Boracay Series – The Great Escape from the Metro (2014)

The Boracay get-away was first thought of during our friends’ August 2014 mini-reunion with College buddies. Some made it to part 2 of the reunion, and we fused father-and-son tandem Aldrin and Kiyan, life-of-the-party Aki and fresh-from-Papua-New-Guinea Meds with Joy’s soulmate Goyt and  my bestfriend Jons. So there we were, 8 fun-loving, adventure-seeking human beings who are tired of the pollution of the metro and who would want to get away, even just for 3 days.

We met Paquito, our funny, down-to-earth “coordinator” who offered us the tour packages. He is my go-to person in Boracay since the first time we went there with a different set of friends (his number: 09498925954).

Aki and Meds signed up for #pubcrawl which is dubbed as the best party experience, where they turn strangers into friends. They “crawl” from one club to the other, use their headsets / earphones to dance to the beat, have drinks and of course, socialize. For those who love to party and meet new friends, this is your best night. Here are some of their photos (grabbed from the FB accounts)

Jons, Aldrin and Kiyan enjoyed most of the activities since it’s their first (and definitely not the last) visit to the island. And even if this is Goyt’s nth visit, it was also his first time to do some of the activities below. I have done these last year except for the cliff-jumping.

From the relaxing parasailing, to the ear-popping helmet diving, the adrenaline-pumping cliff jumping, to the insane flyfish, the extreme ATV and Buggy, to the finale paraw-sailing. You can definitely say they had fun. They got pumped, and every penny paid for was pretty much worth it. Here are the evidences:

Parasailing – a recreational kiting activity where (usually 2) persons are towed by a speed boat for a good 15 minutes. Price ranges from 800 to 1,200 per person but Paquito gave us a good deal, he will give you a discount too, especially if there are more than 4 participants.

Paraw-Sailing – not to confuse with the first activity I mentioned, Paraw is a double outrigger sail boat. Its navigation depends on the wind and the boatman’s rowing prowess, since it’s motor-less. It is also a zen moment and a peaceful respite from the bumpy speedboats. It’s best done in the sunset for a more romantic appeal.

Skim-boarding and Kayaking – These two water sports can be done without going farther into the sea. In fact, skim boarding is done with about an inch of water along the white sand shore of Boracay. It employs some of the surfing techniques, except this time, you have to let go of the board and run after it. Surfing on the other hand, is paddling with your board to ride the waves. I thought it was easier than surfing. Boy, was I wrong. My first attempt at it, I fell butt-first! Kayaking on the other hand, depends heavily on your upper extremities’ strength to paddle away. Skimboarding is usually at PhP 200 per hour with an instructor while Kayaking is, well, we got it for a discount too.

Helmet-Diving allows participants to walk the ocean floor (technically it’s not the ocean floor because it’s about 10 feet when in low tide, and about 15 feet in high tide) and feed some fish, have photos and videos taken down there. It uses an oxygen-mask that weighs 25K above the surface and only 2K when submerged. The people waiting for their turn at the helmet diving pod applauded 5-year-old Kiyan after he emerged from a 15-minute helmet diving stint.

Flyfish – literally a flying fish. It is an inflated flying fish, a lot more challenging than the banana boat. It can accommodate 6 participants at a time and the goal is, to fall you off. The challenge, it does fly at a 90-degree angle. It’s an activity you don’t want to miss. It is a test of strength, concentration and sometimes even friendship. A lot of times Joy fell on top of Goyt and Aldrin on top of both while the fish did its thing. But after the recovery phase, we still went on laughing.

Snorkeling and Island-Hopping – both are part of island hopping so there’s just one payment for both activities, including our cliff-jumping activity, which was part of the island hopping package. Bring your snorkeling sets or, rent it out for PhP 150.

ATV / Buggy and Mt. Luho – The All-Terrain Vehicle ride is super fun, especially for non-drivers like me and who swear to never own a motorcycle. It’s getting the feel of the ride without the danger of accidents because you’re driving in a controlled environment. Father-and-son tandem took to the Buggy for a bonding of a lifetime. A drive to Mt. Luho, the highest point in the island, allowed us to have a panoramic view of the island. Best done in the afternoon, towards sunset.

In case you missed the earlier video blog (vlog) about our cliff-jumping, here are some stills of that daring activity (platforms range from 5 meters, 8, 10 and 12): And don’t excuse yourself from jumping because even the 5-year-old wonderboy Kiyan jumped from 5 meters! While I was the first to jump from the 5-meter platform, which has awakened Goyt’s competitiveness, he’s the guy with the most jumps. He just couldn’t be stopped! Next time again, guys?

So if all those activities didn’t entice you more to book your tickets for Boracay (Kalibo or Caticlan), you better watch this video!

Feel free to comment below should you have any questions or need some help planning your Bora trip. Don’t worry, I do this for free. Just for the love of it!