Other stuff in Boracay

Snorkeling and feeding fish. There are dozens kinds of fish. They all come nibbling on my hands. Hurts a bit. Free exfoliation.






Someone came up with this idea of doing "still standing after 15" at Cocomangas, a local bar. Basically, anyone or any group who takes all 15 shots on the menu gets their names on a plaque on the wall and a T-shirt.





Here are the 15...







15 gone.







Me after the 15... Nah... I did only one, "Chico's Surprise," in honor of my first car. The bailey in it tastes good, but it's gotta be 40% proof or stronger. Took me more than an hour to finish the thing.









The Flying Fish. It's a fan-shaped raft where we sit at one end. The other end goes way up in the air when they start dragging us with a boat. To quote a friend, it's the marine version of the bucking bronco. Lots of fun. Especially when I was one of the only two who didn't fell. Hehe.



Parasailing. One of the several things that I really wanted to do until I tried it. The view is awesome.







Unfortunately, it drifts like a boat does, so after some 5 minutes, I was all ready to puke. Couldn't wait to get back to the boat (?! like it'd help...). Glad I did it, but no one can ever make me do it again.





Wet market. Where we get all the tasty food.








A make-shift walk way in a flooded alley. It seems to flood a lot in Boracay after rain.










Wind shields stores use. This is really clever. Light, effective and easy to move around.







The entrance of our resort. The hotel is clean and not too crowded, just the way I like it. The only thing is that they don't have steady supply of hot water and I really don't take cold showers well.

15 years later

There are simply places so breathtakingly beautiful that seem almost fake. On my first visit to Boracay, Philippines, I was only a whining junior high brat, unhappy about pretty much everything. The weather is too hot. The place is too dirty. The food is too weird. The mosquito bites itch too much. The only two things that struck me head on were the huge school of sea urchins on the bed of the crystal clear sea and the unbelievably simple yet tasty fish roasted in banana leaves. I was all ready to experience it again when we planned a trip there for the Mid Autumn Festival.

So we did, and man it was just so good, beyond imagination. Yes, the awesome holiday destination brochures you saw are actually real, and Boracay has its name on them. The travel time was quite long, consisting of two flights, two bus rides and one boat ride, eating up almost two days out of 4. I wouldn't have minded if we were going to stay there for a whole week or two.

Although the sea urchins are too shy to show this time, but the sea water is just as clear, the fish in banana leaves just as good. This proves one thing: young brats don't know shit. Take them to some A/C'd place, and they're happy.

To be or not to be

Is it really ok or am I just trying too hard to convince myself it is? Is this what I’m looking at or is it just a phase? Am I being petty and unreasonable or am I made so? No idea. All I know is I haven’t figured out a way to make whatever chokes my breaths go away and don't want it to come back to bite on my ass. Indecisive, thou art my middle name. If only personal affairs were as easy as others'.

Human beings are such funny creatures whose happiness interests no one except themselves but whose plight intrigues everyone including themselves. O.B.S.E.S.S.I.O.N. Can I just get over this once and for all please?!

Reality call

There are some days that you just know will go well. When I got on the bus which arrived within 1 min, I knew it would be one of those days. I stood there behind a separator from seated passengers, and when the bus got to the next stop, a gorgeous guy came on and sat in the seat on the other side of my separator. His profile was just 15cm from me. Big pensive eyes, thick shapely brows, nicely curved lips, and those batting curly long lashes. God, a woman can kill for those. I thought to myself, thank you, God, I am sorry for ever doubting your existence. You do have works of wonders. I spent about 5 min drinking in his beauty and counting my blessings while trying very hard not to be caught staring. And then something amazing happened. He raised his hand, and started vigorously picking his nose. Yeah. Right. Now I know why absolutely everybody loves the real world. Who could ever hate such a rosy lovely place?

The long and winding road

A problem with people is that we tend to ignore what is close to us. That's why G and I were amazed to be lead into a well-hidden trail on a mountain about 1-hr drive from downtown. There was only a small sign indicating there was anything at all on the side of an asphalt road. Once in there, it was a brave new world. Took us 1.5 hrs to get back out. Special thanks to Daddy G (ha-ha! How else should I address him?) for knowing his mountain trails apart from contributing to the creation of my best gal.

Xitou: Backyard of a university

Well, maybe not exactly, but Xitou is home to hectares of forests, all of which properties of one sole university-- my alma mater National Taiwan University. For a place sitting right next to the epicenter of the earthquake of the century (921 Earthquake, 9/21/1999), Xitou has recovered amazingly well. Not even one trace of that killer event from what I could tell. It's not hard to see the efforts they put into the land, and the NTD200 admission definitely doesn't hurt, either. All the trails are clean and well-planned. While you go higher and higher in altitude, you'll start to be surrounded by misty fog. Talk about walking in the cloud.

The last time I visited Xitou was 15 years ago. At that time I hated the long walk and the all too fresh air (proof that kids know nothing except whining). I honestly didn't quite know what to expect when G and I decided to spend the weekend there on the spur of the moment. It turned out to be a pleasant surprise. The walk on the trails could be hell (i.e. the "shortest" way to the 2800-year old tree), but most of it was refreshing and comfortably cool. The 4-hour drive makes sure that Xitou won't be a frequent weekend destination, but hopefully it will be just as beautiful next time we are there. And note to self: Don't ever stay in a hotel where they offer a bed as hard as a rock. It hurts your bony ass.

College Pond. Thus named due to its ownership, I'd say.








A tree in the fog near the 2800-year old tree. It's just a baby.