Boracay (2009): First on Plane, Stratosphere, and Boracay

09.16.08

She was tensed. 

She does not know where to put her hands.

She kept on readjusting her seat belt.

Then she grabbed the paper bag from the front seat pocket, and tries to breathe in and out from it.

She was sitting next to me.

Her name is Jho.

She's my friend, and it's our first flight ever.

I knew she was just joking about the paper bag.

But the feelings were mutual.  We were both tensed.  Yet, excited.

As the plane ascends, I took this shot.

Not that I was nervous, I just couldn't get a steady shot.

We were fighting off the gravity as we went up high,
and it seems that my heart had the heaviest pull.

It was a turbo prop plane.

And I really don't like seeing its propellers out in the open.

I looked away from those scary propellers, then saw this beautiful light.

It took my breath away.

(But no, I don't need the paper bag).

Our first time at the stratosphere.

We were in awe. 

Mesmerized.

Amazed to see this glorious twilight.

I snapped some shots.

And I snapped some more.

Like Trinity from Matrix, it's like seeing the sun for the first time.

As we approached our final descent,
I was caught between taking this picture and realizing my fear of airplane crash.

"We're going down. Damn you, you scary open propellers!

I can see the trees!

Oh wait, this island looks pretty up close" (snap snap).

But we landed safely, and I was ever so thankful.

Finally, Boracay!

To feel the warm fine sands under my toes is worth every penny I have saved for this trip.

 It was so fine you feel like you're stepping on a cake flour.

Every angle is picturesque.

I can stand there for eternity and watch  how the clouds change form, 

How the sea changes its hues, 

How the soft waves change into foamy bubbles.

They change quietly, as if they have conspired to make this scene perfect.

We rushed to the shore, like children, without having a care in the world.

It was a beautiful morning.

We rented a small boat and circled the whole Boracay Island.

We first stopped at that small neighboring island -- Crystal Cove.

This bronze arm-less centaur greeted us.

We could be lost in a mythical island, and so we think.

Or do you think it's a sphinx, that spoke riddles?

Just like in a movie, a flock of birds suddenly appeared as we walked the entrance.

All is missing is the sound of trumpet or horns to make a perfect score.

There were strange icons and native structures on the hill.

While on the cliff, I spied a man snorkeling and swimming back to the rock below me.

They say there are several caves on this island.

Perhaps some are secret caves.

But we went to the most obvious one and climbed down through a rock staircase.

Ah, this might be the cave where the snorkeling man went into.

We went back and used another staircase on the other side.

Then we went into another cave. 

This time we crawled out from it as we went back to our little sailboat.

No crystals were found.

We stopped by the middle of the sea.

Jumped from our boat

And snorkel around.

The boatman took us to Puka Shell Beach.

The sands were made of pure fine powdered corals and shells.

We have the beach to ourselves.

It was peaceful and idyllic.

We ran around the shores, took some selfies, groufies, and jump shots.

We had our lunch in a shack. Ate some barbecues and drank sodas.

We forgot the time.

As we left, I knew this beach is going to haunt me.

It was calling me to come back.

It was already late and dark going back home.
It started to rain, I think.
We were getting wet,
or it might be coming from splashes of big waves.
We were singing so loud and joking around,
trying to push the idea of a shipwreck.
We were laughing.. nervously.
That boat ride was crazy,
and we're thankful to the boatman who made us safely back home.

The next morning was sunny and bright.
We walked on reef and sands under water.

We pretended we're astronauts.

Careful not to tilt our heavy helmets, we moved ever so slowly.

We took out small pieces of bread.

And not very long, we were swarmed by small colorful fishes.

We went back to the shores.

Did practically nothing.

The best laid-back afternoon we ever had.

Just tasting the sweetness of doing nothing.

We still got another adventure on our third day.

We've learned to drive.

With helmets, knee pads, and sunglasses, we drove these big bikes to the mountain.

All feeling badass.

From Mt. Luho viewpoint, we can see the island 360 degrees.

We stayed for couple of minutes at the top trying to look for the islands and shores we've been to.

It has small zoo on this mountain, and so we said our hellos to a monkey, an eagle, a heron, and a rabbit.

We went back again to the shore.

Chilled out and drank up choco peanut butter banana shake.

We went to the farthest station and visited a grotto.

It was a gloomy afternoon, but still we ran around and played with the waves.

The next morning was our flight back home.

The take off still got me butterflies on my stomach.

I peeked out from my window and saw some of Boracay below me.

While the butterflies dance and flutter on my stomach, I took this shot.

I think that was Crystal Cove. 

So there goes my first trip to Boracay.

Fast forward this 2015, I got a ticket back to the island.

And it would be my fifth.

If you return to the same place on a different time,
it will never going to be the same.

I will be with different people, and perhaps a different me.

 I may see the same beach, the same sands, the same sunset,
but I knew it will be a different experience. 

And I knew it will still be wonderful.

So if they ask if I want to return, I would still say yes.

Maybe that is what they say falling in love over again.

As for the plane, I still got weak knees on airplane take offs and landings.

And U-turns! Why do they ever have to make a U-turn up in the air!

I guess I will always have that crazy paranoia.

But these will never stop me.

I will still travel.

It may be by boat, a plane, a bike, or any sort of vehicle,
I will ride on them and I will still travel.