Before the Christmas season kicks into full gear (yes, here in the Philippines, the Christmas season starts as early as September), let me reminisce our Boracay adventure last July. The current weather is making me miss the sun. Well, the weather has been a mix lately — one time it’s sunny, another minute it would rain like hell. But one noticeable change is the chill in the air; that pretty much gives away the “Christmas is just around the corner” thing.

Anyway, remember when I told you that we went there just to bum around? Well, I kinda lied. We also had a dose of Boracay adventure that most tourists fall prey upon on. The only difference is, there was no real planning involved. Whenever we felt that we had a bit too much of bumming, we went out playin’. So here goes…

All-Terrain Vehicle

One thing about riding an ATV is it makes you look cool… in a kickass kind of way. Doesn’t really matter if you haven’t driven a motorcycle before. This has four wheels so balancing is not a problem. If you know how to bike, it’s a plus. What makes it more exciting is the route that you have to go through aboard this. The pit stop is Mt. Luho, the highest peak in the island where you can enjoy the Boracay sights from a different vantage point.

We went to Borayd’s because our contact told us that they have bigger vehicles compared to the others. The bigger, the better right? Uhm. Not really. It turned out to be a bad thing for one of us. My roomie, Mils, had a terrible accident halfway in our route.

Because of that, we didn’t push through to Mt Luho and returned to Borayd’s instead. We had some dispute with the owner and other staff about the incident and refund and the likes. In the end, we settled to have another go at it the next day (with the exemption of Mils who had a splint on her injured hand). The next day, it was raining hard so it made driving to the peak more challenging. But we did managed to get there. Unluckily, nobody brought a camera.  We settled to have a fun photo op at the Borayd’s office instead.

Skimboarding

This is not my first time to have a go at skimboarding but this is definitely the first time that I tried and didn’t fall on my ass several times. While walking by the shore, RR told us that he wanted to rent a board and an instructor and learn how. We agreed with the idea because we have nothing else to do. That one hour tutorial turned out to be so much fun!

We would find out later that the hotel had two boards available for guests. It’s actually for rent but the hotel crew were kind enough to let us borrow them for free. I actually overheard one telling the other that we would not last an hour of skimboarding under the sun so it’s futile to charge us with rent. Boy, they were so wrong!

In the days that followed, whenever we are caught in a bumming stump, we would grab the available boards in the hotel and skim for hours. I still have to practice and learn a lot but the funniest part? You get to see everyone fall off their asses. It’s not just me now. 😀

Paraw Sailing

On our last day, we decided to rent a paraw and go sailing to catch the sunset. The experience was surreal and bumpy. I never realized that paraw sailing has a bit of stress into it. If you want to try this, be prepared to be splashed by big waves right on your face. And if you are lucky, you might find yourself being thrown off the boat. Don’t worry; they provide life vests. 😀

When we reached the middle of the sea, the boatmen lowered the anchor and let us marvel and take in the beauty of the sunset. It was amazing! That was the perfect time to open the ice box that we brought aboard and pass bottles of ice-cold beers to everyone.

We also tried Fly Fishing. Not the actual fishing method but the ACV ride. This amphibious air-cushion vehicle is pulled by a speedboat and actually looks like 3 banana boats put together. It was exciting especially when we go very fast, crash against the waves, and are lifted vertically in the air. I really had fun but not with the aftermath. It gave me a serious whiplash after. Also, nobody bothered to bring an underwater camera so we weren’t able to get a video or any pictures. Boo!

And oh, if ever you plan to take on the night scene, bar hopping and drinking like kids, don’t forget to put on your swim wears under your outfits. There’s nothing more refreshing and liberating (and sobering) than taking your cover-ups off and running to the beach for a night swim.

So there goes my sweet Bora reminiscing. I really miss the beach and the sand and the sun and the fun. I know that the next summer’s a long way so for now, I will just enjoy what the cold season has to offer. 🙂