So, I've been MIA for the past few weeks, and I'm sure you all missed me. As I mentioned in my last post, I was on vacation in Asia for the past few weeks. I went to a small tropical island off the coast of the Philippines called Boracay. Getting there is def a journey because there are no direct flights, it was a 2 day journey for me. I flew from JFK to Hong Kong, then flew to Manila; spent a night in Manila (there is nothing to report about Manila, it's a poor, dirty city that's pride and joy is Manny Pacquiao and the Mall of Asia, which has the only IMAX in the country so that kind of gives you an idea of what kind of place it is. Def not a place to spend more than a night or two in). Then I flew into Caticlan, and took a small boat to the island of Boracay. Of course it was down pouring when I got there and, in fact, my flight from the day before was canceled due to the tropical storm. My first day wasn't very nice weather wise, but I wasn't going to let it ruin my day.
Boracay is rated one of, if not the top travel destination right now. Its famous beaches are consistently in the top 3 of every travel website or magazine. I can't really even put into words how beautiful this place is. I found myself staring out onto the beaches and mountains in disbelief as to how breathtakingly beautiful it was. Nature is truly amazing and I sometimes think that we as wasteful humans don't fully appreciate it as we should. Boracay is small island and the main tourist area is set up in three different areas, or stations, as they call it. Station 1 is the famous white beach, and tends to be the more expensive area of the island. It also has a restaurant called the Obama Grill named after our very own Barack Obama.
Station 2 has a lot of cute little restaurants and vendors and also has the D Mall, which has dozens of stores filled with trinkets. My favorite stores in the D mall were 'Nothing but H20' which has really cute bikini and beach wear. Most of the island is cheap, but this store was comparable to US prices. I bought so many really hot bikinis, all roughly about 70 dollars per suit. My other favorite store was Tesouros. This is the store I bought all the presents for my friends and family. They had gorgeous glazed bowls made from coconut shells and stunning oyster shell coasters.
Station 3 has a really nice beach that I preferred to the white beach because it wasn't crowded with tourists. My fav purchase on the trip were these gorgeous mikimoto pearl necklaces. Enormous natural pearls found right around the island. I loved them so much, I bought 4 pairs! Definitely a must buy if you go. Getting around the island is a little interesting, most hotels have shuttles and the only other way you can get around is a motor bike or a taxi which looks like a tricycle cart. Riding in one of these is an experience in itself.
One of my favorite days was taking a boat trip around the island and snorkeling. The fish will came right up to me! Well, I was feeding them crackers so thats probably why! I also went on this flying fish thing that was attached to the back of a speed boat. It flies thru the air and over the water and your literally flying at an 90 degree angle. I am shocked I didn't fall into the water. I was holding on for dear life. That day I also ziplined and went inside a giant bouncy ball called the Zorb and rolled down a hill. Now I know the Zorb sounds kind of silly, but I'm not kidding, it was actually scary! Your poorly fastened to straps inside a gigantic ball with someone else; I was sure one of us were going to detach from the straps and land on the other and knock one another out. But we made it down the hill in non Jack 'n Jill fashion, thank God.
Another place I loved on the island was Puka Beach. Famous for their Puka shells. The beach is quiet and a great place to layout. There's a few good places to eat there too. Going out in Boracay was definitely an interesting experience. I went to this bar called 'The Hobbit House' in the D mall, which only has people of smaller frames a.k.a little people working there. Everyone was so nice and there's also great live music. The other clubs and bars I went to were in Station 1. Cocomangas was the most memorable club for me. South Asian countries are infamously known for their Lady boys and at Cocomangas I met one with Cocomangas the size of my head. They played Shaggy there! Remember him? Haven't heard him in years!
I'm a huge foodie and will say the food in Boracay was great! Fresh seafood and mango juice were my favorites. The sad thing is they actually have a Starbucks in Boracay and I hate to admit I went there for my much needed iced coffee pick me up. My last night we went to the Shangri-La and ate up a storm. The Shangri-La is probably the most expensive resort on the island and is a perfect place if you're honeymooning. I stayed at a really nice place called the Tanawin, which is located on the highest peak of the island so the views were exquisite. I would suggest the Tanawin to anyone traveling to Boracay. My trip as a whole was really amazing. I've traveled to Hawaii and a number of other islands and I will say, Boracay was the most beautiful place I've ever seen. It is a place everyone should try to see once in their life.
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