The process for getting from Caticlan airport to Boracay island was complicated but oddly, not difficult in the slightest. Although our guesthouse representative was on hand to lead us around, I still felt the journey could be accomplished solo.
First, one needed to take a motorbike tricycle from the 'airport' to the ferry port, where one would need to purchase a ferry ticket, pay an environmental fee and hand over some pesos for a worryingly vague 'terminal fee'. The next boat departure was never more than a few minutes away and once on Boracay island itself, another motorbike tricycle served as transport to within walking distance of one's guesthouse. Whilst the total price for this entire experience was less than US$8, in paying it I couldn't help but congratulate the transport operators on their fondness for writing prices down. As a traveller I tend to distrust any price quoted verbally, but, perhaps in a trait left over from the orderly society that I live in, I will blindly pay any written price without second thought.
On the boat to Boracay.
Boracay Island, as the title of this trip report suggests, is paradise. And a cheap one at that. I thought of it as the perfect beach destination, mostly because it has ... well ... a perfect beach. White sand, small tide variation, clean water, and a stable dune system that facilitated development almost right to the water's edge. Boracay had none of the rubbish and filth of Goa, none of the horrendous traffic of Nha Trang and less of the sleaze and drunk Australians you find in Bali. But we didn't need to sacrifice comfort to avoid the elements that otherwise plague coastal holiday destinations - Boracay Island had an
Andok's (the greatest fast food restaurant of all time), a Starbucks, a shopping mall, a go kart track and scores of classy bars, some of which even had dance floors.
The only downside of our time on the island was that the All Terrain Vehicle activity was grossly overstated and over priced. It was, in fact a One Terrain Vehicle - the one terrain being regular road. But you take the good with the bad. The Go Kart track, run at the same facility, was fantastic fun.
Most of the one hour we paid for on our ATV tour was spent here at an island view point.
Boracay main drag. This strip of shops and restaurants ran almost all the way around the island.
Every sunset looked like this ...
... and was generally followed by a hearty banquet on the beach.
A one day snorkelling trip took us to this wierd island a few kilometers out to sea.
The beach ran like this for as long as my tired and drunk legs would take me.
Although the next morning's walk to Andok's never seemed as far.
Surprisingly, we had no issues filling our days on Boracay. I had a fantastic time and will most definitely be back. As far as Asia's beaches are concerned Boracay is undoubtedly the best.