Where in the World (is Boracay Islands?)

Boracay Islands is a famous little hideaway. Those who wish to catch a glimpse of the crystal clear waters have to do a bit of traveling to get there. It pretty much took us a whole day to get there and back. On our way to the island, we stopped in at Manila and on the way back, at Clark. In between consisted of a lot of bus tickets, tricycle and boat rides and...sitting. Talk about playing hard to get! Below, my lovely volunteer Jessica models for us the way to get to Boracay.

First up was the ferry ride to Macau. Everyone managed to start snoring 10 minutes in on the ride despite the freezing temperature inside the boat.


After flying in a standard sized Tiger Airways plane and staying the night in Manila, we boarded a teeny weeny little propeller plane to the Island. When Jeff saw this, he said, "uh oh. This was the type of planes I was trying to avoid." Despite such an ominous statement, our flight was smooth and peaceful.

After reaching the Island airport, we rode off on one of these babies, gliding through the waters. Though the quarters were cramped, it was a neat experience.

Finally, we landed at our dream destination! But one more ride was still to be had. In Philippines, most people either rode these carts, known as tricycles, or "jeepneys," long, metallic, often gaudy, hearse-like vehicles. The tricycles were bumpy and cramped to the max but it got us where we needed to go!

The final destination?  Yea, definitely worth the sore butts, dry mouths and static hair.

Paradise Found..and Lost

It gets really sad when you start prioritizing your blog over your essay due in less than twelve hours.  For my blog, I set deadlines for myself and don't move until I finish a post. For my essay, I wonder aimlessly, snack alot, I even went to the airport to see my aunt off just so I wouldn't have to face that Word document.  

Now, once again, I am choosing my blog over my essay.  The latter I will finish tomorrow morning, race to the printers and slip it in just before my 1 o clock class.  The former I will recount right now because...who doesn't love pretty pictures? I know I do. I'm just sharing the beauty.  

And how beautiful is Boracay, Philippines?  We went during off-season so the shores were pretty much inhabited only by us and a few Korean couples in matching couple outfits. (Apparently, this is quite a hotspot for my chingoos. I couldn't help but be a little jealous, they all looked like they were shooting a korean drama!)  

Talk about pretty, right?  I couldn't believe my eyes every time I stepped out onto the beach.  It was a picture times a thousand. It was Switzerland times a hundred.  It was a dream come true.

The rest of the Philippines (we also stayed at Manila and Clark) was not quite as nice.  Philippines is still a very poor, developing country and trespassing through the shadier streets and forlorn countryside was quite an eye-opening experience.

Many a times, we would be walking down the street only to have small children, all under the age of 6, harass us for money.  They begged, they pleaded, they'd cuss and some even got physical in an attempt to get some change out of us.

The thing is, I would gladly give them all I have.

In fact, I did. Just once, it was at the airport and it was to this old man with no limbs, playing a harmonica.  Can you even imagine such a sight? I figured it was okay to give him money since he was actually performing for me so it was kind of like paying for him to do his job.

But with the kids it's different.  Supposedly, gangsters would force these kids and paraplegics to beg for money since people would be more likely to give them money.  The more we give, the more the gangsters would push others to do this.  It's like feeding the system.  

So what to do? Only cast my eyes downwards and walk fast, clutching my purse tightly. I felt like such a jerk. 

It's astounding to be in the same country and be faced with completely different landscapes.  God created so much beauty in this world but mankind keeps screwing things up!  Only we have the power to turn things around.  To change things. To hope for a better world.  Vote for Obama!  Hahaa....jk. Vote for whoever you want.  I'm completely out of it.