It was time to leave Siargao, despite only getting a small feel for the place. We were going to Boracay next, but due to the lack of flights, and also cost, we had a really long and awkward journey to get there; which was made worse that I still wasn’t feeling 100%. First we would fly back to Cebu City, where we would then have about a 6 hour wait until our flight at about midnight. Then once we landed in Kalibo at 1am, we then had to get a minivan for an hour to the port, then a short boat, and then finally another minivan to Mad Monkey Hostel, arriving 4am. As Mad Monkey is s chain of party hostels, we were thankful the party had ended by the time we arrived so we could sleep.
After a much needed lie in, we walked to ‘Dmall’, essentially an outdoor shopping centre, and stopped for a drink at the Hobbit Bar, were all the staff were dwarves! Later back at the hostel, we bumped into Dan, a guy we had met in Bangkok about two months before. We spent the night drinking and playing games with Dan, Elliot, Tom, Rebecca and Emma who we stuck with the rest of the time in Boracay.
The rest of the time in Boracay consisted of a lot of alcohol – “free shots at the bar”, and mostly staying in the hostel playing games. One day we went on a boat party, which was great fun. Free drinks all day, good music, jumping off boats and having fun. The hostel really did make it for our time in Boracay. The food was good, it had a big pool, and it was a really social atmosphere where you meet a lot of people. The reps especially, always got you to join in the party (and get you drunk). For our final night in Boracay (and the Philippine’s), the community was all gathering for the “love Boracay” festival. This festival was to celebrate the reopening of Boracay, as due to the extensive construction that is still going on, it was closed to tourists for a while. The party was going to be held at our hostel, as locals were jumping in the pool, and then there was a stage and a bar set up on the street right outside the hostel. Then to top it off, there was a huge water fight all evening long. Kids joined in as we were all shooting each other and dancing to music, and at times there were buckets of ice cold water being thrown! It was an awesome event, and got pretty busy too; we were even interviewed by Philippine TV asking us how we like the event.
There’s not much else I can say about Boracay, despite being there for so long. It was just a great way to round off our trip to the Philippine’s. We made some friends, went to some nice beaches, had a lot of drinks and made some good memories! The Philippine’s is amazing and I would highly recommend it. It’s such a diverse country that you really do get something completely different depending on where you go, but I loved it all. It has some of the nicest beaches and sunsets I’ve ever seen, and the activities we did such as the canyoneering and snorkelling are things I won’t ever forget! The amount of people we met who simply came for a holiday comforts me that I’m sure I will be back, there is still a lot more I want to see of the Philippine’s – such as Siquijor island, more of El Nido, and doing Siargao properly.
Lee Teivans Travel Blog 