Mike Arrives and Boracay

Mike was due to arrive on Saturday evening local time, having flown from the US via Hong Kong.  Being the miles guru he is, Mike managed to book a first class ticket on Cathay Pacific, ranked one of the top first class flight experiences in the world.  According to this site, it's the 4th best airline for first class.  Unsurprisingly no US carriers made the list!

Cathay Pacific first class bed...beats my airplane experience!

With Mike (left) in Laos.  He's been growing out his 
hair since then.  Sporting a decent beard too.

Mike and I had picked a hostel near Pasig as our meeting point.  Initially I'd though we would stay there, but Dennis had offered us his place.  It was too late to tell Mike about the change of plans before he departed so I kept the old meeting place.  As it turns out the hostel wasn't well known and Mike's cab driver just dropped him off in the general area.  It took him an extra 45 minutes but luckily Mike managed to find the place.

We had a beer at the hostel rooftop bar, then hopped in a cab back to Dennis' place.  It didn't take long once we got back to pop open a bottle of wine.  Across the street a group of locals were having a party, just a small get together with half a dozen people.  Being stereotypical Filipinos they invited us over for a drink and food.  We learned it was a birthday celebration, complete with a seafood spread and lots of alcohol.  Mike had already had his fair share of free drinks on the first class flight, but it didn't stop us from accepting their offer.

Red Horse beer: at 6.9% ABV and typically one or
two bucks even at the bar, it can be dangerous!

After the beer was finished we moved on to whiskey while chit chatting, nibbling on the food, and listening to music played from the still-running car in the driveway.  By the time we left Mike had a bit of trouble walking straight back across the street, and he passed out within seconds of his head hitting the pillow.  That's one way to fight jet lag!

That evening Mike and I also figured out our trip plans.  Sam, another OSU friend, was due to arrive in the Philippines a week later (on February 14th).  In the meantime we wanted to see another part of the country.  I had a bunch of different possibilities in mind, but in the end we settled on Boracay, a small island famed for its white beaches.  Boracay is a popular tourist destination - probably the most visited place in the Philippines - but I didn't mind putting up with the crowds for a few days.  It'd also be a good intro to the country for Mike.

Mike and I were planning on going from the capital,
Manila, to the island of Boracay (highlighted in
Chinese...sorry, best map I could find!).

On Saturday night the Internet connection had failed us, so we tried again to book a flight from Manila to Boracay Sunday morning.  We assumed that the prices would be more expensive, but as it turned out they were the same rate - less than $50 per person leaving the same day!  We'd have to fly to the town of Kalibo, on the nearby island of Panay, then take a bus, and finally a ferry to Boracay.  The island is so small it doesn't have an airport.  Despite the long journey it attracts many international tourists, most of whom fly in and out of Kalibo Airport.

With a beach like this, it's no wonder that Boracay draws lots of tourists.

We finalized our flight details and flew out of Manila's Ninoy Aquino airport that afternoon.  The trip only lasted 45 minutes, shorter than our bus ride from the airport to the ferry terminal.  The ferry only took about 15 minutes to get to Boracay, where we took a tricycle taxi to the central area with lots of hotels.  Being an international tourist destination, accommodation on Boracay is pricier than in most parts of the Philippines.  Mike and I managed to find a small bungalow a couple blocks from the beach for about $30 a night.  It had AC, our own bathroom, and an extra mattress - all we needed.

Mike and I spent four days in Boracay, mostly relaxing on the beach, walking around the island, and enjoying the local beers.  On the second day we took an excursion to Ariel's Point (check out more info here).  Ariel's point has several spots for cliff jumping, the highest of which is 15 meters, or over 49 feet.  The excursion included a boat trip from central Boracay to Ariel's point, a buffet lunch on the point, and all the free booze you could drink.  Seriously, they encouraged you to drink.  Things started off with rounds of free beer on the boat ride, then more beer and mixed drinks when we arrived.

At first I was skeptical about the whole cliff jumping thing.  But after some liquid courage and not-so-subtle pushing from my newly made friends, I went for it.  I had done the lowest level jump, which was 5 meters, so I thought, what the hell, I'll bump up to 15!  It looks a lot higher on the platform!  The jump was a real rush, although I came away pretty sore on my behind - I think it was sticking out too much and got the biggest impact when I hit the water.  I'm definitely glad it jumped, but once was enough!

Ready to jump (courtesy of arielspoint.com).  Mike took a few pics
and a video, hopefully I can get it from him and put up my jump!

It looks even higher up there!

Overall Mike and I liked Boracay; the beach in in good condition with soft, white sand, prices are decent, and there are crowds, but it's not too packed.  The day we walked around the island we noticed a lot of construction.  Boracay does seem to be witnessing a boom, and if I go back in five or ten years' time I'm sure the island will look different.  Good to go now before it gets overrun with even more package tourists and backpackers like me!