Why I keep coming back to the island

wearing H&M bikini

I always tell myself I'll just pack up one day and book a one way ticket to Boracay. Whenever I'm there, it's always too easy to imagine leaving everything here in Manila and live alone to do some growing up and soul-searching or whatever it is confused girls do. The lure of the bohemian life is too strong when there are days of all work and no play and when I see my tan beginning to fade. Maybe, just maybe, I'll have the guts to leave the city and be the beach baby I always wanted to be. Or not. I don't think I can survive on the island's Mango outlet store forever..nor convince Jake to live there with me despite the promise of  Jonah's/beers and chori burgers all day.

Moving on, yes I know deep musings never suit me, I meant to write that it's now tradition to at least head back there once a year. This year, the boyfriend and I went with the boys--his barkada from Ateneo High and who are now almost like brothers to me after almost six years of hanging out at inumans and deciphering their funny boy talk.

Four whole days and nights, seven crazy boys, one girl, and the island. You bet your ass we had a blast!

wearing Dorothy Perkins bikini

Bright, sunny days and breezy nights passed by in a blur of waking up to get our Jonah's fix, swimming and snorkeling between beaches, eating chori burgers, walking from one station to another, and hopping from one party place to the next when the boys are drinking and the rain (which, weirdly, only pours at 2am every night) starts pouring.

Since we went during Labor Day Weekend, practically everyone there knew each other. Boracay was like one huge campus where everybody knows everybody. We ran into blockmates, high school classmates, and relatives from Manila the whole time!

And now, my thoughts are so disorganized that I have just decided to write and re-live the highlights by day in separate posts instead of randomly sharing tidbits. But first, can I just say that I'm so happy they finally built a proper airport at Caticlan? When I was there last year, they broke my luggage 'cause there's no proper luggage circular ramp thingy and had to wait under the scorching heat of the sun for it. That new airport was so zen.

Kudos, people of Caticlan!