Photos: Arnel Rivera, Sonny Valenzuela, Danny Valenzuela, Dave Laurio and Eddie Flores


It was late December. The clear blue sea gently lapped the fine white sand on the beach. I swam comfortably in the balmy ocean water for a couple of hours, as colorful sailboats floated by occasionally. Beyond the swaying coconut palms lining the beach, the interior of the island seemed to be mostly jungle still. But there are more modern hotels now, as well as restaurants which serve cuisines of various countries. Boracay is more commercialized now than when I first visited it 10 years ago. However, the exotic tropical island retains its natural charm.




Boracay is a tiny island paradise off the coast of the larger Visayan island of Panay in central Philippines. We reached Boracay from Manila via four means of transportation. We flew from Manila to Kalibo, the capital of the province of Aklan on Panay, then boarded a bus from Kalibo to the coastal town of Caticlan. Along the way were bucolic sceneries of rice paddies, carabao (water buffalo) grazing, farmers planting rice, and small huts.

From Caticlan, we took a boat to reach Boracay. Then a jeepney ride brought us near our hotel from the small Boracay port. The original jeepneys were US military jeeps from World War II that the Filipinos ingeniously turned into the country’s present-day quintessential vehicles of public transport. From the jeepney stop, we could have taken a tricycle to drop us off at the lobby of our small hotel. The motorized tricycle is a 3-wheeled vehicle which, like the jeepney, is ubiquitously available in the Philippines, especially for short distance transportation. But we opted to travel the final distance to the hotel on foot, and after a short walk from the main road towards the beach, we reached our hotel.




Such a journey might have made one feel a bit like Robinson Crusoe reaching a remote secluded island. But on Boracay Island, that is a matter of choice. You could live like Robinson in some parts of the island if you chose to do so, or you could be a pampered guest in one of the newer upscale hotels. A charming blend of the exotic southeast Asian tropics with the vibrant beach life and amenities found in American or European resorts attracts visitors from all parts of the world to Boracay.



Over 350 years of Spanish rule and almost 50 years of American presence made the Philippines an interesting mix of 3 continents. This unique blend remains quite evident across the archipelago, in spite of the Philippines’ existence as an independent state since 1946. Filipino (Pilipino), which is based largely on Tagalog, is the country’s national language. English is the second official language. Street signs and advertisements may contain words in English, Filipino, Spanish, or the regional language. English, Spanish and Filipino songs are often played on the radio across the nation. The country is predominantly Roman Catholic. The mass we attended on the island of Boracay was conducted in Aklanon, the language of Aklan.

We stayed at Nikko’s, a small hotel where we could prepare our own meals; not a fancy hotel, but a convenient and comfortable one. We occupied the entire hotel except for a room that was taken by a couple of Dutch speaking Belgians. There were 27 of us relatives and friends. It amazed me that my brother Danny and his wife Cindy were able to organize the trip to Boracay for such a big group with only one minor glitch. Upon arriving at the airport in Manila, we found out that although it was possible to transport uncooked frozen meat from a foreign country to the Philippines, it was not allowed between islands within the country. Fortunately, Danny who was flying the next day, was not too far from the airport yet after dropping us off. He turned around to pick up the cooler of meat that we were supposed to bring for the trip. Danny was seen later at the airport hauling the cooler like a meat vendor. He had the meat cooked before bringing it with him the following day.


Cindy’s brother Arnel, his wife Ginny, and their sons Nick, Mark and Marty were in the Philippines too from Virginia. The Christmas lunch that Cindy’s mother and sisters served us a few days earlier was delightful. But I learned during this vacation that Arnel is arguably the best cook in the family. Besides, he is younger than Cindy, so as soon as we got to Boracay, Cindy promptly declared that Arnel would be the cook during our Boracay vacation. They would go shopping for seafood and vegetables to cook, and Arnel would prepare delicious meals. None of our 27-member tour group argued with Arnel’s rightful assignment. We were all just too happy to consume the sumptuous meals that he prepared after a long day of beach activities. It was hard to avoid gaining poundage in spite of all the activities. With us were Danny’s and Cindy’s granddaughter Kaye, their children Kitt and Jen, and Jen’s partner Dave. Also with us were Cindy’s mother, Cindy’s sisters Annie, Frieda, and Bettina, Annie’s son Dave, Frieda’s husband Rico, their children Jason and Giselle, my sisters Quiding and Chi, Quiding’s husband Eddie and their old time friends Rey and Perlie Borge, and my brother Jun and his wife Iou. We were literally a boatload.

Eddie and Quiding spoke in Dutch to the Belgian couple who were also staying at the fully-booked hotel, so they became friends and joined us for dinner. There were no strangers in the hotel while we were there. Even the hotel staff of four became good friends.

Each day was packed with activities. We rented a banka, a small Philippine boat with bamboo outriggers, to reach another part of the island for a picnic lunch. For a minimal fee, friendly island inhabitants with smiling faces were eager to cook the fresh fish and other food that we brought along for the picnic. We went snorkeling. People on the island seem to find all sorts of ways to make a living. While we were snorkeling, a young lad approached us on his small boat, peddling fresh coconuts for refreshment at sea.

The boys enjoyed the lively nightlife as well as numerous sports activities, including parasailing and riding ATV’s (All Terrain Vehicles). We rode a ‘banana boat’ full to its capacity. We stayed at the beach one late afternoon to watch the setting sun disappear slowly into the calm blue sea. It was an exquisite sight to behold and cap our last full day on Boracay.

Shopping for presents of costume jewelry made from sea shells and semi-precious stones proved to be irresistible during a beach walk. In the Philippines, it is customary to haggle with sidewalk vendors. Cindy is the expert and our mentor. Her threat to vendors that they would not get good business for the day unless we got a good price seemed to work.

Kalibo-Aklan

It also probably helped a bit that some of us understand and speak a little Aklanon. Our mother was born and raised in Aklan. As children, we listened to her speak to her brothers and sisters in Aklanon. Some of the vendors made mention of our cousin Vicky. When we revealed that our middle name is Ramos, Vicky’s name came up. Vicky has gotten into politics in Aklan. Her father Godofredo (Tay Goding), who was my mother’s older brother, was a congressman of Aklan. In Kalibo, we were honored to see at the plaza a prominent monument with Tay Goding’s bust above a plaque describing his achievements, which included founding the province of Aklan. Tay Goding was bestowed the honorary title of Father of Aklan. The Hall of Justice in Kalibo and the Caticlan Airport were named after him.


Happy with what we saw and experienced, we whiled away the hours with a card game of Pusoy as we waited for our flight at the Kalibo airport to return to Manila to celebrate the New Year in Ayala-Alabang where Danny and Cindy live.

New Year Celebration and Family Reunions


The smoke was thick, the noise deafening, and the sky flashing with striking colors. The Philippine tradition of welcoming the New Year with fireworks and firecrackers is very much alive. Danny and Kitt lit firecrackers as Kaye waved the brilliant lusis (sparklers), and Schublig, their dachshund, barked incessantly at the exploding firecrackers. Lunch on New Year’s day consisted of mouth-watering international dishes that Arnel prepared from lamb that Frieda and Rico imported from Australia, turkey that Chi brought from America, cheese that came with Eddie and Quiding from the Netherlands, and beef that Arnel and Ginny flew in from America.

Watch for our next Update: MNTravelogue
Philippine Vacation – Candon - Vigan – Pagudpod – Manaoag
January 2 – 6, 2009

 

 

 

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