Adventure in Paradise: BORACAY I

When they say that Boracay is a paradise, they are right. The only thing that ruins the aura of isolation is the multitude of people that gather on that tiny island. It was my first time to go there, and the second for my office mates. They said that Boracay changed a lot. The talipapa, the famous market place were you can buy cheap souvenir items was relocated. The original place was ravaged by fire years ago. And the other side of the island is now being developed.

The sand of Boracay is really white – not yellowish white, not brown, not ochre, but white - and very fine. They say it is the ancient coral formation that lends the island its white sandy beaches. And the water – well, the water at the West Beach is already teeming with floating seaweeds – but the water at Puka Beach – it is clear, so clear that you can see your feet under water. Farther from the beach, the water turns aquamarine, not dark blue or black. Had Magellan and his crew landed on this island centuries ago, the Philippines would not have been a colony of Spain. For they would never think of coming back to Spain again. Hehe. It is just an exaggeration, really.





D’ Talipapa

D’ Talipapa is just like any talipapa in the mainland. There are stalls selling different kinds of merchandise – souvenir t-shirts for 75 pesos, key chains (7 for 100 pesos), refrigerator magnets, Hawaiian shorts, batik, lanterns, and many more. You develop your haggling skills here because prices can really drop to as low as you want if you know how to charm your way with the vendors.

One particular stall that I liked is the one selling sarong. They offer so many unique designs (leaves, fish, batik, lizards, etc.) for the sarong that it is difficult to choose one. I settled myself for a sarong with a lizard design. You can use it as a wall decoration for your house. Prices start at 200 pesos. The really beautiful pieces are much expensive. The price depends on the textile, the ink used for the design, and the design itself.

Another stall that stood out is the one selling good copies of expensive CDs. The owner has a large collection of Bob Marley, Putumayo, the Gypsies, and other giants of world music and bossa nova. An original CD of Putumayo is worth 4000 pesos, but a nice copy can be bought from this shop for 100 pesos. He related to us how half of his original collection was destroyed by the fire two years ago. He is just starting again his business and his CD collection. My officemate happily bought 2 CDs, one is a copy of Putumayo. But since I am just a novice when it comes to bossa nova and world music, I just bought shells from a little girl in the shop.

One particular item in the shop that I could not forget is the wooden snake that they were selling for 100 pesos. I saw exactly the same toy snake in Tagaytay just a day before, and it was worth 50 pesos. The snake smelled good business here and having really sharp business acumen, swam across the ocean to Boracay and demanded an additional 50 pesos for all his efforts.

They also sell LANTERNS, LANTERNS, LANTERNS, LANTERNS, LANTERNS (if you find the place, you know what I mean), and other furniture and home decors made from shells.


To be continued...