Mom is a part time instructor for midwifery board exam review. This season happens every summer and last quarter of the year. One summer of 2015, a review center was thankful to mom so the owner gave her a treat. It's a trip for 4 to Boracay, a popular tourist destination here in Philippines. I've always been curious how the place looks like and why it's so popular. Thanks to the treat I was able to have a vacation there. Mom took me and my nieces to this weeklong summer getaway.
ON THE WAY TO BORACAY
From the airport, we have to ride a boat going to Boracay. This is the only mode of transportation that time. I hope there are more options now. This photo is the view of the island we passed by. I love the clean and blue water there. We feel safe and at ease because the staff who are assisting us are very careful and accommodating.
HOTEL LOBBY
This is the lobby and reception area of the hotel where we stay. We sit in that area to wait for the service van fetching tourists regularly. We can easily see them pass by in this area.
SOME FOODS AT THE HOTEL
This is the breakfast we had at the hotel. They served us plain rice with egg and our local sweetened pork called longganisa. What I like with our breakfast is that the eggs are well done. I prefer a well done egg because it's more tasty. I'm not fond of sweetened and processed meat not only because it's unhealthy but also because it's too sweet. But this one is different. Its sweetness is just right and the meat is juicy. It goes really well with the eggs. I also like their orange juice. It tastes better than the powdered drink and it's not too sweet.
THE TOURIST SPOT
The beach is Boracay's main attraction and the reason why this place is so popular to tourists. I saw local and some foreign tourists such as Americans, Koreans, Chinese, and Indians while we are at the beach. Employees there offer different services. Some services I saw are braiding, tattoo, and massage. There are a lot of establishments too so we have a lot of choices anytime we want to have our meals. The are events and performances at night which makes the beach a very lively place. We just enjoyed swimming and playing at the white sand then we had our dinner at Pizza Hut.
Boracay is quite crowded due to its popularity. This is another reason why the place is lively. We enjoyed our stay there as we beat the summer heat and enjoy our meals. This is the only place where I experienced wearing two piece swimsuit because it's very common there so I don't feel awkward. I also like the night life there. We feel safe and we like the live shows there. We stayed there for three days then we headed to our next destination.
THE FUN CONTINUES AT THE SEAFOOD CAPITAL
We spent the next four days of our vacation in the province of Capiz, the seafood capital of Philippines. Mom's brother live there so we stayed in his place. We occupied their guest room. The following day, we experienced the seafood capital feels when we had our lunch.
My aunt served this huge crab to us. We ate this with rice. This crab alone is enough proof that Capiz really is our seafood capital. You'll never see a huge crab that is close to the size of a plate in other places here. It's only in Capiz. The taste is very fresh and flavorful compared to the ones we eat in the city and even in restaurants. This crab is good for two people. We also tried their scallops. I'm so happy because it's my favorite seafood and it's very rare in cities. I didn't miss the chance to have some.
HANGING OUT AT THE BEACH
There's a beach near my uncle's place. They brought us there and we had a walk at the seaside. These are some of the photos I have captured while the sun sets. The place is so relaxing because of the cool breeze and the ambiance.
There is a stall that sells street foods. We had a seat as we relax near the beach. We ordered barbecue, nuts, quail eggs, and chicken intestines which we call isaw.
BONDING WITH RELATIVES
Movie time means bonding with relatives. My cousin invited us to watch a movie so I captured this moment at the living room. We watched the sci-fi movie, Lucy. I remember how amazed we are with its unique story that answers a "what if" question if we have the ability to use more than 10% of our brain. We also played cards while we stay in the house. This weeklong vacation is time well spent. I would love to go back to Boracay and Capiz and bond with our relatives again. I highly recommend adding these tourist destinations to your bucket list. You will surely enjoy a lot of activities in Boracay and a lot of delicious and fresh seafoods in Capiz.