Would you believe I’ve never been to Boracay until this year??
Do I blame this to no direct flights anymore…. Anyhoo, spoiler alert: I WENT FOR MY BIRTHDAY!
For my past birthdays, I’ve always been at home and broke – mainly due to holiday spending. Lol but I’ve dedicated to be somewhere else and do something significant on my 27th~
It’s not that I thought of Boracay first off; I was even ambitious and thought I’d go overseas but with Winner’s Cross Tour in Manila on the 25th, my budget wasn’t enough. Plus I wanna tag my sister along for photos, so local travel will just have to suffice. For now, hopefully. 
The weather looked gloomy, as you can see, and the boat ride there was a bit rough. I did get my first encounter with Koreans there lol Boracay is swarmed with foreign tourists, I must say. I kept asking myself if I was still in the Philippines because in the island, everywhere I looked there were Koreans, Chinese and Europeans.
We stayed in Island Hostel, a budget hostel where we have capsule-like bunk beds with a shared bathroom. Boracay is totally pricey and this was where I can book last-minute since RedDoorz cancelled on us
Actually, I'm also not much into luxury stays, especially that I will be outside most of the time.... But of course, if I do find a place that's both affordable and aesthetic, I'd go for it~
Well, yeah, I was disappointed with the weather but I still had 2 days left. Famished from being in the airport the whole day, my sister and I just went to eat, stayed by the beach a bit and then slept. Uneventful, I knooow, but this trip was mainly to recharge anyway!
ARRIVAL
From Cebu, we both flew to Caticlan. Do choose Caticlan over Kalibo if you can; the airport is near the port crossing to Boracay so it's just convenient. To make it even more convenient, I got us airport transfer from Klook – 1 way is only less than 400 PHP each and that includes all the terminal and environmental fees + fare and drop off to your accommodation.
The weather looked gloomy, as you can see, and the boat ride there was a bit rough. I did get my first encounter with Koreans there lol Boracay is swarmed with foreign tourists, I must say. I kept asking myself if I was still in the Philippines because in the island, everywhere I looked there were Koreans, Chinese and Europeans.
We stayed in Island Hostel, a budget hostel where we have capsule-like bunk beds with a shared bathroom. Boracay is totally pricey and this was where I can book last-minute since RedDoorz cancelled on us
Actually, I'm also not much into luxury stays, especially that I will be outside most of the time.... But of course, if I do find a place that's both affordable and aesthetic, I'd go for it~Anyhoo, Island Hostel is in Station 1 and a few steps away to the beach front. So after we checked-in and settled our stuff, why would we stay in??
Well, yeah, I was disappointed with the weather but I still had 2 days left. Famished from being in the airport the whole day, my sister and I just went to eat, stayed by the beach a bit and then slept. Uneventful, I knooow, but this trip was mainly to recharge anyway!
ISLAND HOPPING FOR MY BIRTHDAY
I contemplated doing nothing major on D-DAY – just swim and eat and walk around. BUT I mean, I was there already and it won't be as significant being away when I just stayed still, right!? That's why I decided to sign us up for island hopping via Klook~ It's around 800 PHP and meeting place was by Astoria, also steps away from our hostel.
While waiting for our tour group to gather, guess what came out? As expected, there's a rainbow always after the rain! Did you sing that?
Rain was on and off though, and it affected the island hopping activity. It was really more like riding the boat and snorkeling.
There was this Korean couple in front of us and I can't stop staring ugh creep
For me, the guy resembles Lee Hwijae, that host-comedian with twins on Return on Superman~
I don't even have high quality photos. Lol I didn't pressure myself to take content here but at the most part, there was really no content
Because of the rain and waves, we skipped on a lot of spots and looking back, I didn't care less. Snorkeling was scary and funny too because as much as I wanna swim, the waves were HUGE. I couldn't let go of the boat rope as you can see 
I was excited for the buffet with crabs that came with the tour but there was Typhoon Ursula before this trip, which affected Boracay. So nada. I super love seafood (okay, maybe except scallops) so it was disappointing but how could I fight nature??
Tour was done by 3PM and after that, we freshened up for the rest of my birthday!
For dinner, I wanted pizza pasta soso~ (If you get this reference, you have good taste 
) A Google search will instantly land you to Aria Cucina Italiana. At first, I was hesitant since it's that restaurant that doesn't serve regular pizzas so the cost isn't regular either. But again, IT'S MY BIRTHDAY. I deserve to splurge on my birthday. Of course 
) A Google search will instantly land you to Aria Cucina Italiana. At first, I was hesitant since it's that restaurant that doesn't serve regular pizzas so the cost isn't regular either. But again, IT'S MY BIRTHDAY. I deserve to splurge on my birthday. Of course 
Ordered the pizza and the aglio oglio, with the latter too spicy for our liking. Lol it tastes great but the spiciness was just another level. Even with this order, we didn't get to finish everything and just packed up the leftover slices. We are really not heavy eaters~ The chef in Aria came out and asked us (customers) if the food was delicious. That was sweet!
LAST FREE DAY
And what have you, the sun shone so brightly the next day. BITTERSWEET.
With that, the Americans, Europeans.... excitedly came out to sunbathe. Like they srsly love the tan. Meanwhile, we just want some shade. Lol
This day was mostly walking around, taking pictures, looking for souvenirs, eating, swimming.... It was too hot – as in the sun was BITING – which just makes you regret your decision to island hop the day before 
No doubt, Boracay is a beauty. The popular white sand beach definitely deserves its reputation. Plus even when it was so hot, the beach water was also so cold I didn't know which I prefer. Lol and while waiting for the sunset, I got my Korean fix by watching episodes of New Journey to the West 7!
Look at those eyebags, but can you also see that pretty sunset glow on me!? 
(Wow, I miss my long hair. I cut it off the other week, I think. The unbearable heat made me do it.)
(Wow, I miss my long hair. I cut it off the other week, I think. The unbearable heat made me do it.)
People did flock to the shore during sunset. Like where did these people come from and where did they stay?? Lol well, the sunset we witnessed wasn't as majestic as I expected, like I srsly wanted the sky all lit up with pink and yellow....
Then again, I think this was just the perfect end for my birthday trip in the island~ I came with no big plans, just the intention to celebrate away from my bed
And this was my first travel for 2020 and on the first week of the year itself – for me, that speaks on how I want my year to be. I know I usually fly out but I aim to upgrade that version of me, if that makes any sense. I'd also just like to pat myself on the back or just hug myself because I literally hustled hard day and night for this tour and for those to come. Hard work does pay off, yall!Hmm, where should I go next year? Imma make this a tradition
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