Boracay Island is the Philippines' largest tourist attraction and the "why is that?" question is quite evident once you arrive at the Caticlan airport. The see-through and turquoise waters beckon your name from the instant you set eyes upon them. Taking the ferry from the port to Boracay is an exciting 15 minutes of your life! The water on this White Beach is turquoise and see-through blue as well as you enter, and becomes a fierce dark blue as the sand descends and the depth increases. Paradise would be an understatement. The main path is littered with stores, bars, nightclubs, eateries, ATMs and even a mall (Off towards the town a bit)!! The island has secluded beaches as well, yet this is the most visited one! The best part? It is all within walking distance!
The nightlife in Boracay I thought to be dead the first two nights I was here. This is because I did not see anything much happening in the bars at 10/11pm. Simply put, I had went home too early. The following day I heard a story from our neighbors that there was a big disturbance because a drunken fellow had grabbed and then proceeded to grind upon my neighbors' sisters' rear end; I knew I needed to see Boracay's nightlife. In my own experience, I was the one whose rear was being groped (numerous times), and incessantly harassed by many girls - not to be fooled into thinking there was any interest whatsoever in my personality on their part. What were they after then?? My money. It is quite difficult to tell whether a girl here is just on vacation, having a good time or whether she is working. Some tell-tale signs can be if the girl is alone and/or dressed in overly revealing clothing. The nightlife blasts on until 3-4am at certain clubs and continues even later at others on the walk home...absurd (in a fabulous way of course!)
The beach days are fabulous and I have been working on planning out my flight ticket to South Korea from Taiwan! Next stop, Taipei, Taiwan!
Random Observations:
- The men (many of whom drive tricycles - their version of the tuk tuk) wear jerseys, sporting Spanish sounding names like "Rivera" or "Lopez".
- The people working in tourism here (pretty much all of them, except for the ones in poverty) are EXTREMELY service-oriented, kind and respectful! Your hear things such as "Hello, sir. Massage?" and "Hello Ma'am, kite surfing?" on a daily basis here.
- The Filipino accent sounds like when I hear a person from Mexico speaking English. This may be due to the fact that Tagalog (the language that unites the Philippines, just like Mandarin does for China) has some Spanish words, like "cuchara" (spoon), "tenedor" (fork), and "guapo" (handsome) ... the few I know.
- Filipinos speak the best English out of any of the Southeast Asian countries that I have visited in terms of percentage of the population that can communicate fluently.
- The Philippines has around 300 LANGUAGES! Can you believe that? Certain regions and even islands have their own languages!
- Their looks are quite unique to other countries that I have visited here in Asia. They are a delightful fusion of Asian and Spanish cultures due to their history!
- Many women wear bright pink lipstick which is a stark contrast to their dark skin tone, adding an exotic element to their look.
- These people make a "psst!" noise to get somebody's attention. I am used to hearing this from creepy men and women on the street who want my attention, however it was interesting to understand that they ALL do this to get ANYONE'S attention.
- The place where I am staying makes superb and less costly pizzas than most places (I think all) on the island!
- Filipino food is mainly meat-centered, eating almost every part of the animal. I have tried a bit but not so much my style...finding tofu around is not an easy task!
- There is a security guard or policemen within every 2-3 minutes of walking down the path. They have pistols, and I have heard that in Manila they carry heavier artillery. I wonder why this is necessary...the poverty may cause serious issues here. Either way this island is super safe, perhaps the safest in the country! Tourism is important here and they do not want to lose the business!!
The nightlife in Boracay I thought to be dead the first two nights I was here. This is because I did not see anything much happening in the bars at 10/11pm. Simply put, I had went home too early. The following day I heard a story from our neighbors that there was a big disturbance because a drunken fellow had grabbed and then proceeded to grind upon my neighbors' sisters' rear end; I knew I needed to see Boracay's nightlife. In my own experience, I was the one whose rear was being groped (numerous times), and incessantly harassed by many girls - not to be fooled into thinking there was any interest whatsoever in my personality on their part. What were they after then?? My money. It is quite difficult to tell whether a girl here is just on vacation, having a good time or whether she is working. Some tell-tale signs can be if the girl is alone and/or dressed in overly revealing clothing. The nightlife blasts on until 3-4am at certain clubs and continues even later at others on the walk home...absurd (in a fabulous way of course!)
The beach days are fabulous and I have been working on planning out my flight ticket to South Korea from Taiwan! Next stop, Taipei, Taiwan!
Random Observations:
- The men (many of whom drive tricycles - their version of the tuk tuk) wear jerseys, sporting Spanish sounding names like "Rivera" or "Lopez".
- The people working in tourism here (pretty much all of them, except for the ones in poverty) are EXTREMELY service-oriented, kind and respectful! Your hear things such as "Hello, sir. Massage?" and "Hello Ma'am, kite surfing?" on a daily basis here.
- The Filipino accent sounds like when I hear a person from Mexico speaking English. This may be due to the fact that Tagalog (the language that unites the Philippines, just like Mandarin does for China) has some Spanish words, like "cuchara" (spoon), "tenedor" (fork), and "guapo" (handsome) ... the few I know.
- Filipinos speak the best English out of any of the Southeast Asian countries that I have visited in terms of percentage of the population that can communicate fluently.
- The Philippines has around 300 LANGUAGES! Can you believe that? Certain regions and even islands have their own languages!
- Their looks are quite unique to other countries that I have visited here in Asia. They are a delightful fusion of Asian and Spanish cultures due to their history!
- Many women wear bright pink lipstick which is a stark contrast to their dark skin tone, adding an exotic element to their look.
- These people make a "psst!" noise to get somebody's attention. I am used to hearing this from creepy men and women on the street who want my attention, however it was interesting to understand that they ALL do this to get ANYONE'S attention.
- The place where I am staying makes superb and less costly pizzas than most places (I think all) on the island!
- Filipino food is mainly meat-centered, eating almost every part of the animal. I have tried a bit but not so much my style...finding tofu around is not an easy task!
- There is a security guard or policemen within every 2-3 minutes of walking down the path. They have pistols, and I have heard that in Manila they carry heavier artillery. I wonder why this is necessary...the poverty may cause serious issues here. Either way this island is super safe, perhaps the safest in the country! Tourism is important here and they do not want to lose the business!!
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