Getting There is Half the Fun…To Boracay We Go

For Spring Break adventure #3 Daniel and I ventured to an Asian country new to both of us--the Philippines.  The idea was born when I thought an old classmate of mine might be making the trip with her husband.  Alas, their plans fell through, but Daniel and I decided a relaxing beach vacation was just what the doctor ordered as I've had a busy and stressful year and he was just wrapping up his final term of college (YAY!).  In January we finalized the plans and booked the tickets.  It didn't hurt that I found airline tickets on Air Asia for $250 a piece and was given a recommendation for a great, affordable hotel right on the beach.  Done!

Saturday arrived and so did Daniel.  We booked in at the Hyatt Regency at Incheon airport to avoid a very early trek from Yonhi dong back to the airport the morning after Daniel had just arrived.  It may have been the poshest place I have, and will, ever pay to stay.  Bright and early on Sunday we were back at the airport, checked in, and ready to go.  Our flight left at 8:30am for Kalibo airport and we were very happy to be flying with two other great SFS families.  The trip should have taken us about four and a half hours, but ten miles outside of Kalibo we learned that our plans for the day were about to change.  Bad weather would be keeping us in a holding pattern and if things didn't change fast we were diverting to Manila.  I silently prayed, "Please God, let the weather change," as warnings from several of my colleages ran through my head--"Whatever you do, spend as little time in Manila as possible.  Better yet, don't go there at all."  One co-worker had just told me about a man who had been killed…in the airport!  He was shanked in an area where there were no cameras and the man who stabbed him got away and was never caught.  Never-the-less, the weather was not on our side, and off we went on a 45 minute trek to Manila.  Luckily the airline was still responsible for getting us to Kalibo and promised to do so as soon as the weather improved.  That meant we would sit parked at a gate in Manila waiting.  

To be honest, it wasn't that bad.  Dan and I had packed snacks to get us through knowing that Air Asia was a bottom of the barrel budget airline where you have to pay for EVERYTHING, including water.  I read a book and napped the time away.  We sat on the ground for around three hours until we got word that the weather finally had changed and it was our turn to fly.  Hallelujah!  Unfortunately, Kalibo airport is quite small and can only accommodate three planes at a time so we had to wait our turn for a space.  While we were scheduled to land at 2:00pm, we ended up landing at 6:00pm.  Not such a huge deal.  That was only the second leg of our journey.  We then had to make a 2 hour drive to Caticlan Jetty in a van.  So all 11 of us from SFS staying at the Sea Wind resort, plus our luggage, piled into the van and off we went.  It was a tight squeeze and Daniel and I scored the front seats--a blessing and a curse.  We should have gotten a clue about the state of the road ways when our driver rubbed the rosary hanging from the rearview mirror, crossed himself, and said a prayer each time he got into the van.  For my friends and family from Oregon, it was a bit like driving over Chehalem mountain to get from Hillsboro to Newberg.  The road was two lanes, wind-y, and with a drop on one side.  That meant that the driver had to be skilled and cautious.  A wrong move would be disastrous.  At times it poured buckets during our trip, stray dogs were plentiful, and the road was full of trikes (a motorcycle with a sort of sidecar that carries multiple passengers) and buses, which we were duty bound to pass by driving on the opposing side of the road.  Sometimes our driver also did this while answering his phone or texting:).  

We made it to the jetty and met a representative from the hotel who took care of our luggage, and helped us get to a "ferry".  I use this term loosely as I imagine the vessel you picture and the actual boat we boarded are two entirely different entities.  Ours was wooden with bamboo like catamaran legs and carried approximately 30 people, 19 of which were wearing orange life preservers when we boarded.  Deciding to live dangerously, our group hopped aboard and crammed into the empty seats without donning floatation devices.  Ten minutes later, we landed on Boracay Island.  We jumped into a couple of hotel vans and a short trip from there had us at the Sea Wind Resort.  Ahhhh…  Just fifteen hours after leaving the hotel in Incheon we arrived at our home-away-from-home in the Philippines.  We laughed at the notion that we could have actually made in to North America in roughly the same amount of time.  The great thing is that we had dinner on the beach that night and the sand beneath my feet was the finest and softest I had ever felt in my entire life.  I went to sleep on Sunday night content with the fact that on Monday morning it absolutely did not matter what time I woke up, what I wore, or what plans I had for the day!  Vacation, sweet vacation...