Last year, right after the exams, I decided to take a vacation. Various friends kept telling me that Boracay, Philippines would have been a great place where to spend the 6 or so days I had as a self-made recess week.
I booked the flight just few days before the departure and I had no idea whatsoever of what to do or where to go once I got to Boracay. All I had was my newly purchased ticket and the good old Lonely Planet: Southeast Asia on a Shoestring. Just a side note here, I am a huge fan of Lonely Planet guides since I don’t do much planning prior my trips and I’ve always been an extremely satisfied customer. However, the Southeast Asia on a Shoestring is just awful, with tons of misinformation and wrong addresses/phone numbers. I guess Southeast Asia is too fast-changing and Lonely Planet can’t possibly keep up with it. Back to the trip. I ended up booking the hostel while eating McDonald’s hash browns with coffee at Changi Airport, one hour before taking off. As usual, the way I picked the hostel was very simple: open Hostelworld app and go for the highest rated, and of course cheapest hostel, in this case Friendz Hostel.
After the flight, a ferry and a typical philippine trike, I finally arrived to the hostel where I was welcomed with a complimentary beer and people yelling in the crazy common area. 6 insane days later I would have left what it was the most lively hostel I have ever stayed at and the island with the most stunning sunsets I have ever witnessed. But you can be the judge of this.
An interesting part of the island is Puka Beach, a far away beach covered with tiny shells brought ashore by the sea. Far away from everything and from everyone. And reachable only with a long trike trip or a more exciting sail trip over the clear waters. Definitely my favourite place on the island. Another side note: italians playing football on the beach as if it is Copacabana are not very welcomed by the locals (it doesn’t matter, we still kicked the ball through the big P that spells the word PUKA, the wood log sign that indicates the name of the beach to the tourists. GOOOOOOAAAAL).
The one big attraction of Boracay is Willy’s rock, that attracts all the tourists, especially around sunset and sunrise. And that is why, to take the following photos, I had to walk with my camera inside the sea until the point where the water almost reached my chin.
Talking about keeping the gear safe.
The Voyaging Snapper 