Boracay - bamboo stick dancing

I wrote this some time ago but the video did not want to show up.  I still have not worked out why, so I will post it as is and hope that eventually I can work it out!

On our last night in Boracay we went to Friday's where we celebrated Christmas together (somewhat late, but fun!)  We had a buffet meal with amazing choices, but it was the entertainment that was superb.  There was a guitar-playing singer, and some traditional dancing.  Then the bamboo dancing that I will upload for you to watch.  I have seen this sort of dancing in other cultures and I know how skilled the dancers must be to not get their ankles smashed to pieces. 


Although I started this post yesterday morning, huge events have been at the forefront today in terms of the 6.3 earthquake in Christchurch, and my heartfelt thoughts and sadness to everyone affected by this tragedy.  This day will be a black one in NZ history.  

Boracay

Just in front of our hotel.
Crystal clear waters.

All right, I have already shown you the exquisite sunsets in Boracay, so today I will tell you a bit more about the island.  

Sue and I

The sand is the whitest and finest I have ever seen and the resorts and hotels groom it every day to keep it clean.   The sea graduates from a light turquoise to a darker blue and is amazingly clear and very warm to swim in.  There is quite a bit of movement along the beach, with may people walking and boats sailing to and fro.  The difficult side is the hawkers who want to sell you cold drinks, pearls, sunglasses or give you manicures.  Although they try to sell, I did find that they would take no for an answer and move on.  We saw one or two beggars in the town center, but that is not the norm, despite the locals often living in fairly primitive conditions.  

The hotel bar and restaurant

Fragrant frangipani
outside our room

The place we stayed at was right on the beach and the restaurant was open-air, with sand for a floor.  In the mornings I would wander down (barefoot), select a table and settle my chair into the sand.  A towel on three sunloungers would secure them for us for the day.  And so began each day!  We watched this frangipani unfurl itself over the course of the week until is was the spectacular sight you see here.  Before going into any room you were expected to stand on a bamboo slatted mat and rinse your feet with water from an urn that the staff filled up each day.

There are urns with
water at every
entrance to wash
your feet with

Kite surfers on the other side
of the island.

On the other side of the island (at that point the island is only about 300 meters wide) there was a blustery breeze and we estimated about 100 kitesurfers.  A truly stunning sight!

One massive prawn!

Local fish at the
market

There was a vast array of food to select from, but the fish was probably the most outstanding.  I have truly never seen prawns the size of these!   We also had fresh crab - and they were BIG suckers!  The scallops were small, but presented in a cream sauce with fried garlic bits on top - very nice!  One day Sue and I went into the village and ate lunch at a Greek restaurant, where the specialty was flaming cheese!  Very spectacular.

Flamed cheese
starter at the
Greek restaurant 

Boracay - The Island of Stunning Sunsets

Getting here was a mission!  I met Sue and William at Pudong airport, but unfortunately, the 00:30 flight was delayed and we didn’t get off the ground until 2:00 am!  

Landing in Manila you could immediately smell the tropical aspects in the air.  As we raced for our next flight (scheduled for a 6:15 departure) we heard and saw something William had told me about.  There were people booking in with roosters in boxes with air-holes.  These were being transported for cock fighting - a sport that seems to still go on here in the Philippines.  

Arriving in Caticlan Airport it was a free-for-all with luggage, but we finally found ours.   We were then transported by bus to the ferry.  The porters carried our things up a small, steep gangplank, and we followed.  After a 10-minute boat trip we were finally on the Island of Boracay, but not yet to our destination.  Another 10-minute bus ride saw us at our hotel - Nigi Nigi Two.  

We have had, in the 3 days so far, many great experiences, but for this post, I want to share the beautiful sunsets.  So here you have them.

xxx,

Shanghaisuz

Right outside our hotel.

Idyllic!

Boats at sunset

Evening sky

Stunning colors

Tropical sunset