Banana Boat Ride
All set with the proper swimming gears, the banana boat riders anticipate the exhilirating ride of their livesIf you want to have an adrenaline rush, the banana boat ride is a sure way to get it. Shaped into a giant banana, five people can ride on this inflated thing attached to a speed boat. The speed boat starts a bit slow, then gathers enough
speed and does a quick turn to throw the passengers off-balance. So there we were, all wet in the middle of the sea. There’s no reason to worry for those who cannot swim, as each one will be provided with life jackets. It is important to have the presence of mind not to panic. For people who have a fear of heights, like me, I do not recommend looking down while swimming because you can see the seabed in the clear waters of Boracay. The banana ride takes only a few minutes, and for a price of P150 to 200, but it’s all worth it. The fun of the ride and the experience is something that could be treasured.
You must go there to bum or else don't go there! Windsurfing, scuba diving, sailing, kiteboarding, fishing, and beach volleyball are the mainstays in the island. Once the sun sets, hang out at pubs littered throughout the island. There are pubs every 10m you walk. Shopping is not superb there, so bring your own surfwear and spend your money on pubbing and sea sports.Every year, the Asian Windsurfing Tour sets sail on Bulabog beach, attracting up to 70 windsurfers from all over the world. This year, the event was successfully organized with parties every night, great prizes, and wonderful friends.
Fire Dancing
Fire dancing (also known as, "fire twirling," "fire spinning," "fire performance," or "fire manipulation") is a group of performance arts or disciplines that involve manipulation of objects on fire. Typically these objects have one or more bundles of wicking, which are soaked in fuel and ignited. This is one of the popular attraction in Boracay. Some of these disciplines are related to juggling or baton twirling, and there is also an affinity between fire dancing and rhythmic gymnastics. Firedancing is often performed to music. Fire dancing has been a traditional part of cultures from around the world, and modern fire performance often includes visual and stylistic elements from many traditions.
The various tools used by the fire performance community borrow from a variety of sources. many have martial sources like swords, staves, poi, and whips, where some seem specifically designed for the fire community. The use of these tools are limited only by the imaginations of their users. Some tools lend themselves to rhythmic swinging and twirling, others to martial kata, and others to more subtle use.
Nightlife centres around three bars: Cocomangas, Pier One and Summer Place. Pier One, the largest in terms of floor area, draws a mix of both locals and tourists. A nice thing about this bar is that it's right on the beach, so you can chill out on loungers while waiting for the party to pick up. The dance floor is lit up in black light giving those on the floor a groovy ethereal glow. A comfortable loft provides a great venue for chilling out while listening to the lively music. Summer Place draws a mostly European crowd with a trickle of locals. The bar's ambience is oriented towards chilling out rather than dancing, but wild nights erupt spontaneously, especially on Fridays and Saturdays.
The quickest (and most expensive) connection between Manila and Boracay via Caticlan is by Air Ads, Asian Spirit and Pacific Airways; the one-way fare is P1700.
Asian Spirit and Air Ads bookings can be made at the Red Coconut, Balabag.
Pacific Airways bookings can be made at the Dublin Rest house in Angol, the Red Coconut in Balabag and at the Boracay Tourist Center.
The little PAL office is next to the Sea Resort in Angol. Apart from taking care of changes in itinerary and flight confirmations PAL also sells tickets for P150 for the air-con bus from Caticlan to Kalibo, which includes the boat trip from Boracay to Caticlan. The office is open from 8:30am to noon and 2 to 4pm. PAL flights also can be booked at the Boracay Tourist Center and at Pantelco, above the Pa-am Minimart near the Mistral Resort.
PAL flies from Manila to Kalibo on Panay and Tugdan on Tablas Island, in Romblon Province. The connection from Kalibo to Boracay via Caticlan is better than the one from Tugdan to Boracay via Santa Fe. After the aircraft arrives, there are air-con buses from Kalibo to Caticlan. PAL also flies from Cebu City to Kalibo.
The trip with a bus belonging to the companies Southwest Tours or 7107 Boracay Shuttle cost P150. Southwest Tours sells tickets at the domestic airport in Manila. The price includes the boat transfer from Caticlan to Boracay.
Boat & Bus
Many boats cruise along White Beach heading for Caticlan; just wait at one of the boat stations if you want to go there. The first boat comes along at about 6 am. There are three so-called boat stations on White Beach for boats to and from Caticlan 15; 30 minutes): Boat Station I at the Mila's Boracay Beach Resort, Boat Station 2 the tourist office and Boat Station 3 at the Sulu Bar. From June to November, during the south-west monsoons, the sea on the west side of Boracay can grow too rough for outrigger boats. They then have to leave from Tabon (to the east of Caticlan) instead of from Caticlan itself, and drop anchor on east coast in the bay near the Dead Forest, or near Bulabog.
As almost all passengers have to wade through the water to get to the boats or back to shore, patent-leather boots and well-pressed long trousers are definitely not the things to wear.
On arrival in Caticlan, you can get a Jeepney or bus to Kalibo (two hours).
A bus leaves Caticlan for Iloilo City via Kalibo at around 6.30 am (six hours). Anyone wanting to take this bus will have to take either the first boat at 6 am or a Special Ride for about P175 from Boracay.
Air-con buses make special trips from m Kalibo airport, timed to catch the departures of PAL flights. Tickets for the Tours bus can be obtained at the PAL office on Boracay; the 7107 Boracay office is located near Boat Station 1.
There are also shipping services between Manila, New Washington and Dumaguit, both are near Kalibo on Panay.
January is the time to hang loose in Kalibo, the "Land of the Atis" and the gateway to Boracay. For all of three days, it celebrates the Ati-Atihan Festival - where frenzied streetdancing is performed by costumed and black-sooted "tribes" as they wend through the main streets from dawn until the witching hours. Ati-Atihan commemorates the 13th-century land deal between ten migrating Bornean chieftains and the aboriginal Ati King Marikudo. It also honors the town patron, the infant Santo Niño. To the accompaniment of hundreds of lyres and drums, merrymakers throw all inhibitions to the wind as they join the tribes in a mad jig punctuated by rhythmic shouts of: "Hala bira! Puera pasma! Hala bira! Viva Santo Niño!"
Sunset
The world has always been fascinated about the beaches of Boracay. The Philippines, being an archipelago, is home to a lot of beaches. I don't know if everyone agrees but the most popular would be the island of Boracay (or "Bora" to Filipinos who have the habit of giving nicknames to places). Just try Google-ing "boracay" and there's about 1.5M searched sites but mostly resort listings. This blog is an attempt to immortalize sunset photographs of the beach. The Philippines is home to a much publicized and hyped Manila Bay sunset, but not much of the orange-filled dusk sky of Boracay. Along with the rest of the romantic world, Filipinos are also obsessed with the moon, stars, and of course the sunset. Many wedding vows have been exchanged using the beach and the sunset as a background.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
