Boracay: In Transit

Prelude. It was already 3:00 PM when we got to the terminal for vans bound for Kalibo. I was feeling a bit concerned since Kalibo is still three hours away and then Caticlan will take another two hours from there.

There was a van about to go already when we got there but we were advised to wait for the next one so we could sit comfortably and so we did. It was just a little while before the next van came but to me, every minute that passed seemed an eternity. When the next van came, we immediately took the seat at the back of the driver. It was just perfect for all of us. It was roomy and sits the four of us and the kids quite comfortably. Then the first of a series of mishaps happened.

The van wasn’t parked correctly so the driver was advised to do so. I don’t know what was wrong with him but he certainly did seem over zealous. In his haste, he managed to get us into a ditch! Imagine that! And that was not all. When the right, front wheel fell into the ditch, the sliding door of the van also got dislodged. With the ease with which the driver returned the door to its place, I knew that that wasn’t the first time it happened. And I was like, “Oh, alright…” After that incident I finally noticed that the van’s interiors were shabby and some seats were in need of repairs.

I was never one of those travelers who is a stickler for comfort and style. A little (or more) discomfort does not disconcert me. To me, it’s part of the adventure. However, this time, I was traveling with family and their safety is what matters to me. As how it often is in traveling in the provinces, there isn’t much of an alternative and besides, that was the last trip bound for Kalibo. So we stayed with the van despite some warning bells ringing in my head. Nonetheless, I remained optimistic. And soon after we were on our way.

As if to counter my optimism, it rained along the way. And to add to my dismay, there were probably holes on the roof of the van since there were some drippings inside. I was happy to note, however, that on where we were seated, there was none. So compared to the other passengers, we were relatively dry. Or so I thought.

Somewhere a long the way the driver opened his side of the window. This, in order to make it easier for him to reach out and wipe dry his side of the windshield as the wiper wasn’t working at all. (Yes, imagine that! Wiper not working and it was raining cats and dogs at that time!) And then as I was feeling grateful for being relatively dry despite the depressing state of the van, a speeding bus from the opposite direction managed to send our way – through the opened window of our driver – quite a splash of water. And the water went straight to my face!

My reaction was immediate. I laughed out loud so suddenly that Mama looked at me in alarm. I was really finding the whole thing amusing. Mama also laughed when she finally understood why I was laughing. I mean, the whole experience was really something. To me, it felt as if it was properly staged, complete with all the works. Everything seemed a scene out of a comedy movie. And I must add -- once or twice a long the way, the door also dislodged itself after a passenger alighted from the van.

The light was starting to fade and I was also noting that there are more dark clouds across the horizon. I was fearful that it was raining hard in Caticlan too. We had booked our accommodations at Boracay for that night and the following two days. I do not fancy having to look for a place in Caticlan in case we would not be allowed to cross due to bad weather.

At Kalibo. I was glad when I started to recognize the outskirts of Kalibo. We are at last on our last leg of the trip. My gladness soon gave way to sorrow when I started to notice the state of the place. Our taxi driver in Iloilo had informed us that Kalibo was the hardest hit by the typhoon and that the devastation we saw in Jaro (which was really something) was nothing compared to Kalibo’s. So I had had my expectations. It was, however, nothing compared to what I saw. Billboards had fallen. There were full roofs stuck in the middle of electric lines. Houses and buildings alike were in a state of disarray. It was a depressing sight.

The driver of the van we were on was kind enough to take us to where there were vans bound for Caticlan even though it was still several blocks from where his stop should be. It wasn’t raining when we arrived in Kalibo but it started to rain just as we are about to board the second van. It was already dark when we started for Caticlan. I looked longingly at jeeps bearing the “New Washington” signboards. I know we were very close to the place. But that would have to wait. For now, Boracay awaits.

I was grateful to note that this part of the road network was really good. Though most part of the way was in a zig-zag, the roads were not bumpy at all. It was by far better than the roads networks of Iloilo-Roxas-Kalibo. I guess the local government really made an investment on this. Boracay, after all, is frequented by quite a number of tourists whole-year round.

We traveled in the dark with the headlights of the van only making the illumination. Thankfully, as if to make up for the previous experience, the second van was very roomy and very comfortable. The aircon was working well too. So it was really a very relaxing ride. The olds, however, are starting to show the signs of fatigue. It had been a long day. I was tired myself.

It was already 8:00 PM when we reached the jetty terminal. I was surprised to find out there were still several tourists there, also on their way to Bora. In my tiredness and confusion, I had to make several visits to the ticket booth. Things have changed. I was expecting we’ll be buying ferry tickets inside the terminal as before. This time, we had to get it from the windows outside.

Anyway, exhaustion was really starting to wear me down especially when Baby still showed signs of being in high spirits. He was running all over the place. Still, I was able to take special note of the interesting things going on in the terminal. There were several tourists there. The group was a mixture of Asian and local tourists. Most looked Oriental. There were kids too as there were several families there. I thought this was interesting especially since it’s the first week of July and school has already started. They were probably from International Schools, or from schools that observe trimesters. Or, probably, like us, they really just made time for a quick vacation. In our case, we had to talk to Janin’s teacher to excuse her for a few days from school.

We had to wait for a while for the ferry and it only underlined our weariness. I know the olds were already eager to rest. We had had little sleep the night before in order to pack and then we had to wake up real early to catch an early 6:15 AM flight. And then we had been traveling non-stop since then. We were quite a big group -- waiting for the ferry -- and everyone seemed intent to board it no matter what. Thankfully, we were still able to sit comfortably at the back. The crossing just took 15 to 20 minutes.

Bora at last. Unlike in the past wherein the ferry would make a beeline for white beach, this time, there is already a designated “pier.” So we again had to board a tricycle that would take us to our resort. To our dismay we noted that the island is enveloped in darkness. There was a brownout. That had me worried. It made me think the owner of the resort probably just reassured us that everything is well but in truth it wasn’t. The tricycle driver was reassuring, however, saying that the lights are due to be on any minute and that life in Bora had already been restored even the week before.

It took a while before a personnel from the resort we were to stay came to where we were waiting. The olds were growing fretful by the minute. It really was just exhaustion talking. An then at long last, there we were. We rented an entire house for the occasion. While there was only one bedroom, there are two big beds. The sala was spacious also that could hold another big bed. The place come with a ref too, perfect for the groceries we bought in Roxas. We knew that everything is expensive in Bora and the next day was my birthday after all. We intended to have some macaroni salad so we really had to buy groceries from Roxas.

What I appreciated most about the place was the wi-fi connection. It meant I could still do my work and email my reports on time. It also meant we could easily get in touch with Ate and the kids 24/7. Well, 24/3 that is, since we would be in Bora for 3 days only. It was the reason why, as inconvenient as it may have been, I dragged my laptop all the way there.

Andok’s. Our immediate need was food so we went out in search of restaurants. We immediately stumbled upon “Andok’s.” I was a bit surprised to have found some relatively priced resto’s in Bora. In the past, everything seemed awfully expensive. With the likes of Andok’s and Mang Inasal dotting the place, local tourists now have some cheaper alternatives.

For the second time that day, Bee and I had bangus. For that second time that day as well, the olds and Janin are having chicken. Luckily this time, the joint sell pork sinigang so they had that as well. I couldn’t resist an order of leche flan. It had been a long day, I was in need of some comfort food. After eating we went back to our cottage, washed up and slept. (To be continued...)