Last April 1-3, four of us (Lyra, Anthony, Eloisa and I) spent an amazing weekend in the ultimate island getaway in the country: Boracay. After a 12 hour pit stop aboard the Negros Navigation ship Mary Queen of Peace, we checked in Hannah Hotel in Station 1. For this leg of the Amazing Race, we went snorkelling at Crocodile Island, swimming at Club Panoly, went jamming with Session Road in Pier One, walked all the way from Station 1 to Station 2 and back again, went kayaking, got glimmer and henna tattoos, and of course, got sunburned!







We rode the M/V Mary Queen of Peace, the vessel of Negros Navigation also known as the Boracay Fun ship. Touted as the "Floating Hotel," this large cruise ship has plenty of facilities to keep you entertained while on the 12-hour journey to the white sands of Boracay. Belt out a song in the videoke room, watch a full-length movie at the mini-theater or dance the night away at the disco.






Upon arriving at Bora, we checked in our bags and immediately started exploring the island. We rented a boat to take us island hopping. Our first stop was at Crocodile Island, where the waters were rough so the whole time, I had to hold at the katig or risk drowning. Of course, things were even more complicated because I had to hold my waterproof camera with one hand. Still, it was fun snorkelling and seeing the colorful and diverse life forms beneath the ocean.






We couldn't leave Bora without first riding a gigantic inflated boat commonly known as a banana boat for its bright yellow color and elongated shape. We didn't flip over but it was an exhilirating ride nonetheless.






We also tried our hand at kayaking and it was fun even though we just went around in circles during our first try.






We would have loved to stay for a few days more but we still had to go to work. Once again, we boarded the Mary Queen of Peace and bade goodbye to this island paradise, with the hopes of returning again someday.






Click here to see the full photo album of this event.

This was part of a longer post that I submitted in the Soli e-group, after a trip in the Southern Philippines. - Caesar
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Going on a long trip alone is bliss. You get to be at home in places where you’ve never been before. You commune with nature, inhale the various atmospheres of assorted places and you get to discern and appreciate the faces of people of diverse regions. The spectrum of every place dims the gloom of an otherwise lonely predicament. On travel, you get to be in touch with yourself.
Now no words can substitute pictures in your memory, nor can they evoke in others the pristine feeling of moments in awe. At, for example, the lush beauty of Mindanao, of passing through the rolling green hills of Bukidnon, of being amazed at a cave in the middle of the city, of passing through a road that’s a mystery. There’s nothing like seeing the sun rise in Surigao - and witnessing the same sun set somewhere in the sea, viewed from a RORO boat going to Mindoro. Have you seen the movie “Heaven and Earth?” Well, it looks like Negros when you rush through on a bus, where the rice fields in the movie are replaced with sugarcane leaves waving in the air. At the background are clouds kissing a low mountain. .
Meeting with friends and new people also provide spice. They serve as knowledgeable tour guides for sure, and adds pizzazz to your traveling experience. Plus the enjoyable company - even for a few days or a few hours - gets you going, especially in the metropolitan areas. The feral nightlife in places like Davao and Cebu, and Bacolod would of course not pass without comment.
The customs, the food, the dialects, the church buildings and mosques, even the madness of markets remind you of the cultural richness of your land. You realize that the Philippines is composed of more than 7,100 islands, a diversified array, even if intellectually you grasp its oneness. You also sense your country is a foreign one, even though you know it is home. Being a foreigner who did not speak the local language, I also had fun passing off a few words like pila? (how much?) and a few expressions of apparent acknowledgement. Although, if people asked me directly, I’d draw a blank face, then tell them “Tagalog” and point to myself, haha! People are normally helpful and would extend aid to any direction you ask.
The trip I took was not totally the backpack trekking type where you wander off to places where you don’t know people. It’s really a load off when you get to be adopted by people you know and trust, even for just a few days.

Places, People, Sights, Food. Describe your experiences.