Last Days of Vacation

On Friday, still just the two of us, we set out to explore the island. From our hotel, the Sea Winds, we headed left, and after a few minutes’ walk, we climbed up onto the rock to go around it, since the beach ended abruptly. Part of the path has been paved to allow us to safely go around this rock.

We find ourselves on another beach, in a cove that’s practically private and unmaintained. This is where the Boracay Microhotel and a few other, even more luxurious hotels are located. On the small hill at the tip of the island, we see private homes, but we can’t get past them—what a shame… We decide to head inland instead. What a hassle—since we didn’t have a map, we asked for directions, and a very kind local worker guided us toward the “highway.” So we took the northwest road toward Puka Shell Beach, which lies across from Carabao Island. Magnificent… A beach with yellow sand that’s still untouched. Imagine: the jungle ends right at the beach… which has no hotels and just a single restaurant-bar and small kiosks selling necklaces, seashells, and other locally made goods. We cool off in the water, take a stroll, and discover quite a few nice spots. Tired and hungry, we take a tricycle back. In the evening, we stroll along the seawall and stop at a bar where we meet an American couple who come to Boracay every year to report on the island’s major festivals; They explained to us that Halloween and Christmas are the wildest parties on the island. After spending a good hour chatting with the bartender (Renaldo) and the American couple, We head back to Pito Huts, hoping to find our friends there. Laurent and Seb had stayed behind to relax at their place. The night before, they’d spent the whole night drinking at Olé, having a blast with the girls at the bar—all wearing masks… In the end, we went back there with them… and found out that at Summer Place (a disco-bar), there would be a huge Halloween party.

On Saturday, we wanted to head to the other side of the island, across from White Beach. On the way, we stopped to take pictures of Willy’s Rock, that pile of big rocks featured on every postcard of the island. The weather was beautiful and dry—well, at least it hadn’t rained for two days—which allowed us to see White Beach’s true color and feel its ultra-fine, soft sand… What a joy!
Once we arrived at D’Mall Plaza, a shopping street, we cut across the highway as close as possible to the large lake. Then we crossed the island toward Bulabog Beach—the kitesurfers’ beach—where, by the way, the wind was blowing so hard that we were bothered by the sand swirling around. In the meantime, we’d contacted our friends to ask them to come join us. We spent a few hours watching the kitesurfers until we got hungry.
Later, we headed back to eat on our beach and take a walk to enjoy our first and last sunset in Boracay. Pure bliss…

Sunday, our last day. Marlon and I contacted the boatman to arrange a few hours on a Buddy. The plan was to go exploring with a guide to discover an aviary and the hills of Boracay. Around 1 p.m., we set off by tricycle with the boatman toward the site where the Buddys and quads were located. As soon as we arrived, we were set up and headed out on a Buddy. Along the way, we discovered a dense forest and lush vegetation. We arrived at the aviary, where we found not only very colorful birds but also extraordinary plants, monkeys, very large bats, and the famous Tuco (a typical Philippine monitor lizard). Next, we headed toward the island’s highest peak, where a hotel is located. We found ourselves on the hotel’s rooftop, where we had a splendid view of all of Boracay. After a two-hour excursion, we returned for dinner.

That evening, the long-awaited big night: the Halloween party. It’s raining… and getting heavier and heavier. That doesn’t stop us—we dress up with whatever we have and head out to meet our friends at Olé. The American couple from the other day had recommended a bar to us, the Jungle Bar, where a rooster is hanging out on the counter. We decide to check it out and head toward the end of Station 3 (where we’d heard there was a mafia too…).

Despite the long walk we took, I have to admit we never found it—we walked all the way to the end of the beach, until we couldn’t go any further!!! Empty-handed, we headed back to Summer Place, where the vibe wasn’t the same as the night before and there was an entrance fee. We decided to take a tricycle with a monster for a driver and head to Guilly’s, the disco-bar… Along the way, we ran into monsters, headless people, wizards, and other Halloween characters, and we even stumbled upon a cemetery right on the beach… What a morbid atmosphere, hihihi, it was awesome… Once we arrived at the beach club, we settled in and the party began—even the tourists were in costume, mostly as the undead. We ran into Death, fairies, ogres, monsters, etc.—all set to great music and a fantastic DJ. The party went on until 2:30 a.m. for us, since we had to leave Boracay a few hours later.

5 a.m., up and about—we’re waiting for the minibus to take us back to the boat terminal; our flight to Kalibo is at 10:35 a.m. The trip back was very difficult. After an hour-long flight, we’re back in Manila, and by 2 p.m., we’re back in Laguna. Finally, some rest… But not for long—Marilyn told us that some of Modesta’s family would be arriving around midnight. But we were too exhausted to wait that long.
The next day, I personally got sick—it was to be expected; all month long, I’d been struggling with the temperature changes between the 30-degree heat outside and the air conditioning in the car or at the shopping centers… With a fever and a cold, I had to stay in bed… really bad luck… The others spent their day at the pool having fun with the kids until late in the evening.

On Wednesday, I was feeling much better, so I joined the others at the pool too. We’ve been lucky with the weather—it’s been sunny ever since we returned to Laguna, without a single drop of rain… So much so that even the kids got sunburned. On Wednesday evening, the family heads back to Modesta in the family Jeepney. It broke our hearts, because we’d grown attached to the kids, and we know we won’t see them again anytime soon. We stay with Meriem and her daughter Dream, Marilou, and Marilyn.

Thursday, our last day—we pack our bags; since our flight leaves at midnight, we make the most of our final day… We pack kilos of fruits and vegetables that I’ve come to love (calamansi, okra, long beans, kangkong, kamatis, mangga hilaw, soybeans, talong, sayote, goyabano… and pandesal (traditional breakfast bread). I’ll explain soon what these vegetables really are. We enjoy the last moments of sunshine by the pool until sunset. We take off at midnight, heading for Abu Dhabi, then Zaventem, where we fly through a thick layer of clouds and rain. Welcome to the land of the little people!!! Welcome to Brussels…