Haanism

1. Halo-Halo 

My mates ate twice here. For the 1st time, they ordered a grilled chicken (250 Peso) to try. They said it's delicious. For the 2nd time, they ordered the same, as well as a few pieces of fried chicken. I didn't try so I can't comment on its taste. It should be nice since it worth a revisit :) 

This is a local Filipino restaurant. We went there for dinner. After this meal, basically I could make a few conclusions about the food in Boracay/Philippines: 

(a) the portion is not too big 

(b) not spicy, but could be quite salty and sweet 

(c) their salad is not nice, too dry, without any sauce or mayonnaise 

(d) grilled meats or seafood are popular, sometimes too burnt/dark 

(e) the menus are not quite vegetarian-friendly

We were dropped here for lunch on our island-hopping day. As usual, I didn't try the seafood, but I think they don't taste especially nice too. For the grilled fish, it was grilled twice but still, it was not cooked enough. Finally we cancelled the order, since too much time was spent for that meal. 

This is not a new thing in Asia. Even so, we still tried out the one in Philippines. People carried them going around Stations 1-3. It's using dark sugar and added with "sagu". Each cup is 30 Peso. 

This is not something special to us too. However, it's still very much wanted on a hot day. While going for island hopping, we could get 3 for 100 Peso. At Station 3, we got it for 50 Peso each. 

This is my dinner on the last night in Boracay. I saw it from a roadside stall and bought two, thinking of my drunk roommate might want to try, then I'd give him one (I guess he did not have appetite to eat much), and I'd eat another one. If not enough, I'd eat noodle at the nearby Japanese restaurant. However, he chose to continue sleeping, so I had both, and they were filling enough for me. Very crispy, coated with a little sugar/honey, just 10 Peso each! 

Mango is the national food of Philippines (same for India and Pakisan). Read from book that the mango cheesacake from Cafe del Sol is nice, so we gave it a try prior to leaving Station 2 for the Kalibo airport. I've to admit that it's good. We bought a tiramisu from the shop too, but I've to say it's not good at all.  

I do not like green mangoes actually. I love the ripe ones in orange color. However, this is not too sour, but is of course, not as sweet as those in orange color. My mates said this is nice. They ate these with a little salt. 

Dried mangoes are one of the popular souvenirs from Boracay. A pack of 100g costs you 50 Peso. "7D" and "Cebu" two main brands. Another "Philippine" brand contains slightly less sugar and a little expensive (55 Peso for 100g). I bought several types for my mum to try. Based on her feedback, they are pretty sweet (okay, this is typical Filipino taste). I believe the best and healthiest is still the fresh mangoes without any processing :) 

Other dried fruits such as coconut, pineapple, banana etc are available too. 

It's only about 100m above sea level. It is high enough to offer you the panoramic view of the entire island. You could go there by riding ATV. We chose to go there by tricycle, paying an amount of 500 Peso per tricycle (fit 6 of us), for the period of 1 hour. Left White Beach at about 5pm. It takes only about 10 minutes to reach Mount Luho. Admission fee is 120 Peso per pax.

We expected to see pretty sunset from there, but left the place with disappointment. No worries, we were then rewarded with a colorful sunset at the White Beach!

This is the first destination of our 4-hour island hopping. This 1.3km long beach, located at a pimped-out tourist zone, is also known as Puka Beach. It's the next longest Boracay beach after White Beach. Its name is derived from tiny puka shells found on this beach. The sand in Puka Shell Beach is coarser, unlike the same fine white sand in White Beach.

It's not an island full of crocodiles. Just that the island looks like a crocodile. Went there for snorkelling. Fee is 20 Peso per person.

There are a lot of massage services available along the White Beach, ranging from indoor to outdoor. My mates went massaging almost every night. I went once only. Palassa Spa is the favourite place to go as it's the cheapest and the service is not worse than the more expensive ones. Full body massage (1 hour) for just 300 Peso (USD7 or RM22). And, it's indoor. 

I did not go scuba diving this round in Boracay, but my travel-mate went together with my scuba diving instructor group. That was the day for me to leave (they all left on the next day), so I didn't want to get myself wet. Most of the dive centers offer a fun dive with equipment for 1600 Peso (about RM120). If you bring your own diving gears, the price is 1250 Peso. Since they went in a big group (7 people), I'm not sure if they get a better discounted offer.

The price for Discover Scuba is 3000 Peso. Discover Scuba is for those who do not have a license but wish to experience scuba dive.

Going to the Philippines | Boracay Trip Expenses | What Have We Done in Boracay? | Accommodations in Boracay | Cliff Diving (I) | Cliff Diving (II) | Boracay & Around (I) | Boracay & Around (II) | Food Tasted in Boracay | Photo Album

First of all, low season to visit Boracay is from June to October. Peak season is November to May. Some people prefer low season because everything is cheaper, and the place is not so crowded. However, the sea or weather might not be in good condition.

Allow me to reuse the an image, where the place we visited are marked.

We spent the first 2 nights here. It's a good place if you want to take a break from the hustle and bustle along the White Beach. It takes about 10 to 20-minute walk from White Beach to Bulabog Beach.

Bulabog Beach (sometimes called "back beach") is separated from the White Beach (sometimes called "front beach") by a very narrow strip of land. You will pass local residences and some small accommodations. Bulabog Beach usually comes alive during the northeast monsoon season (November to March) of each year. From being a deserted beach, it becomes a windsurfers' and kiteboarders' heaven.

Bulabog offers a 2.5km white sand beach. Its sand is not as fine and powdery as those in White Beach. Bulabog also offers a quiet respite to those who prefer to be away from the crowd. The beach is lined with coconut trees. You can easily see locals going through their daily activities there - local childern playing and swimming, adults picking edible seashells for their evening meal etc.

White Beach is divided into three boat stations where passengers can be dropped off. These are:

• Station 1: the most expensive area but has the best beach
• Station 2: the most convenient and the busiest area, where D'Mall is located
• Station 3: the quietest and less-developed part of White Beach, still keeps the mellow airs of Boracay's past ambiance 

You get excellent conditions for swimming and snorkelling in shallow water at White Beach. There are countless water sports activities to choose from. However, algae bloom may occur in the warm sea between December and May. It's a good place to enjoy amazing sunset. Boracay is the first place I visit where it offers difference and extremely beautiful sunset views throughout the days of my stay there.

Only in Boracay you will find the longest stretch of powder-fine white sand beach in the world. Dig into it. Grab a handful and let the sand slip through your fingers. Savour the fineness of every granule. eel the sand under your bare feet. Take time to stroll down the 4km White Beach. The sand stays cool even when the sun overhead is shining bright.

This oddly-shaped volcanic formation topped by a statue of the Virgin Mary is the most recognizable attraction of Boracay. It's situated 100m offshore, in the shallow water near Boat Station 1.

Fridays

Going to the Philippines | Boracay Trip Expenses | What Have We Done in Boracay? | Accommodations in Boracay | Cliff Diving (I) | Cliff Diving (II) | Boracay & Around (I) | Boracay & Around (II) | Food Tasted in Boracay | Photo Album

There are a few diving platforms there. The heights of some are marked, whilst some are not marked. If we are not mistaken, they should be of 2m, 3m, 5m, 8m (marked) and 15m (marked). Since a lot of people were so excited to try cliff diving, we chose to go kayaking first.

First step is always the hardest. Even the courageous person like me who enjoy height-related activities had certain level of fear in mind. So I asked Mr Yaw to be the first among our group to dive. I asked him to stay down there and wait for me to jump, and please save me in case I need rescue. It's funny. When I knew lifeguards were down there to standby, I still tend to trust my friend more than the stranger lifeguard :)

I've to say my first dive did scare me to certain level. It's like when taking the "pirate ship" or roller coaster, you feel like your heart is coming out. So, after that, I always closed my eyes, and just waited for "landing" once we stepped out of the diving platform. Also, you need to pinch on your nose tightly so that when going into the water, your nose receives the least impact.

Before lunch, I only did 2 dives. During lunch, I looked at the video recorded and knew what could I further improve. I shall make myself (my body) "more straight" while going into the water. After lunch, I dived non-stop. After diving 3 times each for 2m and 3m platforms, I then proceeded to 5m platform.

I shared 3 videos above. First one is to prove that I don't bullshit here. I really did dive there! Second video is to show what I mean with "straight body". Dolphin Lee showed a very good example. Third video is to show the lifeguard will save you, if you really can't swim. Don't forget to give him a signal before you jump!

After two rounds of diving from 5m platform, I thereby proceeded to 8m platform. A lady called Alice was tempted to dive from 8m platform, but she was a little scared. She told me, "Please go first. You did very well in previous dives. Once I see you jump, I'd have the courage to jump too."

I was pretty high and excited with the numerous dives I did, so I didn't think much prior to stepping out of the 8m platform. To me, there should be not much difference. Just that longer time (few more seconds) will be taken to "land". However, I either over-estimated myself, or I under-estimated the harm that could be caused by water, or I "slightly thought too much" during the extra few seconds. Right after getting into the water, I felt severe pain at my butts, especially the left side. Something must has gone wrong during that dive. I was almost unable to swim. Luckily the lifeguard came to give me a hand. He still asked me to further try diving from 15m.

When I tried to climb up from the stairs, I found myself very sore. My legs even trembled while stepping up the staircase. I could imagine on the next day, there would be HUGE LARGE BIG bruises on my body (in fact that appeared on the same day). After that hurting 8m dive, I was unable to dive anymore.

We left Ariel's Point at about 4pm. Though I had to be very careful when sitting down and standing up, I was satisfied with the trip. I did a total of 9 dives, which are more than enough. Most of my mates only dived 2-3 times.

On the way back, Mr Yaw was pretty drunk. He talked so much which was very different from the normal him. Later on, he met with 2 Chinese girls from China, then he switched target to talk to them. Seeing him being so talkative and energetic, someone from Lee's group also said to me "you friend is very drunk". I answer him, YES.

In short, this is a very enjoyable trip. I'm not sure if we took the chance to release any unhappiness we had (due to the recent unfair and dirty election). However, enjoying the process is always the most important and valuable.

Will you be interested to cliff dive too?  

If you know my story, I did not like sea or beach in the past, and I did not know how to swim. Australia changed me, making me want to scuba dive. Due to that, I've to learn swimming. My scuba diving instructor (Dolphin Lee) said to me that he'd never teach me scuba diving before I know how to swim. He then taught me patiently, for both swimming and scuba diving. In 2008, I obtained the Open Water scuba diving license. Advanced Open Water license was then obtained in 2009. Anyway, I'm still not a good swimmer as I do not have very good stamina, and during normal days, I do not like going to swimming pool due to the smell of chlorine (though I know swimming is a very good exercise).

Back in March, when Mr Yaw and I travelled to Miri and Mulu together, he told me that he'd surely go Ariel's Point to do cliff diving. I didn't actually have a firm decision till he suggested us to go for that together when everyone was already in Boracay. Since the majority is willing to go together, there's no problem for me too. We went to Ariel's House (along Boracay's main White Beach near Station 1 between Club Paraw and the Obama Grill), then were directed to Boracay Beach Club to sign up one day prior to the trip. We paid 500 Peso per pax as deposit. The full fare is 1600 Peso (about RM120 or USD39) per pax.

On the next day, we gathered at Ariel's House by 11am, because the departure time is 11:30am. Completed some necessary documentations there and each of us received a tag.

While waiting, I spotted someone familiar. He's my scuba diving instructor! He told me he'd be in Boracay too, but we didn't actually plan to meet up. Without planning anything, we met there! They just arrived a day before (late last night). We boarded the same board going to Ariel's Point (there were a total of 2 boats, one big and one small). There were 6 people from his group, and there were 6 from my group too. 

I've not met with Dolphin Lee for few years, since our last scuba diving trip together to Sipadan Island in Dec 2010. 

The boat trip to Ariel's Point took about 30-40 minutes. The Ariel's Point package, which includes round-trip boat transfer, local appetizers, a BBQ lunch, merienda (afternoon snacks), unlimited select drinks (bottled water, select sodas, select juices, San Miguel Pale Pilsen, San Miguel Light, Red Horse, and dark rum), all entrance fees, and full use of Ariel's Point amenities (diving platforms, snorkeling gear, canoes, kayaks, and floating raft).