008. HOLY THURSDAY, The Last Supper
Anyways, off to the story about “soul-searching” in a temptation- dominated island. It has been nine years since I last set foot on the island, so I consider myself a stranger to this land. Good to have my cousin, Jayson, accompany us for our impromptu search for the accommodation. As expected, everything was fully booked. Had there been available rooms, they are all expensive for a struggling group.
Until we finally got the room fit for us four: CAMFROG de BORACAY, in station 3. A meter away from Andok’s (where we had our first breakfast) and 3-minute walk from the beach, it gives you value for your money. The room we got was an air conditioned room with hot and cold shower. It’s the most affordable place (and thank God for it) on that jam packed time of the year. Because it was still new, our group was the only ones accommodating the place at that time. It gave us so much freedom to behave ourselves. The receptionists were cool and accommodating, too. I recommend going to Camfrog to travelers.
Things had changed in Boracay, as I expected. The funny thing is that when one sets foot on Cagban Port he would actually see a large streamer stating “Welcome to Boracay” provided by St. Peter Life Plan & Chapels (Spare me of the chills. I was just being observant, hehe!). Good to have a common port now unlike a long time ago.
Anyways, things changed for the better in terms of the building and the places. I thought the infamous D’Mall in Boracay was as I pictured it: like SM Malls or Sunshine Mall Taguig, or Ever Gotesco Mall or Robinson’s Mall. D’Mall gives you a better experience than the usual mall experience. One would never go to a mall in two-piece (or no-piece at all), to begin with (I was kidding with the “no-piece” part). Plus, there are no security guards to grope / inspect what you’ve got under your shirt (since you’ve got no shirt on, what do you have to hide, anyway?hehe) Or, you could never wander in the mall when you’re all wet, could you? But in D’Mall of Boracay, you can do that. It’s like being in Miami (saw that in movies only). They’ve also got unique names like D’Wall, D’Palengke, and D’Talipapa. They sound peculiar, but that saves you of the burden of memorizing places.
Next stop was the Batcave. It’s in the other end of the island. I was anxious of actually getting in there because the moment I saw the opening of the cave, we couldn’t see what’s inside, and it looked like the mouth of a monster that’s waiting to swallow us down the moment we get in there. We refused having a local guide on that tour; we went on our own despite the tourists warning us and scaring us that we could never make it without a guide. Thanks to the fact that we could not afford to pay the tour guide that we decided to explore the place on our own. We rented a flash light, that’s the only thing we can afford (hehe!). We took pictures inside the Batcave. It was dark, I was scared but having fun at the same time. It was the adrenaline I think that made me had fun. The fact that you’re scared and hesitant, but you faced it and letting it go, was fun. I was scared not just for me, but for my friends, as well. The way down was steep and slippery that I couldn’t afford to lose any of us (such a crazy thought, though!) Much to my fright was when my daredevil and what-ever-came-to-her-mind-that-time friend (peace, doug), jumped down the steps to reach the rock. Again, it was slippery and steep down there.
But anyways, she happened to land on a rigid rock…BUHAY XA!!masamang damo talaga..kaanak ni JUDAS :)..
Then, we went to Mt. Luho where we could oversee the island. It was like being on the top of the island and you see the place under.
We waited the sunset by soaking ourselves in Willy’s Rock. Sun was starting to rest and we waited in the shore. I took pictures of it though the sun that time wasn’t as beautiful as Manila Bay’s.
Night came and we’re all exhausted for what transpired during the day. D’Mall was full of sights, lights and mights during the night so we took our dinner (sponsored by Andok’s again) in the seashore.
21 MARCH 2008. Good Friday. The Crucifixion
Despite the lure of exploring the sights and places, we wanted to keep the week Holy by going to church. We wanted to keep it as Holy as possible, but we failed on the first trial. Me and my buddy had to go back to Caticlan Port in the early morning to retrieve our chocolates and to get us tickets to Manila in Negros Navigation outlet. Our generous friends and companions brought us spare ribs the night before, which we took for our breakfast. The meal was delicious, I swear I wanted another round of it. It was then that we remember we were supposed to fast and abstain on Good Friday. (Eeenggkkk!!! That’s a minus point for the Holy Week checklist! Thanks to our thoughtful friends for the temptation.)
Well anyways, it was an honest mistake. We headed back to Boracay after realizing that offices are closed during Good Fridays. Then we got to Balabag Church in Brgy. Balabag. It was Good Friday and all the images and sculptures were covered. We spent some time in silence…
(still silent, my reader)
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I forgot to bring my Way of the Cross booklet, so I dropped the idea that we’d be able to recite the Fourteen Stations of the Cross.
(still spending some time in silence, my dear readers…)
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Until my buddy proposed that we go and narrate the Way of The Cross in the church. Hesitant of how we’re going to do that because neither of us knew the fourteen stations, we gave it a shot. Just as we were standing towards the First Station, I remember one thing. My parents used to be in the church organization when I was a kid. Ministers and church workers are basically generous when it comes to one’s spiritual needs, so we went to see if we can borrow a booklet. And they lend us two: one for each of us. Off we went to reflect from the The Last Supper up to the Resurrection.
PROLOGUE
2 meters away from the church is the gateway to the beach. We took videos of how cool the place is. We also checked out Bolabog Beach and watched the kiteboarders. It was cool watching them flying those colorful kites with them aboard the piece of floating material (I’m not sure what it’s called, pardon me).
Needless to say, the powdery white sand tickles your feet and makes your walk an enjoyable one, even without your slippers on. And it was cool to lie down on those sands, according to a friend. One thing we learned was how to make SAND FIGURES; could they be castles, I should’ve called them sand castles. It was also fun to watch local kids make sand figures with such patience in the art. And much to our amusement (and admiration at the same time) was when we saw a group of local kids, one bullying his playmate and talking in English. “Give me money,” was the statement, to be exact. Lovers are a common sight with their names sculpted in the sands… a beautiful thing to see.
Boracay was such a stunning place. Beautiful as she used to. The trees, the sand, the vibrant colors that spread on the horizon during sunset…
But I can’t deny the negative feelings when we walked in the beach. The water used to be crystal clear in the shores until the moss smudged her beauty. You can be patient to walk meters away from the shoreline to actually see the crystal clear waters. Moss is never a good thing to see.
I’m a local tourist, and I’m dismayed by the first-hand information that some people in Boracay wants to make money in any way they can think of. That is no different from being held up and you can’t do anything about it. How would you feel if you would have to pay 200 pesos for the usual 15- peso trip? That’s way too overpriced! Good thing we didn’t take that ride. One thing I learned, though: “never ask the driver how much you owe him. Just hand over 7.50 only if you have traveled from one station to another.” And another thing, when going to Mt. Luho, pretend that you are a tour guide working in a hotel so you can have your ENTRANCE FREE (that’s short for entrance fee for free). We didn’t bite this trick as suggested by the locals. We were trying to play fair.
Of course, there are also well mannered locals there. They can’t be at all that bad. But I can’t help but to be on guard for those money-starved individuals who thinks just because you go there, you have the money and they are waiting for you to come by and they’d take away your money for the little service they did (talking about courtesy for sale). It’s like I didn’t know my local blood anymore… this used to be the island that taught me good graces. But now, I don’t know. It’s like she has changed, apart from the one I used to know. Or maybe, I have to spend time with her a little longer in order to get to know her.
Anyways, off to the good side of the trip. Holy week of 2008 was a perfect moment, I think because it was full moon. There were so many times in my travel that I wished it will be full moon but it never happened. I didn’t check the calendar before that trip so I knew of the moon’s phase only when I was there and saw it. The moon’s such a beautiful thing to gaze at. Looking at it is the only thing that I don’t find weird to do. Try looking at a tree, or a plant, or a stone. Wouldn’t other people find you weird you’re doing it? But try looking at the moon in your idle time. Nobody will question your behavior. The next best thing about it is the nightlife beside the sea. I’ve spent a life at night in San Miguel By the Bay in Mall of Asia, but it was by far incomparable to the life at night in Boracay seas. Boracay is more serene, and though most people dress less, you could never see obscene behaviors in public places. It was like there is so much respect where people dress less (lez ge’ naked!!! Wehehehe!!! )
22 MARCH 2008, BLACK SATURDAY, 2ND DAY OF THE DEATH OF JESUS
We went back to Manila on Black Saturday. It was this time when the beach came alive with partying, nightlife and activities. We were not able to do that part. Onboard the ship in the middle of the ocean, the only thing we can do was to look at that place as the lights decorate the shoreline. We never let go of that lights from beyond until they disappeared from our sights. Still, it was full moon, something I have to be thankful for. The full moon consoled that vacation though I haven’t got the chance to drink beer or cali on Club Paraw or Beachcomber’s Club, or Nigi-Nigi, or Pier One…
23 MARCH 2008, EASTER SUNDAY, THE RESSURECTION
We arrived in Manila in Pier 2 at exactly 11:15am. Good thing that Negros Navigation has their bus bound to the metropolis from Pier 2. It saved us a lot of hassles in looking for a transportation.
As a conclusion, I may want to go back to Boracay if I wanted to hibernate. It’s a beautiful place one would like to love. But warn you, guys, she’s like a woman you really have to prepare money for… she’d take away your money and leave you nothing but good memories… no wonder a lot of people fall in love with her… she’s like a drug that excites you and when you get addicted, you can never do anything about it… and even if you wanted to relinquish, whatever she does, she does it so well that there’s no quitting her…
