My Boracay

Here are a few things I love about Boracay. The sweet feeling of relief I get when I alight from the little aircraft that seems barely able to contain my luggage, much less my frayed nerves; the smell of the salty seawind blowing on my face as I sit on the banca, listening to its old engine and the elation of seeing the beautiful stretch of immaculate, white sand at last.

Ah, they say that there is nothing like going to Boracay for the first time. I recall what that was like for me. Five years later a new relationship would bless my destiny with recurrent trips to the island, that I’ve actually lost count of them all! It was good fortune and good sense that I documented all my activities with my ever-dependable Canon digital camera, and based on the albums staring at me in my iPhoto library, I’ve been back and forth, on the average, about twice a month since the year began. But still, no matter how often I go there, each time we land at Caticlan, it feels just as good, if not better than the last. I realize that the charm of Boracay begins with curiosity, but fondness grows with familiarity.

Of course it helps that I go with Juan, my significant other who’s proven to be an equally satisfying traveling companion. It also helps that we have a place to stay, a really nice one at that, and that our time there has not been idle.

The reason why we frequent the island so much is because of work – his work actually, which has turned into my excuse. He, and a good friend of ours, Paolo Occhionero, who is a true-blue Italian who moved to Boracay some twenty years ago, started construction on two new establishments last January. One is a modern, intricately designed Italian-Mediterranean restaurant called Aria, and the other is Café del Sol, a full-fledged coffee shop that serves everything from espressos and frappes, to tea infusions and pastries. Both are located at the beachfront of D’Mall d’Boracay, which happens to be the center of activity on the island. Both eateries had to be opened by Holy Week, pressed for time Juan and Paolo had to act quickly. I volunteered to help in any way I possibly could – whether for food tasting, voting on a possible name for the establishments, choosing fixtures, researching for coffee recipes, helping Juan develop the display signs and menus. Whatever it was, it was a really fun experience that helped me arrive at the decision that I will never put up my own café or restaurant.

It was a painstaking process that earned for them my utmost respect for their full-scale involvement and dedication to their projects. They chose pretty much everything – not surprising knowing how meticulous Juan is about design. From the cabinet knobs, to the tiles and ceiling fans, to the color of the walls and counter tops, to other things such as kitchenware. Juan scaled the entire metro area, searching, assessing, and selecting all that was needed. But it was all worth it at the end after seeing both the restaurant and café decked-out, styled and operating like clockwork.

But in retrospect, there are other factors that make me want to keep coming back. Once I got the feel of Boracay’s lifestyle, I never wanted to leave. I can totally understand how so many people have dropped what they were doing to sail the seven seas or fly across the globe to relocate and start a new life on this island. With business concerns aside, it can be such a worry-free, laid-back existence. The community is so small that everyone pretty much knows evrybody else and I’ve had the pleasure of meeting many of the locals who come from all walks of life. But the real beauty of the people there is that social status or ostentatious behavior doesn’t ever seem to be an issue. No one really pays attention to what you wear or how unkempt your hair might be after a day of running all over the place. I realized that I did not need the five different pairs of slippers I brought and did not use on my first trip, or the ten bikinis that I thought I’d be able to fashion on the beach. The only fashion shows that went to were the occasional Boracay Beach Babes competitions.

I went from supermodel to super practical. Well, maybe not super practical – I am no girl scout – but there’s definitely been a significant change nonetheless. Maybe it was the feeling of an expanding waistline, no doubt caused by all the wood-oven baked pizzas from Aria or perhaps the ice-box cake and rice bibingka from Café del Sol, which made me to remove some of the bikinis and never-used frilly dresses and instead bring running shoes and a portable Net MD player. I felt the need to do more than just run around doing errands, but run up and down the island, go kayaking or do yoga during sunset or sunrise. I needed to reach my target heart rate for the day through more physical activities and not through my personal favorite caffeine fix – the ice-blended coffee frappe. As time passed, my day-to-day activities on the island resembled the daily routine one has wherever it is they live. Because no one really thinks about including it on his or her agenda, noting down exercise on my mental To-Do list when going to Boracay pretty much certifies that I am a seasoned island visitor. The other proof is the boredom I feel with the thought of getting wasted! OK, maybe that thought rarely ever thrills me no matter where I go. I have to hand it to people who’s inner wild child is not awakened by the sound of the swaying coconut trees, the sight of the glorious sunset, the smell of the frozen margaritas and fruit daiquiris and the thought of being in Boracay!

This place started feeling more and more like home when I could pass up on the milk in my fruit shakes, not feel miserable if I missed a day basking under the sun, and not having a massage out on the beach every day just for the heck of it.

The normal Boracay thrill people get all excited about wore off and as soon as I settled in, that’s when my real love for the island burgeoned inside. I think Juan and I started getting withdrawal symptoms from being in Manila for too long and going back to Boracay seemed so normal. I looked forward to seeing our friends there like Suzy and Paolo Abrera their baby Farrah, chatting with Nadine Rosaia over breakfast at Real Coffee, doing yoga with Louise Ravelo or even just checking on recent developments at the café.

I was lucky to have been able to schedule my trips around my work, and sometimes even my work around my trips like the time I got to style a swimsuit fashion editorial there for a local magazine. But surely, my fondest memories of the island are the little things I’ve experienced. I remember the time we went full-moon sailing on the Red Pirate, a little parao that battled the strong winds of the evening and took us from one end of the beach to the other and back again. Or the morning Juan took me around the entire island on a jet ski complete with a tour of the caves that were visible when the tides were low and waters calm. Because Juan has been going to Boracay since he was a child, he knows the place like the back of his hand. We seem to glide upon the calm waters, passing by old villages and secluded beaches with him telling me fascinating stories about what these places were like before and seeing how they’ve changed now.

I’ve seen many of Boracay’s colorful sunsets and wonderful moonlit nights. Breathtaking moments that leave you with no choice except sit back and enjoy the view. It has made me look at the island in a whole new light. Café or no café, the magic of this beach has a lure on its own and will surely keep me wanting to come back for more.