Boracay - Where the sea meets the sky

I am not that type of person who usually place island trip in the travel list, nor do I enjoy salty air or deep blue sea a lot. So, how do I end up going to Boracay this time? Basically, I would say is mainly due to the "fame" of Boracay. Yes! The fame. Boracay is always being crowned as one of the top islands in the world for consecutive years which really makes me wonder how good it really is. Another plus point is that the expenses going to Boracay is affordable as well. Hence, here it goes!

There are two airports serving Boracay island (Caticlan airport and Kalibo international airport). Getting from Caticlan airport to Boracay is much nearer (15 minutes by boat) whereas around 2 hours are needed to go to Boracay from Kalibo airport (1.5 hours by van/bus to jetty then 15minutes by boat to Boracay). However, Caticlan airport's capacity is very small which just allows small planes and the airfare to Caticlan airport is more expensive. Hence, most of the people landed on Kalibo airport, so do we as that's the only option for AirAsia.

Despite long hours commute, as soon as I set my eyes on the Boracay beach, my mind flew away with the waves gently crawling towards the ocean. The colour of the sea was between turquoise and tiffany blue which presents a beautiful gradient of colours. Listening to the murmuring of the waves while enjoying the sun toasting our skin cleared my mind from all the hustle bustle of my mundane city life. I guess this is the best thing Boracay can offer and it is free. :)

The biggest difference between Boracay and Bali which I visited last year is Boracay still retains much of its originality even though being the hot spot of tourists during summer. Their designs of infrastructure were still quite suburb and you would not find any so called "beachfront" restaurants/pubs at night as there were wind barriers all along the beaches. Overall, Boracay is considered a more relax and soothing place for people who seek for separation from the bustling city.  

Wind barriers

The highlight of Boracay is definitely Ariel's Point where the main activities there are EAT, DRINK and JUMP! With 5 different platforms/diving boards ranging from 1m to 15m (1m, 3m, 5m, 8m and 15m), you can get the adrenaline rush by doing cliff diving in Ariel's Point! If you love thrill-seeking activities, this is something you should never miss in Boracay. There are other places in Boracay that can do cliff diving, but what makes Ariel's Point out-stands other places is by just paying 2500p, you can enjoy buffet lunch and unlimited beers as well! You will be brought to Ariel's Point by a party boat (around 30 mins) in the morning where the staff will graciously pump you with rum, alcoholic drinks and etc. The whole boat will also be bombarded with club music to hype yourself up before reaching the Ariel's Point. Perhaps you want to get yourself slightly intoxicated before the jump! 

Picture on Party Boat

I was just able to do the 5m jump that day. Love to try heart-pounding activities but it's indeed hard for me to "initiate" the jump. Perhaps if I can be pushed I could do it better~ *Finger crossed* Anyway, kudos to my friends who were able to do the 15m cliff diving that day! Seeing my friends taking the plunge can be pretty exciting as well :).

An interesting scene in Ariel's Point~

View from Ariel's Point

Besides cliff diving, other leisure activities could be enjoyed as well such as snorkeling, paddleboarding and kayaking. This was my very first attempt in paddleboarding which was quite fun that I could enjoy the view in another perspective while testing my physical strength and balancing skills!

Kayaking

Snorkeling

Paddleboarding - Trying to balance myself on board!

Crystal Cove Island is another place that I would recommend too which was a one day tour activity in an island (around 20 mins away from the mainland of Boracay). The main attractions in the island are the 2 coves (Crystal Cove 1 and 2) which were good spots for snorkeling! 

However, do bear in mind that it would be a bit difficult to enter the cove as the tiny area was quite crowded and your feet might hurt while walking towards the water due to sharp stones. But, be patient.... It is going to be worthwhile :). Besides that, it was slightly  dangerous as the current in the cove was very strong. Make sure you are well equipped with safety jacket and goggles before getting near the water to avoid slipping or falling. 

The most inconvenient part of getting into the water

Ready for snorkeling!

Breathtaking view in Crystal Cove

I just managed to visit Cove 1 due to time constraint as Crystal Cove visitation was always tied with island hopping where we only managed to stay in Crystal Cove for an hour (it was way not enough..). Hence, I personally recommend to solely visit Crystal Cove instead of joining the island hopping package as I do think Crystal Cove was actually the highlight of the package. 

Sunset sailing is another interesting experience in Boracay. If I am asked to describe it in brief, I would say "short and sweet". Indeed, the entire experience was just around 20min, but I believe my friends and I would choose this as one of the favourite activities. I thought we would just see the sunset on an usual sailboat. Instead, we got to sit on the "wing" of the sailboat which was specially designed and the seat was net knitted that allow us to have a much closer contact with the sea while indulging in the beautiful sunset view. 

The "wing" of sailboat as I mentioned

Net knitted seats

If you enjoy nature tripping, Hacienda Maria is a place which you may want to include in your list. Hacienda Maria is a newly discovered eco-tourism destination in Buruanga. Unlike other activities which were normally crowded, you could enjoy a laidback experience while visiting this pure beauty of nature. We firstly visited 2 coves for stalactite and stalagmite deposits. I personally thought that the stalagmite deposits there were just ordinary. If you visited those nice stalagmite deposits before such as in huanglong cave (zhangjiajie, China) that I visited last time, you may find this cove visitation just average. 

However, the waterfall in Hacienda Maria was another highlight of the visitation! Despite simple activities like how to jump/slide from the waterfall, we had so much fun with the locals who showed their skills in jumping from the waterfall!

Rare experience for being surrounded by lush forests :)

Ready for waterfall!

"Twin jump" by our friends !(sorry for the blurry video)

Applause for the locals!

Hot Pot Jacuzzi was my favourite where we were able to relax in a big metal pot with warm water mixed with local limes and herbal leaves. It was a nice idea to sooth myself with the Jacuzzi after a long day of walking. You may ask, how was the water heated in the forest? Oh, it was by directly heated by burning firewood!

Fire burningwood! 

Not forgetting the toothsome lunch prepared by the locals and the free taste of traditional coconut wine (Tuba) that made our tour even better.  

Replete with traditional dishes

Coconut wine (Tuba)

As a side note, the commute to Hacienda Maria was truly challenging as we had to go through rocky and uneven roads for 2 hours as if we are on a roller-coaster ride!

Last but not least, we did helmet diving and zipline on the penultimate day. Helmet diving was basically a ten minutes dive with an oxygen pumped helmet which allowed us to enjoy the underwater world with colourful fishes and coral reefs. 

Smile!

Finding Nemo

Do you want to fly like a superman? If yes, zipline is something that may intrigue you as well. During zipline, we were harnessed and rocketed down at high speed. And of course, don't forget to open your eyes and enjoy the view of Boracay Island from the top!

During the last night, we joined Boracay Pubcrawl, a bar-hopping event. By paying 990p, we were brought to 5 different bars with 10 free shooters, discounts on drinks, welcome gifts like pubcrawl shirt and wristband. This is the place to experience Boracay's nightlife and know people from around the world. The facilitators were really cool and hyped the atmosphere. However, we personally didn't drink a lot as we found the drinks expensive that we rather get the beers from the mart which were damn cheap. However, if you're that type who don't skimp on alcohols, you might be able to enjoy more by indulging yourself with the long night of drinking and dancing!

                         

                         

A sidenote about Boracay:

• It's OKAY to visit Boracay during low season

The wettest months of Boracay are between July and October. Despite rainy season, you can actually enjoy more benefits especially cheaper deals on hotels/activities and less crowded. Boracay is a very small island where its weather is quite changeable. You may expect sunshine very soon after the rain. I would suggest to travel at the end of low season such as September and October where you may only experience light rain. We are considered very lucky that all of the activities were carried out on sunny days. 

• Cheap beers are everywhere

Beers are so cheap in Boracay that we already started binge drinking on the first night! The local beers do taste great such as San Miguel, San Miguel Light, Red Horse (my favourite!), Pale Pilsen.

• Multilingual and polite locals 

What you can notice in Boracay is there are many Korean and China tourists. You will realize most of the advertisements contain Korean and Chinese words. Even the locals can speak well in these languages! Apart from that, what impressed me was the locals were actually very polite and courteous. They would definitely reply with welcome when we thanked them and were very willing to share when we asked questions even though we didn't buy things from them.  

Lastly, a trip can only be great if the company is great. Starting off with 2 people, the number gradually increased to 6 which made the trip even merrier. I was truly grateful that the trip could happen with my friends as we know after started working, it's not that easy to do something "huge" like going for a trip with your mates as everyone is so spread out now and tied to different priorities. Cheers to more friend's getaway!

6 of us :)

Failed jump shot taken by the local kid! 

    

Breakdown of the expenses for 6D5N:
Flight :RM 460 
Hotel : RM567 (RM 126/night for first 2 nights, RM104/night for last 3 nights)
Food  :~RM30/dinner

Airport Transfer (round trip): 1025p
Terminal Tax: 700p (compulsory payment which has to be paid in airport on the last day)
Ariel's Point: 2500p
Island Hopping (inclusive of snorkelling tax and Crystal Cove): 940p
Sunset sailing: 250p
Hacienda Maria: 2500p
Helmet Diving: 800p
Zipline: 900p
Pubcrawl: 990p
Total $ for activities: 10605p (~RM901.4)

*My expenses are around RM 2400 which I do think it can be more economical in many ways. If you are looking for a budget trip:
- 4D3N may be good enough to enjoy the best out of Boracay
- Opt for cheaper accommodation 
- Magic Island might be your other option for cliff diving which costs 150p (Lunch and beers are not provided)

[Boracay : 7 Sep 2017 - 12 Sep 2017]