life's a B e A c H! (the "next week" i said in my previous post, turned out to be "next month". hehehe. i've been swamped with work! but here goes...)


- Oct 29 -



i was jumping with joy when i saw this sign. marlette and i almost didn't make it to the airport. our flight was 3PM; we checked in at 2:55. hehehe. even in one of our greatest adventures, talamak pa rin talaga ang pagiging late namin. i think we were the only people who actually smiled when we found out that our flight will be 1 hour delayed. hahaha.

that night, we had the most relaxing dinner by the beach. we kept ooohhing and aahhhinng at the serenity of it all (there were still quite a few people in boracay that night). everything was so vivid - the ambiance, the palm trees, the lights, the people...it felt like we were watching ourselves from somewhere above. it was almost surreal. sigh.


after dinner, we met the gang. that's me, marlette, hanzel the manager, jun the diver, cha bebang the ultimate character (hehe), ernie the director and of course, eddie, the one taking the photo. our combination was such an animated group. we couldn't stop making fun and laughing at cha bebang's antics. when this picture was taken, i just knew i was going to have a blast in boracay with these people (most of which i've only met there).

we're lucky that we were with nyoy and the mannos' entourage (hanzel, their manager is marlette's and eddie's friend). it gave us privileges such as reserved seats at pier 1 on all the nights they have gigs there (which is 3 out of the 4 nights we were in boracay) and free drinks! how cool is that? :)



one of the best things i loved about boracay was the sand art the kids create at night! there were just too many and it made the walk (though not that far) from our resort, to pier 1, all the more amusing. i was as giddy as a kid while poring over these really cool sand arts!




we got our first taste of the infamous bangenge that night at pier 1. hanzel said this drink is a mix of 16 different kinds of alcohol. i could just see the glint in his eyes as he happily instructed Randy, the bartender, to make an extra strong set for us. hahaha. and look what bangenge did to us! it really did live up to it's name because you definitely won't go home sober. tsk. tsk.


eddie led our intoxicated little group and laughed as marlette and i walked/crawled home at 2AM. when we woke up at noon the following day, we couldn't believe we slept so well despite the amount of sand we brought with us to bed. hehehe.


- Oct 30 -

this day, we realized our biggest problem throughout our stay: where to eat?. we took eddie's advice and walked towards station 2 to look for cheaper restos. we must have walked for 30-40 mins (barefoot at that) looking for a resto, and didn't feel the least bit tired. we found ourselves feasting on yet another grilled meal. after stuffing ourselves, we set off to haggle with the boatmen to take us snorkling. we got a boat originally priced at P1200, for P700. it was still a bit pricey considering it was just marlette and me (the rest of the gang couldn't wait for us to wake up and went on to go diving), but we were quite proud of ourselves. marlette's charm closed the deal. i just know. hehehe. off we went to crocodile island to snorkel and we passed by this man, literally hanging out at the sea. sabi nga ni marlette, "kanya kanyang tambayan lang yan. walang pakialaman. hahahaha. he was kind enough though to smile for the camera. see? hehehe.




and because the waves were too big, we couldn't take more pictures for fear that the camera would get wet. but here are the happy and (about to get) dizzy snorkelers. that's me and marlette. i was kinda disappointed though that the corals weren't as colorful and alive as those in galera. we only saw about 3 colors under the sea - predominantly brownish-green, a touch of blue here and there, and a tinge of orange if you look real close. that, plus the big waves kept pushing us into the shore, that each time we go to the surface, we have to exhaust ourselves swimming back closer to the boat. i got to see coral and marlin and little nemo hanging out next to an anemone though. hehehe. it was my first time to see a clown fish! i was so happy! when we got back to the boat, we were so dizzy that we decided not go to puka beach anymore (which we so regret when we got back to manila). :(



on our way back to the resort, we passed by one of the many henna tattoo stalls scattered in the island. and on impulse, marlette and i decided we'd each get a tattoo. we haggled (expertly), and got 2 tattoos for the price of one. hehe. i knew my dad would hate it, but it grew on me. too bad, it washed off after 2 weeks. hehehe.


that night, was the all white party. lookie who's the odd one out. hehe. kasi naman eddie got confused and told us it's luau party that night. we were already all dressed up when he called and said all white party pala. marlette was too tamad to change and so she ended up going to pier 1 with that cute knitted tube top. hehe.


it rained that night, but it turned out to be very humid. lookie here who decided to take off her top. hehehehe. though admittedly, this turned out to be our best night. we danced the night away til 2AM. by that time we were drenched with sweat that marlette and i decided to change into our swimsuits and hang out by the beach. we went moon bathing, talked about or lost loves, saw a shooting star, and took a chilling dip at the beach around 4AM. hehehehe. i caught colds and woke up in the morning with my nose dripping like a faucet and sneezing non-stop. hehe. but it's ok. it's just amazing what good company and good conversation can do to while the hours away in the place you love most (that is, the beach). hehe. look closely because this is the only picture with eddie wearing a shirt. he took his word (and his diet) seriously and actually went topless (almost )the whole time we were there.


- Oct 31 -
it was on this day that i discovered the beach activity that i would enjoy more than the banana boat -- the paraw or regatta as others would call it. for 300 bucks, we rode around the beach and into the sunset. it was the best ride ever! it was a rather ummm...windy and sometimes bumpy ride and so we didn't get to take much pictures. i would have loved to have my picture taken while i was lying down on the net. teehee.


after the paraw ride, we hung out by the beach and (as you can see, hehe) took pictures. we actually have a picture with borgy manotoc (gawd, his body is soooo yummy! hahaha), but it turned out blurry. :( but eddie's body is just as yummy - he will do. hahaha.



that night was the luau night, and it was the shortest night ever because we got too bangenge waaayyy before nyoy and the mannos' set was over. daym. good thing we took these really cute pictures before we laid our hands on the cosmopolitan drink and the extra strong bangenge. hehehe. i sooo love these shots of the three of us!




- Nov 1 -

marlette and i started out early this day - early as in before noon. hehehe. we had three agendas this day - to shop, get a massage, and try out anton's rhum slush. hehe. we almost did walk that 4km stretch looking for little trinkets we can bring home to our friends. as we headed back to our cottage 3 hours later, we were giddy with excitement over our purchases, our bags filled and heavy with really kikay stuff and our pockets considerably lighter. but we did manage to get everyone a little something. and my mom loved the matching pearl necklace/bracelet i bought her as well as the rosary made from puka shells shaped into a rose. we dropped off our stuff at the cottage, headed towards the beach and got the best full body massage for 250 bucks. it was absolutely the best way to relax our tired muscles after the looonnggg walk we took. i just wish i thought to bring some kind of an oil because i so hate the smell of coconut oil! imagine that scent clinging to your entire body for another couple of hours since you can't take a bath immediately after the massage. but the scent notwithstanding, it was the most soothing, calming and relaxing one hour of my life. hehe. as the lady gently kneaded the tensed muscles on my back, i almost purred as i watched the sun slowly set from the sky, turning it into streaks of blue, orange and purple. and then i suddenly realized with a jolt: where had all the sunsets gone?! that was our last night in boracay and it was the first sunset i ever watched! daym...


i ache to be massaged just by looking at these pictures...

after dinner, we walked to the more desserted part of station 1, looking for White House, where Anton's Rhum Slush - that is, iced tea slush (really, really soft ice i tell yah) with a splash of rhum - is sold. we kept asking the waiter for iced tea slush eh they call it rhum slush pala. hahaha. he asked if we got it from richard gutierrez because he ordered the same drink daw. i almost blurted out hell no. we tried telling him our friend invented that drink (because he was too acidic and couldn't take any more rhum cola) when he stayed in that resort, but he boasted that they were the only resort that sells such drink. ok. whatever. marlette and i sat back, relaxed, and relished the drink that would forever take away caramel mudslide's #1 spot in our hearts. hahaha. it was the best! i was kinda surprised though, because it was too...mild (i guess?) for anton's standards. hehehe. but knowing him, it would probably be rhum with a splash of iced tea for him, instead of the other way around. hahaha.

we walked back to our resort, feeling kinda sad and wistful and contented all at the same time. it was just so sad that it takes so much effort and money to go to boracay. we've been trying to hold off the day wishing we won't have to do the dreaded task too soon -- packing up our stuff. :( and until we save up enough money to go back there summer next year, i'll just hold on to this beautiful (and only) sunset i watched from boracay. gawd, it was such a pretty sight. sigh...