Boracay, Philippines

First post ever! Hi everyone whoever you are reading my blog. Since my blog is going to be all about my adventures then I'll start with my most recent adventure, Boracay!

Boracay is an island in the Philippines famous for its fine (really really fine) white sand, crystal clear beaches and of course, the parties! I didn't really go to Boracay for the parties though, more for the friends because it was to be our graduation trip after being together for 4 years. The flight from Manila to Kalibo airport was fast, only 1 hour, however from Kalibo to Caticlan, the port where a boat will take you to Boracay takes 1.5 hours by van. -_-"

Tip: Choose a van with working air-conditioning, ask before you ride. Cost of one van ride should not exceed 200 pesos.

We had already known beforehand that we would hire a van in Kalibo to go to Caticlan but what we didn't expect were the hordes of porters asking us if we already had a van because they would fix us up with one. Luckily among all those that offered us a van, we were able to pick a van wherein the air-conditioning worked. I heard from my other friends who went ahead that they had to endure one and a half hours of heat in their van because the air-conditioning was broken making the air outside cooler than being inside the van. (so choose wisely when you're travelling from Kalibo to Caticlan). We paid 200 pesos per person for the van ride inclusive of the boat ride to Boracay. The boat ride costs 30 pesos if it's not included. The other group that rode the crappy van paid only 175 pesos for the same package but I would rather have paid 25 pesos more for a van with a working air-conditioner.

Finally, after all that travelling, we arrived in Boracay in one piece! The first night was all partying and eating at Andok's (because it's cheap) but I then realized it wasn't for me and so the days that followed became adventure days! And that's where the fun began :D

My friend, Darren, and I decided to explore the island while our other friends were sleeping. Basically, Darren and I would wake up at 4 and our other friends would be going back to our hotel room at 4 after partying the whole night. So we only really saw each other at lunch time or dinner because at other times, one of us would be asleep. :)

First up, DAWN PHOTOGRAPHY. I've never tried taking dawn pictures before but Darren insisted I try it because it would change my life. I then woke up even if I didn't feel like it and we walked towards the beach. Darren taught me on the rules of dawn photography, the settings for the camera, the positioning of the tripod and I listened as best as I could while feeling sleepy. But after that first shot, my sleepiness disappeared. Here's a shot I took at around 4.45 am at Fairways and Bluewater Resort, Boracay.

TIP: Have a cable for your SLR when taking dawn shots, it helps a lot and have a sturdy tripod, makes a difference when there's strong wind.

Afterwards, I decided to play with the movement of the clouds.

More dawn shots...

And then it was time for the WAVES!

More waves!

The old port was one of my favorite shots, it somehow feels calming.

On our second day of dawn photography, some of our friends finally decided to join us even though waking up meant having only 2 hours of sleep. What are friends for ;)

The waves were pretty strong on the second day so I was able to luckily take this picture when the waves hit the broken down port and splashing our two friends.

And a new day begins with a beautiful sunrise :)

I'm now sleepy so I'll continue writing my blog tomorrow :D Good night!