Dec 14, 2016

Travel Diary to Boracay, Philippines - Food and Places

Just so you know, locals pronounced it as Bo-ra-kai not Bo-ra-kay. And yes, darlings. If you follow me on IG (@nicesgjy), you will know that the month of November 2016, I have been on back-to-back-to-back trips (3 trips in total!). This is my second trip and I will post about my 3rd trip which was returning to Bangkok, Thailand. Yes, I was insane going for three trips within a month but this family trip was pretty last minute and when my mum first asked me if I was free to go on a trip with her, I had already booked tickets to Seoul and Bangkok. So this trip was inserted in-between because my mum could only afford this period of time to travel. My dad and older sister decided to come along and it turned out to be a family trip (minus the younger brother) instead of supposedly just being my mum and me. Anyhoo, it doesn't matter because we all had great fun! Wish my bro was there though, then our trip would have been complete! 

Additonally, I have categorised my itinerary according to places and what I did there rather than dates because there were times where we visit the same place a few times so if I organised by time/date, you would see repetitions. So, yeap! Just to let ya know! Without further ado, let's get down to it!

Travel Date: 11th - 14th November 2016
Expenditure: SGD $715 for 3 person (including 2 x 25kg check-in baggage. We shared luggage space and brought only 2 luggage for 4 of us. My dad hopped in last minute so his airfare is separate from ours); SGD $382 (Accommodation for 4 for 4D3N); SGD 200 per person should be more than enough (food + water activities + souvenirs); 25kg check-in baggage is actually more than enough. Each of our luggage weighed about 15-18kg at max. 
WI-FI: Bought Prepaid SIM Card right after we touched down at Kalibo International Airport (2 makeshift stalls just outside the entrance of the Aiport. Choose the one closest to the entrance. My mum bought her SIM card at the other stall and the connection was bad) ; 700 Philippin pesos (SGD $8) for unlimited WI-FI but with only 5-10 minutes of talk time. PERFECT if you spend a lot of time on the Internet only. However, there were times during our period of travel where there wasn't any WI-FI connectivity; this happens while travelling on the bus from Kalibo to Caticlan Jetty, on the boat/ferry during our water activities and when we were island-hopping. Other times, the WI-FI worked fine. Our resort also had free WI-FI. 
Weather: Usually Sunny but rainy on certain days (It was nearing the end of the monsoon season so there was still rain, but it drizzles for a few hours and stops)
Navigation: We mostly stayed on the island as it was a short 4D3N weekend getaway.

*Disclaimer: This is not an official travel guide so opinions, reviews and instructions are subjected to biases, memory lapses and the occasional side-track rambling.*

First up, Boracay is not easy to get to. We reached Singapore Airport at around 10am and the flight to Kalibo International Airport took about 2 hours. From Kalibo, we had to take an approximately 1-2 hours of bus ride from the Airport to the Jetty Port Terminal. As we stayed in a 5-star holiday resort, we had a private ferry which fetched us from the Terminal to Boracay Island. Then, it was another 10 minutes brief bus ride before we FINALLY reached our resort. The entire journey took the entire day and we only got to our resort at around 8pm. We had our dinner at the resort and walked around the private beach after that.
An artistic-looking picture that I helped my mum took while waiting for our flight to Kalibo!

 Yes, you alight literally outside the Airport of Kalibo.The Airport is basically just a single-storey building with bare minimal facilities.
 From Kalibo, a bus takes you to Caticlan Jetty Port Terminal 
 By the time our private ferry arrived, it was close to 5pm and we caught the sunset!  

 Our private ferry that looked similar to these boats.


Sunset is gorgeous! 
 Lobby of our holiday resort called Hennan Garden Resort. Hennan actually has several other resorts. (:

Family suite room, supposed only for 4 people! But I believe they gave us a suite enough to house 5 people! 2 connected rooms with 2 single-size beds in one room and the other room, is a queen-size bed and a single-size bed. If my brother had come along, it would have been PERFECT for all 5 of us! Resort includes access to private beach + free WI-FI + gym and pool facilities + daily breakfast buffet! The gym is great guys! No photos of the gym but WOW it has the full-on gear equipment, running machines, weights area and even a Bosu ball and some Yoga mats! So gym junkie need not worry, it is pretty well-equipped!  
 View of Hennan Garden Resort during the night! 


  Part of our Buffet spread of our dinner that night!


 Hennan Garden Resort during the day! We took a dip in the pool on our second last full day here! 




IG-worthy pictures! Izzit swimming or camwhoring LOL
  
Some camwhoring done right! Hahahahaa (:

WHERE WE WENT:

1. White Beach Boracay 
(Private beach connected to our resort; Hennan Garden Resort. Plenty of the resorts are actually connected to this beach)
 White Beach at night - bustling with activities and music!

 Apparently, a very popular performance along the stretch of restaurants at White Beach at night.



Shopping Area; Most of the stalls are quite expensive. If you really want a product, good to check out the ones located nearer to the beach and you may be able to get it at a bargain. Prices are also not fixed here so utilise your bargaining skills! :D

White Beach on the second last day after dipping in our Resort swimming pool. It was a little cloudy as throughout the days that we were there, it had been raining on-off. But on the last day, we dropped by the beach again and the view was GORGEOUS! Just look at the pictures below!


Clear skies and beautiful, clear blue waters! <3


The last two pictures above were taken during sunrise (morning hours) by my mum when she woke up to run along the beach. (Yes, both my parents are superbly active for their age) Sunrise hours is about 5am in the morning and sunset hours 5pm in the evening approximately. 
 After dipping in our resort's swimming pool, we took a walk by the private beach looking for a place to eat lunch. It was about 4pm and a person stopped us (yes, you get stopped often on the streets by peddlers asking if you want to go for beach and water activities). We weren't keen but the man offered us parasailing at a price of 500 Philippine pesos per 1/2hour per person. He claimed that it was off-peak hours so that was why he could give us cheaper. (Sunset hours are around 5pm and this is the time most people would perfer to do parasailing because you get to see the sunset!) In the end, we bargained 500 Philippine pesos for one hour per person (Approx SGD $14 per person) and set sail in the sailing boat named Sherwine (picture above). 

 It was just me and my sister as my parents had both gone for a massage.
 They allowed us to take off our life vest to take pictures!
 IG-worthy pictures! 


 Yes, the waters are supremely clear! <3


 NOT FILTERED/PHOTOSHOPPED! I swear! 

Parasailing was fun!! Recommended activity, all in all! Also, apart from taking pictures and sitting on one side of the boat, we constantly have to crawl over to switch sides in order to navigate and steer the boat. It was kinda scary when we were crawling over to the other side because the waters can get quite choppy. Not really recommended for those who get easily seasick! I know for a fact that most people who get seasick is because of the constant motion of the boat/ferry they are on and if it is a speedboat, it isn't too bad because the motion is not rocky but smooth. For Parasailing, I would say it is more in-between. There were times when the sail caught the strong wind and we were zooming past the waters but there were also times, especially in the middle of our journey where we were really far off from the coast, that the wind speed dropped and you could feel the motion. Also, nope, you won't get wet during this activity. The only time when you will get is when you are wading through the waters to get to the boat (see picture directly below).
Yep, just like this! Though my dad didn't join us for Parasailing as he was with my mum having a massage hahaha... This was taken when we were heading to our boat before our island-hopping commences.

After a dip in the resort's swimming pool, a 2-hour massage and Parasailing, we decided to do temporary Henna tattoos. There are several Henna tattoo artists lining the beach but we chose this one because my sister wanted to get a tattoo of a dream catcher and this guy right here, seemed to be the only one able to do it. I simply got a normal artistic-looking tattoo. My tattoo costs about 300 Philippine pesos (SGD $8) and my sister's tattoo costs about 700 Philippine pesos (SGD $20) as the guy said that my sister's tattoo is bigger and more complicated. 
This was supposedly the only tattoo artist that had a dream catcher as one of the options. I didn't notice about other tattoo artists and whether they had this design but since my sister was the one interested in it, so whatever she observed should be quite legit. 

The tattoo artist has jut a makeshift 'store' (I won't even call it a store as he just basically had his tools, some chairs, an umbrella and his signboard with 'Henna Temporary Tattoo' on it. His 'store' is located directly opposite 'Free Willy Diving' store (White Beach, Boracay)). Look for him if you can! (:


My sister's Henna tattoo (700 Philippine pesos = SGD $20)


Mines is supposedly the more simply design and hence 300 Philippine pesos = SGD $8.
SO PRETTY RIGHT! :O

The man was outgoing and made friendly conversation and jokes with us throughout the time he was doing our tattoos. His tools are pretty simple; basically just Henna ink and alcohol to sanitise his inking equipment/brush. The application does not hurt; it basically just feels like somebody is drawing on your skin with a pen. Not sure how it feels like? Just try drawing on yourself and that is the sensation LOL! He started with a red pen and used a picture as reference (as seen in above pictures) and proceeds to complete it with the Henna ink. I believe it is relatively still hygienic (within the acceptable range) as he used alcohol to clean his tools and because the ink was not penetrative, unlike permanent tattoos, I think it is relatively safe. The Henna ink used seems to be of great quality as it lasted on my skin for a little more than two weeks (It was still there when I went to Bangkok which was so awesome to take photos with!!) As I'm writing this post, most of the tattoo has faded already. However, the fact that it has lasted so long really speaks about the quality! My sister, who had done Henna tattoos before, said that these tattoos usually fade within a couple of days or the slightly better ones, a week. This was by far, the best quality she has had! 

Prices differ on intricacy and complexity of the design. For both our tattoos, he used the same applicator and Henna ink hence quality is assured despite the different prices! I can't speak for other Henna tattoo artists (as there were plenty lining the shores of White Beach) but this Henna tattoo artist directly opposite 'Free Willy Diving' is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! :D

TIPS FOR HENNA TEMPORARY TATTOO:  
1. Before considering Henna tattoo, make sure to do/complete your oil massage a few hours (We went Parasailing after our massage before doing the Henna tattoo to let our bodies 'dry' after the oil massage) before engaging the service, or better yet, leave your oil massage service for another day. It's tough for the Henna tattoo artist to draw on your oily skin and even tougher for the ink to dry after. 
2. Wear clothing that exposes the body part you wish to have your Henna tattoo at. (Meaning if on the arm, wear sleeveless; If on the back, wear strapless or tops that have the back exposed) 
3. After having the Henna tattoo, make sure to not let ANY PART of your clothing touch it -particularly if you have it on the back! I learnt my lesson the hard way and got some ink stains on one of my clothing straps :( 
4. Approx 2 - 3 hours after the Henna tattoo is applied, take a bath and dab the tattoo with a tissue to dry it before going to bed. The artist told us that if we don't dab the tattoo with a tissue after bathing, it may stain your shirt or - if you sleep shirtless - risk staining the bedsheets!

2. Island-hopping
(Puka Beach, Crystal Cove and Snorkeling; includes lunching at Piknikan)

Family photo as we board the boat for our island-hopping! Island-hopping services can be found anywhere along the coast of White Beach where many street peddlers thrust laminated cards/photos in your faces asking if you would like to do any of the water services! We chose Island-hopping (Puka Beach and Crystal Cove) + Snorkeling + Lunch (included) and took the big boat (non-private as we were told private boats are much more expensive so the big boat consist of about 20 people or so) = 2400 Philippine pesos (SGD $69) for 4 people. My parents, being the typical cheapskate (Colloquial slang for 'stingy') and kiasu (Colloquial slang for 'competitive/ afraid to lose out') Singaporeans chatted up with a young Malaysian couple sitting next to them and they paid more as they bought a tourist package from a tourist agency; though on the plus side, they do have a personal guide to show them around. We booked the first night we arrived and the next day, the street peddler whose name was Bobby, met us at our resort's lobby and brought us to the boat. The whole activity took us from 9am - 5pm. 

As you can see, skies were a little cloudy. It was raining on-off throughout our island-hopping adventure.



Handstand split at Puka Beach! Wasn't able to do that in Korea because it was so cold and I was wearing all those thick winter clothing so yay! IG-worthy pictures! ^^
Puka Beach was supposed to be known for its white, sandy beaches and superbly clear blue waters. I feel at certain less crowded areas of White Beach, it is even prettier than Puka Beach (as evidenced from the above pictures I took) though... just my opinion.

While waiting for the other people in our group to come up the boat, we decided to climb onto these exterior parts of the boat to take IG-worthy pictures!
 Check out the unglam BTS though hahaha... >.<

Next up,snorkeling! *Oops I had my eyes closed!*

For snorkeling, they stopped us somewhere in the middle of Puka Beach and Crystal Cove and handed to us the goggles. Each person needs to pay an extra 50 Philippine pesos (SGD $1.50) in order to snorkel as according to the boat crew members, this 'environmental fee' is paid to the government and the package excludes it. We swam around a little bit in the relatively clear waters, looking at the corals and the tiny fishes for about 1/2 hour. The life vest can be taken out if you are feeling confident of snorkeling. And yes, the snorkeling gear isn't the most cleanest we have ever seen but for the money you are paying for these services, I would say it is relatively acceptable. The gear wasn't horribly unclean or unsanitary so we are okay with it. If you don't like biting onto the dubious-looking mouthpiece because you find it unsanitary... well... then I would suggest either bringing your own gear or don't go down into the waters and just stay onboard. They allow you to skip the activity and stay onboard if you wanna. No prior experience of snorkeling is needed. If you find it difficult to breathe properly, you can just float around in your life vest. My mum found it difficult to snorkel because she found it hard to breathe through the device and felt like she was drowning so she stopped after a few attempts. The trick to snorkeling is to bite the mouthpiece and breathe through it. 

Next up, LUNCH @ Piknikan. Lunch is included in this package!


Piknikan is where we stopped for lunch. Ideally, after lunch, we are given some free time to explore the other parts of the beach like this picture above. But as it was raining (not obvious in the picture), we stayed at the area where we had lunch.

Buffet-style; though the selection was measly. Nothing particular yummy but the fish meat was acceptable. The only good thing is that with coupons given by the crew on the boat, each person is entitled to two bottles of drink. The drinks came in bottled water, beer or these cute Coca-cola/Fanta Orange mini glass bottles that we haven't seen around for quite a while now!
Oh yes, my mum also bought the portable protector for phones. It costs about 50 Philippine pesos (SGD $1.50) for each. Quality is just average as it did help to keep my mum's phone relatively dry. But then again, my mum didn't go into any deep water areas so exactly how good are these portable protectors? Your guess is as good as mine. 
Next up, admission into Crystal Cove! The package allows you to either choose going to Crystal Cove or cliff jumping into the waters. I can't remember if you need to pay for cliff jumping but you do need to pay an entrance ticket of 300 Philippine pesos (SGD $8) per person (I can't remember the exact price but this should be the estimated amount). After they dropped us off at Crystal Cove, the boat will leave to ferry those who want to do cliff jumping to a mini island just a little way off Crystal Cove. We opted for Crystal Cove because my parents wanted to explore the area so we went as a family.

As seen on the map, we only managed to cover the area surrounding Cove 1. The island is pretty small, despite the map making it look huge. 

 Again, the weather is a little cloudy as it was raining on-off that day.

 Waters are so clear!!! <3

 Awkward posing hahahaha... We bought these waterproof bags for 300 Philippine pesos (SGD $8) each along the stretch of stalls on White beach aka the private beach of the resort after bargaining. True story; it was our first night and we saw these bags at the first stall just outside our resort, bargained and bought it without thinking! After walking down several stalls later, we found out that these bags are sold quite commonly along the streets.  Lesson learnt; shouldn't be too in a hurry to get those bags! We might have been able to got it for a far cheaper price! >.<





 This is Cove 1! We had to squeeze through this tiny hole underground!

 Cove 1 after climbing down!



Taken right before my parents disappeared on us! They went in search for Cove 2! My sister and I were too busy spamming pictures and before we know it, they were gone. When we reunited back at the boat, they told us that they went in search of Cove 2 and found it! Unfortunately, they had no time to enter (Cove 2 requires you to crawl through a hole) because one the boat crew members asked them to go back! We spent about 1 hour or so on Crystal Cove.


Handstand by the sunset before leaving Crystal Cove!

On the way back to White Beach! The island-hopping package took the entire day from 9am-5pm. 

FOOD WE ATE:

1. Tribal Cafe @ White Beach

 There's a lot of restaurants selling package meals like this for families. My parents, being the most money-savvy ones, managed to source out the cheapest bargain for a meal fit for 4 of us. 

 Meal for 4 consists of fried calamari, soup, vegetables and two fish. The soup was too salty for us and the only dish that we agreed was worth the money was the fish and the fried calamari. In total, the meal costs us 1050 Philippine pesos = SGD $30. Basically, it's normal dishes that you can cook up yourself at home. The only difference was the fish, which was quite fresh.




And yep, we celebrated my dad's birthday in advance! My sister and I made an excuse to go out and search for a toilet (typical excuse) and went in search for a mini slice of cake to celebrate my dad's birthday. We returned and told the staff at the cafe to keep the cake until the end of the meal and my sister will signal for them to get ready. Halfway through the meal, one of the staff asked my dad "Is it your birthday today?". We were shocked! It was supposed to be a surprise! Luckily, my unsuspecting dad said 'No'. (His birthday was at the end of the month so he didn't really think much of it nor did he suspect that we would celebrate so early!) We pretended to appear disinterested and continued eating. Towards the end of the meal, my sister signalled for them and we surprised him with a cake! The cake was bought at another store. 
 Yep, he was pleasantly surprised! 

Cake bought from a store named Dulcinea. The store is located along the same stretch of restaurants lining White Beach. There were other prettier selection of cakes but because my mum couldn't eat chocolate due to certain health issues and I didn't like mango, we had no other choices but to choose Red Velvet. It was quite good! The cake was a little different from what we usually eat. The sponge layer is more 'crumbly' than the onese we are used to back in Singapore. Not too sure about the other cakes though...

2. Lishui Beach Resort @ White Beach

Catered specifically for Chinese tourists. When we entered, there was a big group of PRC Chinese who just finished eating and were talking at the top of their lungs. It's really annoying but halfway through our meal, they left so we could eat in peace! The ambiance was pretty good (after the group left, of course) but the food was just average.
Plain and bland vegetables.  Good to balance out all the other spicy/salty Chinese food.
 LOL the rice that they give is often put together onto a plate. It was the same at the Tribal cafe (above). 
 Ma Po Toufu (Beancurd) was very spicy and a little salty. Chinese food is a little too spicy/salty for our palate. 
 These are pretty good! Scallop cooked together with Vermicelli glass noodles. 
 Kung Pao Chicken (宫保鸡丁) More onions than pieces of meat though -.- 

3. Dragon's Restaurant nearby Kalibo International Airport

I don't have a photo of the restaurant's signboard (Oops, sorry!)! However, what I can tell you is that it is a blue signboard with the word Dragon Chinese Restaurant and they sell Chinese food and dimsum. Before departure, we had some time to kill so we ordered sweet and sour fish and fried dumplings for lunch. My sister and I order the coconut shake which IS DA BOMB! It's really good and refreshing! (Actually, out of all the meals we had, this is by far the best food item we had hahaha...) The pure coconut juice (picture with my Dad in it) isn't nice. I never really liked those kind of coconuts as the juice is not as refreshing and has a sour, tangy taste to it as compared to young coconuts. And yes, my mum really likes Chinese traditional food. Ya know, older folks tend to stick to traditional tastes rather than try foreign foods so throughout this trip, we didn't really eat anything that was specifically traditional Filipino food (except, maybe, at the resort when we had buffet-style meals and they have certain selections of Filipino traditional food). 

All in all, the meals at Boracay were pretty average (as obviously seen above). I guess Boracay is not known for its food, but more of its sandy beaches and water activities! Nothing fancy, just more or less traditional economical Asian dishes. There are crepes, smoothie bar and even a Starbucks catering to Western taste. Fruits are available as well, but depending on the season. When we were there, they had watermelon, mango and coconut (all-season tropical fruits) but fruits like avocado are seasonal (I know that for a fact because I asked for a avocado smoothie in two different stalls because it was reflected on their menus, but they don't have it -.-) 

In summary, here are the approximate extra fees breakdown that were covered above:

Water-sport Activities: 
2400 Philippine Pesos for Island-hopping (Puka Beach, Snorkeling, Crystal Cove + Lunch included + public ferry/boat ride) 
Extra fees: 20 Philippine Pesos (Environmental fee for snorkeling) + 300 Philippine Pesos (Entrance fee for Crystal Cove) *Costs may vary for other activities. Able to opt out and sit on the boat if you do not want to pay extra*

Massage:
550 Philippine Pesos for 2-hour massage (including oil). 
Extra fees: Need to tip about 50-100 Philippine Pesos per masseur. 

Henna Temporary Tattoo:
Depending on complexity of design; prices can vary from
300- 2000 Philippine pesos. 

Souvenirs:
Price can vary but souvenir prices typically range from 100-200 Philippine pesos (SGD $2.80- 5). This price applies to only the small souvenirs such as keychains with your name engraved on it(typically 6 pieces for 100 Philippine pesos but my parents managed to get a bargain for 8 for 100 Philippine pesos) and tiny bottle keychains or dream catchers. As you can see, it is relatively inexpensive! (: 

That's all for my trip! (:

MY PERSONAL AFTER-THOUGHTS:

PEOPLE: Friendly and chirpy. Filipinos speak English pretty well and even know certain terms in other languages like piao liang (which means 'pretty' in Chinese) if you look like a Chinese and annyeong (which means 'hi' in Korean). In fact, some of the street peddlers can be quite fluent when speaking Chinese. I guess it's because Boracay is quite a tourist-y place so in order to stay on top of one's game, they had to know a little bit of foreign languages to gain the attention of tourists passing by. They are very generous with compliments, often calling out to pretty ladies out on the street 'Hello, you are so beautiful!'. It was entertaining at first, but it gets tiresome after a while, especially when you know they are calling you out to get your attention to engage their services (be it massage or water activities) or their products. The most frequent tourists are Chinese PRC and Koreans. Surprisingly, there were tons of Koreans when we went there and even well-established Korean restaurants to cater to these group of tourists! I have never seen so many Koreans in one place in a foreign place before so I was very surprised! It was literally like I never left Korea when I just came from there! :O

WEATHER: As it was approaching the end of the Monsoon season (Monsoon season ends towards the end of Nov which is supposedly a better time to go but due to our respective schedules, we had to stick to 11-14th Nov), we still have on-off light showers throughout the day. Weather is generally sunny (typical of tropical countries) though. Remember to pack sunscreen, shades, sun hat and an umbrella to cater to the varying of weather climate! (:

PRICE: Prices are relatively cheaper. Anything you see on the streets can be bargained. Yes, even the water activities. Ignore the charts/photos they shoved into your faces and exercise your bargaining rights! Practice the 'appear interested and back away' to get them to give you an even lower price. Also, if you look young enough, you can go with the 'we are still students!' line of argument as a way to get cheaper prices. We got lower prices using that line of argument for the Parasailing activity hahah.... >.< BEWARE! There are certain hidden costs though such as during the water activities, environmental fees and entrance fees are not included so be sure to ask before you pay the street peddler a deposit (We paid 400 Philippine pesos as deposit on the night we booked the activity and the next day, before we got up the boat, we paid him the remaining. Avoid paying in full to guarantee that the guy will turn up the next day). 

Lastly, you also need to prepare 700 Philippine pesos (SGD $20) per person for Airport/Terminal International tax when you arrive at Kalibo International Airport upon departure. Nope, you do not need to pay when you first arrive. Payment in cash only near the checkpoint area. 

I have read on certain travel guides (i.e. the one here) that if you take ferry/boat at Caticlan Jetty, you will need to pay Terminal fees as well which is really troublesome. However, because we booked a 5-star holiday resort, we had a private ferry/boat to pick us up from the Jetty and also, buses which automatically take us straight to the resort. In other words, our transport was basically taken care of and we saved a ton of hassle.  So if you are traveling on a shoestring budget, this may not be an ideal place for you to go but if you, like my family and I, are here for a getaway, my tip would be to book a resort that includes transportation to save all the hassle and hidden costs. 

On the way back! Caticlan Jetty waters are relatively clear as well! This was our private resort ferry/boat. We were alone when we first arrived but when we were going back, there were a few other hotel guests with us taking the same ferry/boat. 

SCENERY: If you like sandy beaches, playing water sports, pristine waters and looking for a family getaway, this would be the place to go! 
Snapchat and Instagram: @nicesgjy

Thanks for taking the time to read my very detailed post! Feel free to post a comment to enquire about certain details and information (accuracy not guaranteed though heh).

xx
Loves,
Nices

No comments:

Post a Comment