above: boracay. a little slice of paradise – minus the infinite amount of bugs. and the constantly pestering merchants. and the hordes of tourists who clearly have no idea how to walk with any morsel of common sense.
i don’t think i realized how much fun i was actually having until we left the island and headed back into the big city. i really do enjoy water, and it’s always nice to be sipping on a coffee with the sea wind blowing through your hair and the sound of the tide washing up against the shore.
we spent the first day on the beach, lazing around and taking dips in the sea. i’m not really used to swimming in that much natural salt water. i don’t really care much for the taste and it kind of stung my eyes, but whatever – it was so pretty, so all is well. there were so many different hues of blue and the water was so clear.
we went island hopping the next day. and helmet diving. and snorkeling. and i also got a really pretty necklace so now i can wear a small wooden tarsier clinging onto a stone dangling from my neck. it was strange to feed and swim with wild fish deep under the surface of the water – to be that close to these creatures i’ve only ever seen behind the glass of an aquarium. so strange to be able to reach out and almost touch – have them brush up against me.
we went out for drinks that night. two for one cocktails on the balcony of some bar. nobody wanted to finish their drinks so i got the leftovers and got kind of tipsy. not a good idea on a family vacation. i had to keep myself in check in front of my parents when we went to meet them after. they’d been listening to a live band and a few amateur performances. from what i saw, the bolder members of the audience knew how to sing.
yesterday we rode on a banana boat and a flying fish, and that was pretty fun. the novelty of water sports wears off after a couple of minutes, but i like the feeling of water on my skin, so it was alright. went out for drinks with my parents that night. i think my entire extended family thinks i’m some kind of crazed alcoholic party animal. such is the price of shamelessly exposing my life on social networking sites. how much am i a product of our generation?
today i drove an atv to a lookout point from which i could see the whole island. the ride over was pretty fun because we got to drive fast. the return trip was a different story. we got stuck behind a group of three women who were literally travelling at a sluggish pace. we weren’t allowed to pass them and it was awful.
we went to starbucks later in the day and soon we were on a plane back to manila.
of course, amidst these highlights we did a lot of wandering – looking at shops and stopping at cafes, buying mango shakes and knick knacks and doing other touristy things.
it was a fun little vacation within a vacation.
witnessing but not actually really partaking in the island resort nightlife made me want to come back with group of friends – and not my parents or siblings – for spring break. maybe i’ll set up a trip to cuba or something. i’ve heard you can get some pretty good deals with a bit of planning.
tomorrow’s a rest day and then we’re off to another exotic location to do other exotic things.
here’s to the final twenty or so days before i’m back in montreal, bending over textbooks and tearing my hair out trying to pick a major.