Moving Through The Islands: Bohol-Boracay-Palawan
It so often seems to be like this, both in travel and in life itself. The things you think might go wrong, don’t – and the things you think will be smooth, aren’t. Even before we start, our journey from Alona to Boracay doesn’t look straightforward, what with seven separate segments through the day. What kind of things might go wrong? Well, what if the 6:30am taxi is late? It’s not. What if the ferry is delayed, or affected by bad weather? It’s neither. What if it’s hard to find a taxi from Cebu ferry port to airport? It’s easy.
So we’re at Cebu airport maybe an hour earlier than we need to be, with over three hours to kill….and get greeted by the news that our short flight is seriously delayed. We now have seven – yep, SEVEN – hours at Cebu Airport. This wasn’t the bit which we thought might go wrong. Seven hours. Michaela buys a dress. I find a bar with draught beer. Michaela prepares a blog post, I put the music and the headphones on. The airline buys us a Jollibee meal. Well, there are much worse things which can happen than being delayed while you’re living the dream, aren’t there. Seven hours ain’t so bad.
Our ultimate destination today is the island of Boracay, but the airport at which we land is on the neighbouring island of Panay, so we’re not sure of how the transfer system will work now that we’re late and it’s dark. As it turns out, of course, just about everyone who flies in to Caticlan is heading to Boracay, so there is a well practiced system which tonight is in overdrive. Like everyone else we are whisked on to a shuttle bus (cash) which hurries to the ferry point.
From here it’s a form of high speed ushering, to the kiosks where we pay the port fee (cash), then the Boracay environmental fee (cash) and eventually the ferry fare (cash). The “ferry”, actually a bit of kit similar to a pod from a cruise ship, reaches Boracay in fifteen minutes, where everyone is shepherded on to one of the many shuttle buses (cash) which are all heading to the village. It’s kind of like a travel whirlwind on steroids and caffeine and we’ve got from an airport on one island to a hotel on another in what feels like the blink of an eye. Breathless. Brilliant. Slightly mad.
“Boracay is beautiful, but it’s very commercial”, a couple of people had said earlier on the trip. Commercial, they had both said. Commercial rather than touristy. It doesn’t take long to see that their descriptions are accurate, on both counts. It is indeed commercial, but wow is it beautiful. We’ve said it many times before, but you know, there’s a reason places become popular, and it’s never because they’re ugly, boring or dull. Is it.
This is the very definition of the paradise beach. Palm trees lean over the sand, bowing towards the sea with its multiple blue and turquoise shades, fronds rustling in the breeze. Sun worshippers laze on the sand or in the shade of the palms, paddle boarders drift silently across the calm water, gentle hawkers approach and quietly offer tours. Men sell buco juice, women offer massages.
Bars along the back of the beach sit modestly, low rise, dwarfed by the towering palms which turn their oversized fingers into skeletons against the sky. Music carries across the sand, gentle in daylight hours and only a couple of notches up the scale after dark, then silenced early enough for those who aren’t up for all nighters, silenced to let the lapping waves and whispering breeze hold sway. It’s a long stretch of stimulating ambience and laid back vibe, running along a long stretch of paradise beach. This is just the perfect place for a bit of R&R with atmosphere.
Just before 6pm each night there is a migration of people on to the beach as sundown approaches – so thrilling are the sunsets that everyone wants to be here, either on the sand with phones and cameras ready or boarding yachts for a sunset cruise. Either are worth it, these are special sunsets. The sky moves from pastels to riches, gentle hues to deep glows and eventually to clouds of fiery orange.
Darkness descends quickly, bars and restaurants fill, music volume creeps up the scale little by little. The paradise island holiday vibe drifts from every bar, whispers through every palm, caresses the sand with every gentle wave. We came here knowing of Boracay’s “commercial” reputation but wanting to see it for ourselves: we are so pleased that we have done so, it’s a beautiful place, a corner of paradise, little wonder it’s become a destination.
Our aim in coming here was to hit the pause button after more than six weeks of travelling, and it’s proved to be the perfect place to do exactly that.
Two days of pause button over, we’re back on the move again with another journey of multiple stages, retracing our steps through tuk tuk, pod ferry and minibus back to Caticlan airport, where the woefully inadequate terminal building simply isn’t coping with the numbers of travellers. With our flight delayed and the passengers of later flights needing space in the terminal, their solution is to put us on a stationary bus – where we wait for an hour until the plane is ready.
From there on it’s pleasingly straightforward, a quick connection in Cebu on to a second flight which brings us to our next island, Palawan, on which our first base is the island’s capital, the cutely named Puerto Princesa.
Our accommodation with its peaceful gardens and thatched roof buildings is so appealing that we get drawn in to a couple of relaxing cocktails with homemade rum and then dinner in the gardens. In this hugely welcoming environment, we laze into basketwork garden chairs and let the balmy air of evening caress our skin as the crickets chirp and the geckos call out in search of a mate. Just as I’m thinking how lovely it all is, a mosquito whines straight into my left ear, as if to remind us that there’s always some kind of price to pay.
Sod off, mozzie, this is us time.
Too tempting
23 Comments
Terry Christopherson
Some of the best things are unplanned, so glad it all worked out.
Phil & Michaela
Yep….always take a quick look round that corner…
Heyjude
Boracay does look rather wonderful. Great sunset photos with the sails. Puerto Princesa doesn’t exactly look like it’s going to be hard work! You are living the dream.
Phil & Michaela
Easy to see why it’s a popular destination huh..
Christie
Oh, that beach looks to clean and neat, and the sunset so glorious. I’m glad that everything turned out well after all😊
Phil & Michaela
Some very special moments in our two days there, Christie. Romantic moonlit beach for starters.
Steven and Annie Berger
Those sunsets look amazing.
Steve
Phil & Michaela
Pretty special huh
restlessjo
Even in paradise there are mozzies? Shocking! Boracay looks blissful though. Expensive?
Phil & Michaela
No, definitely not. A little above the rest of the country but you’re starting from such a low base that everything is still very cheap compared to home. And most other countries come to that. The only expensive item really is imported wine. Here’s a good example….both needed a haircut, found a unisex barber and both had a cut….total cost for both of us £4.25. 😂
ehacarr
Am trying to smile – I am on my own and live virtually ‘in the country’ and currently wear my hair modern and longish and straight (not much work 🙂 ! . . . I’m regarded as ‘fortunate’ ’cause the local gal charges 4x as much for just me, me, me 🙁 !
Phil & Michaela
😂😂
ehacarr
Am closing my eyes and pretending I am on a Boracay beach and it is darkening . . . oh, have a glass in my hand with something plus rum in it > nice 🙂 !
Phil & Michaela
A very decent location, Eha….romantic under the moonlight too.
WanderingCanadians
Stunning sunset shots. Those pesky mosquitoes. That’s one thing about the summer that I’m not looking forward to.
Phil & Michaela
Boracay is very cool, liked it a lot!
MrsWayfarer
Boracay is a gem, a bit hard to get to if not coming from the airport, but definitely worth the journey.
Phil & Michaela
Definitely!
Monkey's Tale
Boracay sounds perfect. I think youve sold me on it. The sunsets alone are worth a stop. Maggie
Phil & Michaela
After Boracay it’s Palawan, and people are telling us we’ve saved the best till last. We’ll see!
Lynette d'Arty-Cross
Your photos of that beach look like they could be in a holiday brochure! It definitely is beautiful, especially the sunsets. I’m what way is it more commercial than touristy? Is it a crossroads for business or is there a lot of business travel to that area? And mozzies! They inhabit every corner, it seems. I have even seen them in the far north well above the Arctic Circle.
Phil & Michaela
Thank you Lynette. Not sure really…commercial was the word that others used, but I guess they’re trying to say that tourism is virtually the whole economy, and therefore prices are just a little higher than the rest of the country.
Lookoom
Stunning photos of the palm trees and, of course, the sunset. A beautiful place that deserves the effort of enduring its commercial side.