Sharing with you my 2 part account of vacation spent Nov 26 to Dec 1 in Boracay . Not one of the kids nor my sister in law, Joy , who arrived from Virginia USA for her annual Manila vacation were able to join us.
Nov 30, 2011
Here I am in the veranda of room # 3201 of the Pebble Beach Villa in Fairways and Bluewater thoroughly enjoying the cool breezes and magnificent panoramic views of hole #4. Chirping sounds of birds, rustling sounds of coconut fronds swaying with the breeze fail to mask the whirr of heavy equipment moving earth and concrete to my right where a few villas are under construction and to my left, an occasional sound of tricycles as they ply the main road beyond the perimeter fence. Idyllic conditions nonetheless compared to the stifling, hot and noisy conditions back in Manila.
Here we can feel the difference and wonder whether at this season in our lives, that moving into such an environment can improve the quality of our lives if not lengthen it.
Coming back to Canyon on my birthday for the third year has made Fairways and Bluewater our home away from home, a beach retreat without competing for space with the hordes of tourists along the white beach. There are no clocks on the walls and time passes by each precious minute displacing every anxiety, worry or pressure living in the city brings.
The housekeeping has vastly improved and our unit is spotless and well provided for. It is now well- maintained and as a member, I can proudly endorse it to others looking for such accommodations. The food at the Terrazas however, is something that needs improvement. Our house cook Yoly turns out better tasting dishes. They should bring back Billy King or get a real chef to take over the menu and the kitchen. The main white beach with its hotels and restaurants, massage places, shops, and small vendors selling trinkets, pearls, artists bending wire into your name, painting your name on t-shirts, bracelets etc have turned this pristine white beach into a commercial area and the only motivation I have for going into it is to look for a restaurant offering good food at reasonable prices. Food in Boracay is not cheap. Along the strip near D'Mall area, there are places selling really good Western food at hotel prices. One can see where the local tourists go for good freshly cooked and low priced meals, Mang Inasal and Andoks. For only P99, one can have a cup of steaming rice wrapped in a banana leaf and a quarter piece of barbecued chicken. Add a side of ensaladang talong with a thick layer of bagoong or ginataan kangkong with a topping of brown crispy garlic for P25 and you have the perfect meal. At those prices, that's hard to beat. This was our first time to try Mang Inasal because it's always full of customers and we never tried it in Manila either because it was nearly always inaccessible to car riders. There were the usual Cyma, Pancake House, Yellow Cab Pizza, hotel coffee shops and outlets but we prefer to dine alfresco by the beach even if the buffet costs P350. Nothing beats the sound of the lapping of the waves breaking upon the shores and looking at the fingernail moon casting it's soft shimmery silver shadow on the waters. One has to be careful in choosing the restaurant and make sure it's away from the jamming bands. In all my two decades of going to Boracay, I have seen it evolve from a rustic, languid and quiet place into what it is now. Back then, people came here to get away from the city life, nowadays the partygoers from the city have brought their city lifestyle here. Maybe good for business but not when you want a different vacation. I still remember the bahay kubo we rented, sometime three of them for the entire family. The walls and floors were made of bamboo, the roof was thatched, the bathrooms were single unit buhos-type , the beds were papag topped with thin mattresses and we slept under a mosquito net. There was no hot water in the taps and we didn't mind. That was so unique. I remember that there were more young Europeans renting these bah kubos and I would chuckle at how incongruous they looked, sitting by the windows, looking like giants because the houses were scaled to accomodate Asians. They didn't seem to mind the lack of amenities. They came to swim, go diving and bask under the tropical sun away from sub zero temperatures in their native countries.
Dec 1, 2011
Last night was different. We decided to have dinner by the beach. Taking the 6pm shuttle to D'Mall, we got off at Korean Church alley marked by a Ken's and walked down to the beach. If we had taken the 5pm shuttle, we would have been right on time to watch the beautiful sunset. But it wasn't meant to be. We woke up from our afternoon nap at 4:30 and missed it. But the night was still young and we wanted to check out the quiet side of white beach. This is where the ritzier accommodation is - where Friday's, Patio Pacific, Sea Wind, Waling Waling reigned for a decade or so, now there are sleeker hotels such as Discovery Shores, Estacia Una (formerly Waling Waling), White House, to name a few. The small Jonah fruit shakes and pusit barbecue grill stands are still there but are now replaced with more permanent structures - Jonah's sporting a new look and menu that has expanded into merienda and pulutan items.
O'Bama Grill lords it over this portion of the beach, its location ideal as it opens to the main street on the other side. This is where we decided to have our dinner. Before settling down on a couple of chairs with a low table facing the beach ,the tiny stand beside it with its offerings of pusit, pork, and chicken sticks on sticks proved irresistible and Roby had to have one dried "pusit-cue" bringing back those times in the 90's when we first started our yearly tryst with Boracay. He deplored that At P20/stick of 2 pieces, it was no longer the turista's snack on a budget.
We ordered inihaw na tuna belly steak at the exorbitant price of a little over P1,000/kilo. Ours weighed around 450 grams and cost P560. A side dish of the lowly kangkong, steamed (drowned in oyster sauce) was the perfect side dish. I specified that it grilled with salt and pepper only, passing up on the lemon butter sauce and opting for the waiter's concoction of toyo, calamansi, chopped onions and sili labuyo using his native taste buds as a guide. Asked that the kangkong not be stir fried with butter ( I have never had kangkong with butter) but it was clear that the style of cooking on the menu was influenced by Western palates.
While waiting for our dinner, we settled back on our plastic armchairs, enjoying the balmy air and the constant gentle lapping of the waves as it crashed on the shore. The fingernail moon casting it's silvery glow on the shimmering waves - all this is what we came back for, priceless moments nourishing one's soul. The place had three wide steps leading up to the main sandy floor and I noticed a young couple a step down in front of us each one having the promo of three drinks for the price of one. The man had a thick Spanish accent and the girl was a local judging by her lilting Ilonggo accent. i overheard him challenging her to finish her drink saying that "in my country it was an insult not to finish one's drink ". Never heard that line. She giggled and was clearly getting tipsy and I couldn’t help observing that the man was succeeding in seducing his partner, not having ordered any pulutan to fill her stomach. She stood up excusing herself to go to the restroom, her swaying gait betraying that she was teetering on the edge of losing her conscience if not her consciousness. She was probably in her early forties, old enough to know what she was doing and her skimpy shorts and her long hair with brownish highlights made her look even younger. I felt sorry for her that she had to put up with such a lousy date, clearly on the prowl for a willing prey.
It brought me back to my caddy of two days, probably as old as she was but looking ten years older because she had lost nearly all of her teeth. She was eking out a living to feed her family and her asset were a pair of strong legs and clear eyesight and a dedication to her job which entailed learning the game of golf in order to better assist the player. She has to learn to tell distances, different golf terminologies, familiarize herself with the different clubs and their uses, give advice on course management when needed and be alert at all times. She gets P300 per round of 18 holes and is lucky to get a tip of P100 after the game if the player is happy with her. We heard that Taiwanese tourists don't give them tips because it's all part of the package and the tour guides pocket it. Both skilled in their own trade but a contrast in ways of earning a living.
My musings were suddenly interrupted by a "flight" of four fire dancers who were neither here nor there in appearance but everywhere swinging their globes of light in different patterns, weaving in and out among the guests showing their expertise with kerosene- fed open lamps. They were very skillful and kept us entertained during our meal. Two groups of locals and a group of Europeans with their small children were clearly fascinated by this show and the dancers obliged by weaving fiery patterns dangerously close to them. A few even lighted their cigarettes on the whirling fire and posed under halos of fire while having their pictures taken. One tried the same trick on us and we felt brave for allowing them to do so barely surviving the trick without singeing a single strand of hair.
Our yearly vacation was nearly coming to an end and the leisurely walk on the beach under the stars was a must leaving a pleasant memory of this island paradise soon to be lost. It was our way of saying our goodbyes, feeling the cool wettish sand in between our toes and looking up at the starless sky.
Commercialization has overtaken this island like a tsunami coming in waves of branded hotels, local food chains, boutique stores, all kinds of beach sports, spas and massage parlors stand shoulder to shoulder on kilometers of beachfront. Instead of preserving the character of the island which was noted for its pristine beauty it is now forced to take on a character alien to it's nature. It's almost like there are two worlds existing side by side. The original and the diluted one. The demarcation ends where the food outlets and bars begin. I wonder why noisy music seems to be associated with having fun. Can't one party with a simple luau on the beach with torches and plain barbecue, fresh fruit and shakes, a beer or two to liven things up a bit. Sea Wind stubbornly sticks to this relaxing and leisurely dinner although several notches up. It now costs P645/ head all in. Very good place for family dinners and parties.
Now the jamming bands from the city are along the strip bringing a sense of seedy Mabini to it. I remember the old disco place Bazura that played disco music and dancing for insomniacs who needed the extra stimulation and booze to fall asleep. It was on the other end of the beach and attracted only those who wanted it. ipone has to struggle to remember the lifestyle it was noted for which brought the tourists in the first place - the small thatched nipa huts, lack of electricity, just the pristine blue waters and its fine talcum powder sand as the main attractions. It was primitive and chaotic but oh so different. Simple pleasures like looking forward to having Jonah's fruit shakes in the shade of a swaying coconut tree
Mango Ray has maintained it's cool garden nature reminiscent of the Boracay we once knew. Cool under the harsh afternoon sun and one felt cocooned, surrounded by tall swaying palm trees and ornamental plants and bushes. Another one is Nigi Nigi Noo Noo with it's signature pagoda thatched roofs.
