Boracay in July

I spent a couple of days in Boracay last week on work assignment. Although I just breezed through the island, it was still refreshing nonetheless. A trip to the beach is always a welcome addition to any itinerary, even (and especially) if I have to be at the beach for work!

And just when I thought I will be spending my trip completely alone, serendipity smiled upon me with a chance encounter with my good friend Dondon who turned out to be billeted in the same resort as I was. D. was there with Aaron and his boyfriend Randy. Aaron and Randy are makeup artists from The Makeup Studio and they were all there not just on holiday but also to do the makeup and attend the wedding of their coordinator friend the next day. So, everything turned out to be quite a party, even when we just shared breakfast and a morning by the beach together—as much fun as you can get in the company of old friends:)Good food, good company, and of course, Boracay itself. A lot has been said about the island and its development. This is not a place where you go on holiday to get away from it all and feel your isolation from humanity. That said, it has something for everyone—from the ultra luxurious (crossing my fingers, hope to see you soon Shangri-La Boracay!) to the most basic of wants and needs. Boracay has it all.

And it didn’t hurt that recently, Travel + Leisure Magazine declared Boracay as the world’s 4th best island. It was the first time Boracay ever made it to the list. As if we needed T+L to tell us that it’s one of the best in the world, no? Our own family driver hails from Aklan and he tells me stories of going to Boracay in the 50’s, way before any development, and it was, in a word, paradise.

For now, the island will surely be a mainstay in my work and travel. After four trips to Boracay, I still haven’t gotten tired of the nowhere-else-but-in-Boracay sand and the nowhere-else-but-in-Boracay sunset. I hope it stays that way for a long time to come.