Maestro de Campo Island (SIBALE)

Went to this paradise in 2014, 2016 and recently this year! I got the chance to have a quick tour around the island and see this amazing island up close and personal. 

I lost count how many beaches we went to but one thing I can say... it is indeed a home. A home I called a paradise.

Enjoy! :)

Sibale Island... a paradise I called home!

There are several posts about Philippines that I wrote but this entry is one of the best since I will talk about my mother’s birthplace… Sibale Island.

It was in 2010 that the whole family last visited the Philippines and most of us to see the grandparents. I visit manila like every year now for shopping than in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. Nevertheless, this trip was dedicated to my mother who has been more than 25 years not seeing her beloved birthplace, Sibale Island.

We were supposed to fly there in April but due to some inevitable events we had to reschedule it. My mom was worried too much if we were going in May, the tide and the weather is not favourable as it coincides with the rainy month “Habagat” in the Philippines. I try to be positive all the time and keep checking the weather forecast every day. There is no weather forecast for Sibale Island but I can get the nearest weather information from Pinamalayan station. Most of the time it shows sunny and clear weather for the whole week. Bless!

We were very busy packing stuff and foods before going there. A member of the family is a Muslim and very particular with the food. I don’t eat pig too. Phew! You have to believe it. My cousin, Jamie, did give some insight about the island and after looking at her pictures, I told my family they should be mentally and physically prepare. LOL.

14/05/2014

Before departure

We arrived at the airport 2 hours before our departure time at 12pm. My mother felt a bit dizzy, as she didn’t take any food that morning. We are very worry about her health especially after the incident in April when she was treated in hospital for an irregular heartbeat. We departed from the Brunei International airport 10 minutes before 12pm and the whole journey was smooth. We landed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport at 2:10pm.

Aunty Remy and RB welcomed us at the arrival gate. She introduced the driver, Onad, who we already booked in advance for transport from airport to Pinamalayan, which cost PHP9000 one-way.

We went from the airport at 3:30pm to Batangas Pier and had a short quick break at Jollibee. I don’t know the name of the place but it is in the middle of the highway to Batangas Pier. My brother and I ordered 10 set meals that come with burger, fries and coke. The situation inside the restaurant was busy at that time and we had to wait for 12 minutes for our burger to be ready. When the lady handed us our food I didn’t check it thoroughly as we were racing against time. Half way when we were already on the road and they eat fries, I realized I made a mistake…. ALL THE 10 BURGERS NOT THERE! Pff! Keep calm and just eat.

Awesome sunset at Batangas Pier

We reached Batangas Pier at 6:30pm. We were the last car accepted to go inside the Roll-on/Roll-off (RORO) ship. How lucky! We went up to the upper deck and wandering the place. There were a lot of people and I didn’t manage to find a place to sit. I went to the top most area and the view is pleasant to see at night. Full moon and lots of stars in the sky! The sea amazingly very calm and I enjoyed myself listening to my Sony Walkman.

RORO boat

Night view from the top deck

It took us 2 hours to reach Calapan port. I could see our driver looked very tired and he stopped for a while to take coffee. It usually takes 1.5 hours by car to reach Pinamalayan but our driver took a few stops. We had our late dinner by the roadside and ate the traditional food. I really like the ginger tea.

I didn’t book any place to stay at Pinamalayan and the driver offered his house for us to stay overnight. Everyone was physically exhausted and some of them sleep soon after landing on the couch.

15/05/2014

Pinamalayan Town

The family already woke up early at 6am and I didn’t have a good sleep. My father and the brother went to the town to buy things to bring to Sibale. I followed them soon afterward because I don’t like to miss to explore the place. The town is small but you can find most of things like clothes, jeans, groceries, electronics and etc.

We went to Pinamalayan port at 9:30am and apparently there is only ONE boat going back and forth to Sibale. It costs PHP150 per person for one-way. The boat only goes at 11am and I’m not sure if that is fixed or what. I was waiting outside and I could see all the seats have been taken and they still keep accepting people and goods.

It was almost 11am when I went inside and there was no seat for me. Yikes! Then, one of the boatmen gave a small piece of wood for us to sit. Wohoo! In my mind… okay this will be an interesting journey! The boat was fully loaded. I can tell safety is the least they look into. There is no life jacket. There is no maximum number of people. I buried all those negativities and enjoy the boat ride. Fortunately that day it was sunny, clear sky and calm sea for the whole journey.

Calm sea and nice weather

One of the best things I saw was flying fish. At first I thought it was a bird but then I imagined it was far from any nearest land, so I waited for another magical flying fish. I was lucky to see another one and it flew very far this time. AMAZING!

We reached Port of Concepcion at 1:30pm. My uncles and relatives were there and helping with our stuffs, they tied it on the motorcycles. Yes. The only mode of transportation on the whole island. The road is small and narrow especially at every corner around the hills. No two motorcycles can pass at any one time, so one has to take turns.

Safely arrived at Port of Concepcion

My brother and I were the first one to reach the grandparent house. My grandmother was crying upon seeing us. I cried inside but still maintain to look cool. Haha! Then one by one our family members came. Each time my grandmother sees us, she cried. It has been 4 years since the last time we see each other. I don’t have any grandparents here in Brunei and to see them both healthy put smile on my face. Glad to see them again.

My mom, uncle and awesome grandparents

They already prepared lunch for us and we had it on together at 3pm. I like the avocados and mangoes. Freshly hand picked. After lunch, we went to one of the top hills in Sibale. It is one of the must-see when you are here. There are a lot of coconut trees. It’s like everywhere.

This is the ROAD! wow!

The small hut (shop)

From there, we visited Lola Saling, we stayed there for a while and see the surrounding. The place is quiet and peaceful. Most of the houses made of bamboo and leaves. The shop is small and they sell limited items.

They told us that the electricity only available at limited time like 4-5 hours only and only available at night. When there’s electricity, we quickly charge our power banks and mobile phones. Luckily for us that night, the electricity was available until 12am since there was a festival at other area around the island.

Our bedroom! <3

My eldest uncle brought his karaoke box outside and everyone start dancing. Happy hour for everyone! My grandmother was very energetic that night and dancing all night long. My grandfather gave a speech and touched everyone’s heart. My brother, Dicky, was drunk and we forced him to sleep early because he started to pick a fight with anyone. LOL. At one point, I want to punch him in the face so that he could shut up but it didn’t happen. He slept soon after that.

16/05/2014

The sun rises very early there. I looked at my time and it was 5:30am but the dark sky slowly turned to bright. Great. I hadn’t slept very well but I’m grateful I’m still healthy and energetic.

We had a quick breakfast and today is the only full day we have to explore the place. I wanted to explore as much as I can especially see the beautiful beach that this island has to offer. Uncle Winhart brought us around the island by foot. We reached a place that is awesome cool to look at. You can see the view of the bay and boats coming in/out. The sea is very calm and when the sky is clear, you can see the sky reflection on the surface of the sea, just like a mirror. Magnificent!

View of the bay

We went home for lunch and got to see how they prepared it. They don’t use gas or stove. The preparation is very basic… using rocks and woods. They don’t use many spices in food. Everything is basic. It really opened my eyes to see how people living their life here. Even they don’t have Internet, limited electricity/water supply, cars, decent jobs and etc, they still smile and happy. I feel really blessed to see them and at the same time to tell myself not to take things for granted.

At 2pm, we went out to the beach. There were 5 of us and it took a while to look for available boat that can bring us to “One Dive”. This is a place where they usually do diving and snorkelling. It took approximately 15minutes to reach the beach. When we arrived, there was literally no one at the beach. I was smiling and took some pictures. The sand is white, lots of corals and clear blue water. This is a paradise beach! my siblings and cousins went swimming and stroll along the beach.

I went to the other side of the beach and told myself… this is better than Boracay! Boracay is heavily populated with tourists but I will still go there since it is well maintained and many water activities. My heart melts every time I see the pictures I took with my phone. Awesomely beautiful.

At 3:40pm, we moved to another beach. The small boat sailed steadily on the open water and there were few times that we got hit by the waves. I was putting their life in danger as we didn’t have life jackets and it was my idea to explore beaches but I know they know how to swim. We didn’t manage to go to the other beach as there are too many corals and the boatman didn’t want to go either. The water is very shallow. Low tide. So we went back to home.

It was still early when we reached home. I said to them let’s go to the beach near to our place. My little cousin, Raisa, leads the way. She said it would take 30 minutes to reach the place. I don’t mind how far the beach is because I really like to walk. The journey is all going downhill. That is not a problem….  The problem is when going uphill. Crazy. The path is rocky and uneven.

We reach the place just after 5pm. The first thing I realize about the place is the beach is full of dead corals. It reminds me of Puka Beach in Boracay. Many boats are out and go for fishing and even several kids playing in a small boat and happily singing “Let it go” song. Hahahaha! Priceless!

At 5:30pm we went home and this is the challenging part. Hiking all the way to the top! Raysa said it will only take us 2 minutes to reach our home…. She lieddddddddd! It took us a good 20 minutes! HAHAHAHAHA! My sister and brother already mad at me for this. HAHAHAHAHAHA

That night we had a big celebration. Many people came especially families and friends from around the island. I saw 2 securities guys with their M16 on their side and I thought we did something wrong but before I jump into conclusion, they said they came with the mayor. I met him and talked with his assistant for a while. Glad to know them.

Mayor sitting on the left and his assistants

My mom and her siblings

We sleep early that night; we need to catch the boat early in the morning.

17/05/2014

woke up very early and time to say goodbye to my lovely family there. We reached to the port before 6am and my grandmother was there too. She wanted to see us one last time before we are boarding the boat. We love you all. The boat departed at 6:15am. Nice weather and calm sea. To cut the story short, we reached Manila at 4:30pm.

Awesome sunrise! bless!

Till we meet again!

Enjoy the boat ride! =)

It was one of the best trip I had with the family and surely this will not be last time. See y'all again in Sibale! :)


Credits: Dk Diana

My first solo trip..... BORACAY ISLAND!

Where is Boracay Island?
Boracay is an island of the Philippines located approximately 315 km (196 mi) south of Manila and 2 km off the northwest tip of Panay Island in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines. Boracay Island and its beaches have received awards numerous times. Boracay was awarded in the "Travelers' Choice 2011" by TripAdvisor as the second best beach (out of 25) in the world. Boracay made a debut appearance on the Top 10 Islands list in the Travel + Leisure travel magazine World's Best Awards 2011, ranking fourth. –Wikipedia

I never thought that I actually went there and see the place with my own eyes. I never plan to go there this year or think it as a place for my vacation. I haven’t take leaves after my last vacation in March at Bangkok & Pattaya, Thailand early this year. Every time I started to think of a good vacation, it’s always delays due to my works, projects and study. I can’t find a suitable time to take a vacation until I decided to booked December as my vacation month. Why December? It’s my December! (go listen to Linkin Park – My December) LOL! It was one of my wish list that I had planned early this year to have a good vacation on my silver jubilee day. Hahahahah! I missed to celebrate it for the past two years when I said to my friends that I wanted to celebrate it outside the country. *Demanding* so this year is a good year since it overlap with my silver jubilee year.

There were few places that I had in mind when I thought of having a vacation which include Phuket, Bali and Langkawi. But these places are too big for me coz I only want to spend few days and I don't think I have enough time to explore most of the places. Then, I ‘google’ and found ‘Boracay Island’. Geez! I remember when I looked at pictures taken at Boracay, my mind already decided to go there. I told my friends if they wanted to join me but sadly, no one… lol. They joined or not, I already decided to go there by myself. Haha.

So I did my homework to know more about the place such as; is it safe to go there alone (www.lonelyplanet.com   & www.tripadvisor.com), how to get there (www.myboracayguide.com), cheap nice hotel (www.agoda.com), places to see and activities. I did ask opinion from my cousin, Jamie, and my friend, Shasha, who had been there twice and it really helps! The only problem that I had was to convince my mom. She worried that I went there alone and I had to tell her bla bla bla and it didn't take long for her to grant my wish. Lol.

I compared the tickets between RBA and Cebu Pacific, it’s more or less the same but RBA using terminal 2 (you have to go to terminal 3 if you are using Cebu Pacific to go to Caticlan). I choose Cebu Pacific coz it saves time and less hassle. It was my first time too to fly with Cebu Pacific and I didn't put high expectation but amazingly the services and the aircraft is way better than AirAsia. Yes. I'm serious. I’m happy to fly with Cebu Pacific!

After I booked my ticket, I started to hunt for a nice hotel and which is near to the beach, mall and other places. It took me quite a long time to decide where to stay and I had 5 to 6 hotels to choose from. I called Sherman to help me with hotel booking before he went for his euro trip. I envy you! I choose Patio Pacific Hotel as it is between Station 1 and Station 2. Oh yeah… Boracay is divided by Station 1, Station 2, and Station 3. Station 1 and 2 is the best place to stay (mall, night life, water activities, restaurants are plenty), Station 3 is a bit far and quite. Then, I booked my hotel-airport transfer via www.myboracayguide.com which includes transport from airport via boat and bus. It includes all fees. Don’t worry! They take care of everything :)

KopiRoti Cafe

7th December - The flight departed from Brunei International Airport at 2:30AM and reached NAIA, Manila at 4:30AM. I waited few hours for my next flight to Caticlan (Boracay) at 8:45AM. I had ample time to have my breakfast at KopiRoti café and took a quick nap at departure hall. It was very convenience with Cebu Pacific since they printed all my boarding passes upon checked in at Brunei Airport and I just went straight to departure hall but they were very strict with hand carry and luggage. Before you go to departure hall, they asked you to stand on the weight machine and take note on your weight together with your hand carry. Phew! So strict!

Small aircraft to Boracay

The flight from Manila to Caticlan (Boracay) took only 1 hour. We were using a small aircraft that I think can only accommodate 60-70 people at one time. I don’t know if it was just me that felt the plane landed roughly until at one point I thought it was going to crash. LOL. Not funny!!! Or maybe it’s normal for them. Hmph!

Big signboard

After that, I went to the airport and write my name on a form for immigration purposes. I went out and as expected… I saw my name on a BIG SIGN BOARD. Welcome to BORACAY!!! Awesome! A transporter from “My Boracay Guide” guided me from the airport till I safely arrived at Patio Pacific Hotel. He introduced himself as Jeepol and we talked along the way. He gave me maps and My Boracay Guide book. He starred at me and asked if I know how to speak Tagalog. LOL. Sorry!!! I can’t =( but thanks for the complement saying I do look like a Pinoy. I can’t blame it coz I got it from my mom =)

Small boat that take you to Boracay Island

It was almost noon when I reached at the hotel lobby. I gave them my booking receipt and they served me with cold coconut shake while waiting for my room ready. Awesome! Again… the receptionists were fooled by my look and they talked in Tagalog with me. Hahahahaha. It was funny to see their face when I said I don't speak Tagalog and from Brunei.

Inside my room

I went to see my room and the first word coming from my mouth was “WOW!”. The room equipped with flat screen TV, a nice toilet, nice bed and couch. Wireless is free around the building but the signal is low inside my room. It didn’t bother me much. I had a quick shower and went around the hotel area. They have a nice swimming pool, gym and rock climbing. Nice. It is the best 3-Star hotel and they won several awards too.

Willy's Rock

I couldn’t wait to see the beach since the hotel is less than 5 minutes walk to the front beach. I brought my camera and took random pictures along the way. It was my awesome moment when I set my foot on that white sandy beach! My heart straight away filled with happiness and excited to walk on the beach. I took more pictures and walked towards Station 1. I could see a familiar rock from far and walked faster toward it. Willy’s rock!





I went around exploring and reached D’mall. This place offers a lot of eating places, shops, electronics and banks. It’s a one place for everything you want. They also have crepes café and Starbucks! Don’t compare these crepes with Harajuku Crepes but they still offer decent flavours. I walked in circle around D’mall area and I couldn’t tell which exit I should go. I was officially lost direction on my first day! Awesome! It took me almost 1 hour to find my way to the hotel. Yikes!

My first night I didn’t do much. Dinner. Walked along the beach. Took some pictures and witnessed some performances (live bands, fire dance) between Station 2 and Station 1. I slept early that night due to tiredness and sleep deprived.









8th December – How do you feel when you wake up on your b’day? Good? Awesome? Cool? Fabulous? Fantastic? Amazing? Yeah… I cannot describe how I felt that day. I just want to thank God for the good health and happiness! It was one of amazing moment I had in my entire life to reach my silver jubilee and fulfil my dream. I login to my FB account and every hour I received many b’day wishes posted on my wall. Thanks! =)

I had my breakfast at the hotel. I like their omelette! Amazingly, I ate all veggies that mixed with the omelette or I love the cheese part so much. The waitress/chef talked with me in Tagalog…. Hahaha! Got cha! You see… I really can blend :p

After my breakfast, I went strolling along the beach and thought of treating myself on this special day. I searched for some cheap activities. There are a lot of activities you can do here, mostly water activities. Kayaking, island hopping, scuba diving, jet skiing, parasailing to name a few. Many locals operating these activities will approach you with some brochures suggesting you with the best price for your choice of activities. They are really flexible and this is the best time to test your negotiation skill!

I came across with this tour guide, Joice, who was very kind and offered me to have ATV ride around the island to Puka Beach and go to the highest point (Ocean Tower) in Boracay. I was like… hmmm… not bad. For PH700, I got a 2 hours tour with ATV around the island. I said to him that I would be ready at 10am coz I need to get my camera left in the room.

Exactly at 10am, we leave the beach and use shuttle bus to their place where I could rent my choice of ATV. There was lots of Korean when I reached the place. Joice talked to the staff and introduced me to them. A moment later, someone was giving a short briefing about the place and what to expect during the tour. I didn’t pay attention to him coz I was busy with my camera and looking around the place. Lol. He walked towards me and introduced, Wing-Wing, who would guide me during the tour. Joice had to go back and instruct me to use shuttle bus to go back to my hotel after the tour. Okay man… Got it!

I choose a small ATV and Wing-Wing with his own bike. That was my 2nd time to ride on ATV and the longest time I rode on it so far. It is a good chance to look around the island on ATV as you can see the normal life of people living in Boracay. We passed several schools, hotels, shops along the way. It took us a good 15 minutes to reach Puka Beach. I read some information in the internet about Puka Beach and expected to see and experience it like other tourists before me. Well…. The information still stand true. White sand, azure water and quieter compare to the front beach near my hotel. The beach has so many small Puka shells scattered everywhere. I asked Wing-Wing if I could take some of big shells I found on the beach. He said yes. Wrong! I didn’t think he knows it that the authorities there protect the beach. Leave nothing but footprints!

 

Me looking at horizon

I took many pictures around the beach and strolled on the beach for about 20minutes. I bought a Puka shell as souvenir from a vendor near the beach. It is a good place to those who want to get a quiet and relaxing time, away from busy white sandy front beach.

Bulabog beach

Ahhh! Stair!

We then continue our ride to Ocean Tower. It was almost 11am when we reached there. Luckily the weather was nice to me. Sunny but cloudy. You need to climb the stair to reach the top. Once you reach at the top, the views are amazing! You can see the whole island from there. I could see Bulabog beach and front beach. I took several panorama pictures and wish I had a good DSLR camera. SIGH. I had a good 10minutes at the top to appreciate Boracay’s awesome views. Wing -Wing was very helpful to assist me to take my pictures.


Our last destination was at bird zoo which is situated near to Ocean Tower. The area is small and not many birds to see. I think this was just ‘extra’ in my tour package but I had a good experience to hold and expand the bat’s wing. Lol.

Hello, are you looking at me?

Wing-Wing with his friends

We went back to Wing-Wing ATV place and I gave him tips for his kindness during the tour. Even though I had some difficulty to talk with him in English and several communications breakdown but it didn’t bother me much as long as he understood what I talked, that was good enough for me. While waiting for the shuttle bus, I talked with this Italian lady who went there with her son since her husband busy with work. Luckily you have son. Too bad. Lol. But she migrated to Australia with the husband. Bla bla bla. We really had a good chat. I was bored and that was the least I could do to kill time. Lol.

We leave the place almost noon and the bus fully loaded. There was this old lady who sitting next to me and talked continuously ever since she stepped in the bus. She was a happy-go-lucky person. We talked and had a good laugh with her jokes. She also made fun of people in the bus. Crazy old lady but awesome! I said to her “Today is my birthday!”. She started to sing b’day song and everyone in the bus followed her. OMG! I was blushing like hell. We took pictures and she said “Gwapo”. HAHAHA. Geez! Sadly, I didn’t take pictures with them! :(

Joice (My tour guide)

I had my lunch at the hotel. Took a shower and lay on my bed thinking what to do in the afternoon. I received a message from Joice asking how the tour was. I said awesome and he offered me to go for reef walking that afternoon. I asked the price and the duration. He said PH600, 30 minutes, pictures and video included. Whoah! I didn’t think twice and I replied to him, I would ready by 2pm.

I met him and he guided me to the boat checkpoint. I had a chance to meet new friends from China (they said they live between China-Pakistan borders). I don’t remember 2 of their names… but I remember Asia, the hot lady. Funny name. Asia. Hahaha. Amazingly, the three of them are Muslim! I introduced myself and they didn’t know where Brunei is. Sigh. They were sponsored by their company to have an awesome vacation there. SERIOUSLY???? Okay… they went there in a group. A GROUP OF 60-70 PEOPLE. OMG!!! CRAZYYYYYYYYYY!!! So lucky!

Anyway, we were taken to a platform in the middle of the sea. A lady greeted us and she gave instructions how to communicate with divers using simple sign language coz communication is difficult underwater. Hahaha. I recommend you to listen carefully! She said the helmet weight is 25 kilos. OMG! I was like… that’s half of my weight! But as you go down underwater, the helmet’s weight decreasing and eventually weight just 1kg at 5meters underwater (according to her). Yes. We went 5meters underwater. As my foot landed on the seabed… I could feel the pressure in my ears. It’s the same pressure when you are inside the airplane during descend. It was my awesome moment to experience and see underwater world: feed the fishes, touched coral reefs and walked freely underwater. We instructed the divers to take pictures and video. Utter awesome!

Then we went up the platform, the lady gave a CD to me and a printed image of me on it. Cool. I really spent my day full of activities! That was a blast! Joice was happy to see us having fun and I discussed with him for my activities next morning. Island hopping!

At night, I had my dinner at Epic Café. A nice café with good music and drinks. Then, I strolled along the beach. I just couldn’t get enough of it. Having a henna tattoo is a must when you are here, so I had mine too. I can’t remember the price but it was pretty cheap! I had it just to look cool and awesome! :p

 After my henna tattoo session, I went to my room and waited for 1hour to make sure the henna dried and I could take shower. I felt so tired and called the receptionist to send a masseur to my room. A combined Swedish and Shiatsu massage is a must when you are here to refresh yourself. What an awesome b’day treat for myself! =)





9th December – I woke up late. I almost forgot that I had appointment with Joice for my Island Hopping activities. I quickly rush to the shower room, had my usual omelette and got ready before 9am. I put 1 extra t-shirt, camera, extended battery for my phone and wallet inside my newly Reebok bag that I bought in KL. I met Joice at the beach exactly at 9am and he said “today is a nice weather”. I couldn’t agree more.

The sea was a bit rough that morning. My first destination was at Crystal Cove Island. I don’t remember how much I pay for the entrance fee but it was cheap. No time limit. The place is amazing. Buildings structure look like it was built in medieval time. Ancient but incredible. The view is breathtakingly awesome if you stand at one of the building and see the clear blue sea. Joice told me the island has 2 underground caves. I went to the first cave and had to be extra careful and mind my step coz the stair was slippery. Then, we went to the second cave. The second cave is a bit challenging. You need to crawl or walk with your head bend a little to reach the end of the cave. You can swim there but the wave is rough. I’m not a good swimmer. I don’t go there to have trouble or risk my life. Lol.

 

 

 

Entrance to 2nd cave

You need to squat or crawl to reach the end of the cave

Do you want to swim here? :o

Crocodile island

Then we proceed to next destination, Crocodile Island. The island really looks like a crocodile precisely the head part. We stopped there for…. Snorkelling! Sandro (the boatman) gave me goggle and I took my sweet 20 minutes of snorkelling. I swam here and there. Sometimes I had to catch the boat coz I didn’t realize I was a bit far from it. They provided me with breads to feed fishes. I love fish! I love everything what I saw! Too bad I don’t have waterproof camera. Oh well! Another wish list?


We continue to sail the northern part of Boracay Island. The wave was getting rough. Joice said “this area is opened to the ocean”. No nearby island. Phew! There was several times we had to slow down coz the wave was hitting the boat high. I could feel the boat swaying left and right wildly. I kept myself calm coz the boatman looks so cool and smoking. Haih! At least I felt save with my safety jacket strap around me.

Small cave

Puka Beach

Shangri-La hotel

The arch

After we reached at the other side of Boracay Island, the sea was calm. You can see many sea formations such as stack, arch and small caves along the way. You also can see many hotels with their own private beach.  I could see Puka Beach from the distant and had my camera ready to take video. Our last destination was Shangri-la hotel. I took my chance to take pictures of the hotel and strolling on their private beach. I was stopped by the security there and asking if I was hotel’s guest or what. I said I just want to take pictures and walk along the beach. Lol.

It was noon when we were there. There is only one restaurant at the beach. I treat Joice and Sandro to have lunch with me. We had a good chat during lunch and again… this was not new to me “you look like a Pinoy”. I did try to converse with them with my knowledge of less than 100words of Tagalog language in my head. Hahahaha!

Manny Pacquiao's house

Then, we sailed again. One of best part of this island hopping is you have the chance to see Manny Pacquiao’s house! Seriously… he has the best house in the whole island! Pacquio, you are a lucky guy! *Jealous*

After 3 hours of island hopping…. I paid PH1500 to Joice. It was expensive coz I went alone but he said the price can be much lower if going in a group. I didn’t mind about the price as long as I had my good time and experience Boracay as much as I could. I thanked him for good hospitality and services. I would recommend him to everyone who is planning to go there. He can help you with activities and give you the best price. Trust me.

I went back to my room and had a quick shower. I rested for few hours. Planking. LOL. I wore as simple as I could coz I only wanted to walk around the place and my aim was to reach D’Talipapa. I looked at the map and I thought it would only take me 10-15minutes walk from my hotel. I confidently follow my steps and walked as if I already knew the place. Walked. Walked. Walked. I hadn’t reach there yet. I stopped a lady who was in front of me. I asked her where D’Talipapa is. She said I already missed it. Sigh. She gave me the direction and it’s supposed to be near to Radisson hotel. Sigh.

D’talipapa is a place for seafood lovers. Many stalls sell fresh seafood as well as shops selling beach wears and souvenirs. I bought 5 t-shirts for PH350. CHEAP!

At night, I had my usual dinner at Epic café. I wore my jacket that night coz it was windy and chilly. After my dinner, I walked along the beach and found a good spot for me to lie down. I buried my feet in the sand, open my jacket and lie down. What a wonderful night! I had all my time in the world to do whatever I want. Hahahaha. Then, I walked to Club Paraw. I must say… this is the best place to drink, eat and enjoy the music. Lots of white people are here. Move your body to the beat! I was there to enjoy the surrounding and music

10th December – OMG! OMG! OMG! This was my last day in Boracay. I woke up early and prepared all my things in beg. I had my last breakfast at the hotel. I said my name to the counter and they ticked my name. She talked Tagalog with me. LOL. I said “I can’t talk Tagalog”. Then, she replied “but you’re Filipino”. I said no. She showed my name in the list and it was clearly stated my nationality was “FILIPINO”. HAHAHAHAH! OMG!!! NO WONDER EVERYTIME I HAVE MY BREAKFAST THEY TALK WITH ME IN TAGALOG!!!!! Phew!!! It is that obvious that my face looks like Filipino? LOL. Anyway, thanks for the complements! =)

At 10am, I went to try Jonas’s Fruitshake. I tried their popular “Mango Banana” fruitshake. It was one of the best fruitshake I ever had! A must try! At noon, I had my lunch at Paradise Grill Restaurant and I ordered butter prawn. Everything taste so AWESOME!!!! 

My flight to manila was at 4pm from Caticlan (Boracay) Airport. A transporter from myboracayguide.com fetched me at 2:30pm. Everything went smoothly. I was afraid my flight cancelled or delayed coz most of Cebu Pacific flights were cancelled that day. Lucky me!

I reached Manila at 5:15pm and I contacted my cousin, Jamie, to see if she was free and available but she had an event in Tagaytay. Too bad. But she helped me to find my way to Resort World Manila to kill my time. I didn’t take the shuttle bus, I crossed the highway! Hahahaha! 

I reached Brunei almost 2am in the morning…… 11th December!

I've made it! wohoo!

My boracay trip in brief:

1) Ticket booked via www.cebupacific.com

2) Hotel booked via www.agoda.com (I stayed at Patio Pacific Hotel. Rating 5/5)

3) Hotel transfer via www.myboracayguide.com (I choose standard transfer. Rating 5/5)

4) If you are looking for a tour guide, look no further. Just contact Joice (+639104812928)

Some might think I am crazy to travel alone or it will be a boring and dull trip. Guess what? I proved them wrong and it was one of my dreams to travel at this awesome island. It was such an amazing experience for me. That’s what I called…. FREEDOM! =)

p/s: looking forward for another trip in 2012! =)