(Big) Island Hopping

From the powdery beaches of Boracay to the familiar boulevard of Dumaguete

Travel date: 17-30 July 2019
Destinations: Kalibo, Boracay Island, Mararison Island, Iloilo City, Bacolod City, Dumaguete City
Images: Gregg Yan

At the ridge-side of Lantawan Peak in Mararison Island with mainland Antique in the background

At the height of Habagat season, we agreed to take two weeks off to cross the island of Panay in Western Visayas towards Dumaguete in Negros Oriental. I would have done it solo, as usual, but since a few moons ago, adventures and excursions have become a pleasant joint affair.

Melt-in-your-mouth oysters for lunch

Our adventure started in Kalibo, the almost-city capital of Aklan province. I met him at the arrival gate just as the torrential rain stopped and let his plane disembark. We then walked a couple hundred meters, dodging puddles and tourist vans, to catch a late dinner and beer. The following day, we negotiated a tricycle ride (aka the taxis of the old that would bring you literally anywhere at the right price) to New Washington where I almost cried eating melt-in-your-mouth fresh oysters.

Oysters are filter feeders that eat plankton and algae. They are a low-trophic type of seafood, which means that they sit very low on the food chain and are sustainable and low-impact sources of food. Although plant-based food will always be my go-to, locally-sourced and sustainably-produced food is the higher goal.

Two pairs of clean feet with slipper tan lines on powder-fine white sand in Boracay Island

Switching to beach mode

Later in the afternoon, I found myself in awe (for the nth time) of White Beach in Boracay. The wind was blowing strongly, the sand was white and powdery as ever, the waves rolled in one after the other, and my eyes twinkled and smiled in a heart-shaped manner. The carpet of tourists that stretched from Station 1 to 3 even added to its appeal and energy.

For the next seven days, we got out of bed late, walked 10,000 steps, ate both cheaply and expensively, sought random adventures, and drank beer before bed. Laptop work was pushed to the back-burner, but only because internet was not available where it should be.

On most afternoons, we headed out to White Beach and played like kids, either in the water or on the sand. On others, we walked into luxury resorts and enjoyed their amenities, sometimes with a resort fee and sometimes for free.

One high-energy activity that we did though, was horse-back riding. We trotted across golfing hills and galloped down beach coves -- by "we" I mean "95% him, 1% me, and 4% our guide". It was my real first experience and it didn't seem as scary or dangerous as I thought. I also didn't expect it to be extremely exhausting.

A trio of jolly horse-back riders at the golf course of Fairways and Bluewater in Boracay Island

Tiny but terrible Mararison

By day 9, heavy rains have descended onto the paradise island. Luckily, we were already on the move towards the tiny island of Mararison in Antique.

Accessible from Culasi Port via a 20-minute boat ride, Mararison* Island (aka Malalison Island) is a 55-hectare hook-shaped picturesque island that features rolling hills, white sand beaches, marine sanctuaries, and a welcoming community. It offers a feast for outdoorsmen and nature lovers with its varied hiking trails, long stretches of sand, and protected snorkelling sites, not to mention it has a cave, a lake, an islet, a solar power plant, and mobile and internet signal.

After asking about local celebrities who have visited and of local spots to check out, we followed Ate Jiji to catch the sunset from Lantawan Peak, all the while badgering her with a million questions and a thousand photographs. She shared both her personal history and her island's history while we posed on steep slopes and beside pitcher plants.

The following morning, we were up and about way before my set alarm. We set out to comb the entire beach for sea glass**, finding some rare colors, and ended up walking over marble boulders at the other side of the island. On the way, we saw kids burying each other in the sand, so-called "jackstones" that break down incoming waves, a washed-up porcupine fish with pouty lips, and several typhoon-damaged house ruins.

*"Mararison" also translates to "the naughty kid/sibling" in the local dialect. Mararison Island is part of a trio of small islands located west off the coast of Antique, together with Maniquin Island and Batbatan Island. It is presumably "the naughtiest" of the three island-siblings.

**Sea glass refers to shards of broken glass that have been weathered by the sea, thus acquiring a frosted appearance and smoothened edges.

I paused to pose with my full travelling pack before boarding our boat at Culasi Port in Antique

Quickie in the city

After a 6-hour, semi-comfortable, stop-and-go ride aboard a non-air-conditioned Ceres bus, we arrived at our internet- and cable-equipped, white linen-dressed, standard hotel room in Iloilo City. It was an opportunity to catch up with some laptop work and to get some quality sleep, but only for the next 15 hours.

Newspaper hunting in inasal country

Despite the battering rain, we managed to get a taxi to the fastcraft terminal in Iloilo City. The two-hour fastcraft ride to Bacolod City seemed out-of-budget at Php300, but it does include a free movie chosen by whichever midshipman has the remote. In this case, it was Alita: The Battle Angel.

Arriving at Bacolod City, our priorities shifted between getting lunch and finding a newspaper -- both ridiculously difficult goals at that time -- before running out of buses. It was already 3pm and buses run only until 8pm to Dumaguete, which is at least a further 6 hours away.

Almost synonymous to chicken inasal*, or Filipino grilled chicken, majority (if not all) restaurants in Bacolod City specialized in some variation of chicken inasal, while non-meat dishes were unthinkable. We ended up at Manokan Country, a line of local, independent restaurants all dedicated to the local delicacy. I was already settling for rice and plain soup but thought oysters might be okay. Well, I was immobilized with a stomachache the next day.

While I was saving our table at Manokan Country, he made a run to the local central market where newspapers were allegedly found. This was after checking convenience stores, coffee shops, supermarkets, newspaper stands, and bookstores for that Sunday's issue of the Manila Bulletin, the country's largest English language broadsheet newspaper by circulation. At a time when paper publications are dying and in a region where Panay News dominates, it took a great deal of inconvenience, hustling and asking around to grab one of few copies of Manila Bulletin's Panorama.

With these goals ticked, we settled into our air-conditioned Ceres bus seats and drifted to sleep.

*Inasal, esp. chicken inasal, refers to a method of grilling chicken that originated in the City of Bacolod. Typically, specifically-cut chicken parts are marinated in a mixture of calamansi, pepper, coconut vinegar, and annatto then grilled over hot coals, and served with rice, soy sauce, chicken oil, and sinamak.

All smiles and some wine for these nature- and environment-minded peeps

A meeting of green minds

It was the start of the week and the end of our trip. Work duties have been knocking so we began to transition back to our work routines. This just meant drinking coffee, getting up before 9am, sitting in a cafe or restaurant somewhere, and typing on our laptops.

Additionally, we met up with friends of mine and friends of his for dinner and drinks. This consisted of people from different backgrounds and hometowns who all ended up in Dumaguete that night, primarily because of environment- and conservation-related work. Over Italian-style mushroom pasta, hard goat cheese, gin and tonic, and the requisite San Miguel beer, we exchanged stories from the wild, from previous travels, and of ridiculous anecdotes. Passion and compassion were shared around without actually being said and it felt very comfortable and familiar.

A few hours later, at the break of dawn, we were back in Manila and having a second round of breakfast at McDonald's.

Treasures from the sea: inorganic, differently-coloured shards of glass [left] and organic, algae-eating molluscs [right]

Sun-down silhouettes: a mid-air taekwondo kick, a paddleboard instructor, last-light beach-bathers; last-trip paraw sails

The oft-called Batanes of the Visayas: rolling hills, grassy lands, ocean views, distant clouds, sunset glow

Birthday Travels

Since 2014, I have been spending my birthdays at a beach destination far away from the city. Although this isn't something my parents necessarily appreciate and my friends exactly understand, I feel good about staring out at the sea with the wind blowing on my face as I celebrate my personal new year. Selfish, maybe, but people always wish each other "an amazing/awesome/great/happy birthday", so I'm just fulfilling their wishes.

As most significant life events, it wasn't planned but was a result of a situation -- a coincidence if you may. My bestfriend was coming home to the Philippines for Christmas in 2014 and wanted to make time for a beach trip. It just turned out that my birthday weekend was the most ideal for both our schedules. So we decided on a location, made minimal plans, and pushed through even with an impending storm. After that trip, I realized that that's what I want to do every year.

The first year

In 2014, I went to a surfing town called Baler with my high school bestfriend who now lives in London and whom I see every couple of years but frequently talk with. Apart from the first night's accommodation and travel directions, we didn't really plan for anything else. We stayed along Sabang beach, the main tourist area, at a cheap lodging I found online and made plans as hours went by, which included an afternoon nap, a surfing session, bicycle-hunting, and a DIY tour. It was both our first time in the area (and our first time travelling together) so there were lots of things to be excited about.

On the morning of my birthday, we woke up early to catch the sunrise, strolling along the dark empty beach and staring meditatively out at the sea (well I did). The wind blew strong, the clouds threatened with rain, and the sun failed to display itself. Nevertheless, I felt good being up and about early enough and being with good company. On the way back to our lodge, we were drawn to a small local bakery by the smell of baked goods. We decided to buy mini-cupcakes and mini-candles with which she and our lodge neighbors sang happy birthday to me.

At dinner, I received my second birthday song when the restaurant staff surprised us with a free birthday dessert of turon ala mode. We were having dinner with our lodge neighbor, Miles, a surfer from California who had a semi-handlebar mustache and who talked about waves travelling for miles and miles before crashing down on a beach and how amazing it is for a surfer to catch that energy. I was actually very tired and zoning in and out of the conversation so I was in a dream-like state when the staff came out singing loudly with a candle to blow out.

As I don't normally get two birthday candles and birthday songs when celebrating in the city, this boded well for my first out-of-town celebration.

I always find myself staring out at the sea whenever faced by it 

Red velvet and kiwi mini-cupcakes with pink and white mini-candles amidst a background of turquoise waters and rolling waves

First of two birthday songs c/o a long-time friend and a day-old friend

The succeeding years

A hand-made birhday cake

The following year, I decided to do the same but with a little more planning. In 2015, I went on a 3-day road trip to Northern Luzon with a good friend from college whom I had recently re-connected with. She learned that I had spent the past year travelling and wanted to try the same. We stayed three nights at three different destinations (Vigan, Pagudpud, La Union), making countless stops along the way, including a star-studded and surreal one at the Bangui Windmills, and driving 6-8 hours in between. On the eve of my birthday, I was sitting by myself at a quiet corner in the hostel when a group started singing happy birthday. Although secretly hoping, I instantly knew that it wasn't intended for me and that made me feel very strange -- indifference trying to keep the feeling of loneliness at bay. Nevertheless, I did get a birthday cake, which my friend drew on the sand, and a birthday sunset amidst the crashing waves.

Towards the end of our 2nd 7-hour drive, we stopped at Bangui in pitch-black darkness beneath a star-studded and gas-clouded night sky while the gigantic windmills loudly burred in the background.

In 2016, I went on a weekend trip to Pundaquit, Zambales with a college blockmate whom I always make time to bond with. I invited her to come away with me, wanting to have company and to catch up with her. We boarded a bus at Kamias, transferred to another one at Olongapo, chartered a tricycle at San Antonio, and walked 100m along the beach to our almost-private beach cottage. The following night, we waited for December 5 with drinks on the table, just talking and sharing stories, switching between life, love, and laughs. The waves rolled by, stars faded in and out, and rain showered softly throughout midnight before we decided to turn in. There was neither cake nor song and it didn't feel celebratory but it was the best I could hope for.

We found ourselves beside a fishing village that thrives on both fish catch and island-hopper traffic. The vibe was the opposite of party but it was a good venue for escaping internal and external noise.

The previous year

This 2017 felt quite different as I have been living in an island for a month prior with my old man (not referring to my dad but he does act like my dad at times). There was no beach escape to plan and no friend to anticipate. Also, unlike the previous years, I was quite busy with work and couldn't afford a full-day celebration. Nevertheless, I was at the beach, gazing at the sunset, without an ensuing back-to-the-city trip.

I spent the morning doing as much work as I can focus on before slipping into a dress I specifically brought for this day and discreetly slipping out of the house. I daintily hopped onto the back of a motorcycle and rushed to the dive center, hoping to catch my freedive buddies and share with them the birthday Mango Float cake I hastily made the previous night. They happily greeted me and the four of us enjoyed my homemade cake (the only food I am confident enough to feed to other people). Afterwards, me and my old man sat by the beach just in time for sunset during which I started telling him about my previous birthday celebrations and how different the year's celebration felt. Shortly after, he excused himself to dress for dinner so I was able to enjoy my cocktails, online birthday greetings and brief chats with old friends.

With the absence of travel, my celebratory plan was to get drunk on happy hour cocktails and laugh the night away. It wasn't the best idea or a mature one and maybe I should stick with discovering a new beach the next time.

*****

Now that I am no longer basing myself in the city, situations similar to 2017's will likely become more normal...and that's a good thing. Though my celebrations don't come with a blast and a lot of excitement, it is what feels right and meaningful. However, I still don't recommend completely isolating yourself on the day when you want to feel loved.