Isla Baile 'til Dawn

You know a bar is good when the locals themselves hang out there.That's what Isla Baile is. The Boracay local's "after party-party place".

Once the drinking and dancing in Bom Bom and another bar called Juice was over, we thought we were gonna call it a night. Little did we know that our newfound Boracay friends had another place on their itinerary. At around 3am, they brought us here.

In that ungodly hour, this bar was still open. You see, it's the only 24 hour Bar on the island.

Isla Baile is located inside D'mall. It's a cozy little place with couches and knick knacks you'd want to tinker with, like interesting lamps and Star Wars memorabilia. Adding to the homey atmosphere, on one side, is a wall covered with photographs of frequent visitors and friends, even celebrities who've dropped by. A detail I love is the ceiling, roughly painted to look like the sky, it's beauty is well worn when you're staring at it tipsy.

The place is run by trippy manager Eric, whose love for retro music is so extreme that it's all he insists on playing. In fact, he claims that his bar is the only retrobar on the island too. Eric is also the kind of guy who'll get you into a really stupid conversation, that you will find hard to leave even if you haven't reached a point for 30 minutes.

"Kelan kayo aalis?"

"Wednesday."

"So day after Tuesday. Ang alin?"

"Ang alis."

"Alis nino?"

"Namin."

"Kelan?"

"Wednesday!"

One more thing I love about this place is the super cool bartender, Cathy.
She's the man, when she's behind the counter, with those huge headphone's hanging from her neck, stereotype-ishly chewing gum while mixing the magical drinks only she knows.

"Ako lang ang nakakaalam ng mga timpla na yan." She says confidently. "Kaya kung wala ako, wala nang gagawa niyan." She boasts as she hands us the nth complimentary glass of the sweetest, bestest cocktail I've ever tasted. It was so good Ezra wanted to marry her.

I think she offered us four different kinds of cocktails, all expensive, at least P400 per shot/glass. I guess she really liked us cause she just kept filling up those shakers and pouring them. Ah, we are blessed.

As I said, it's the local's after party-party place. This is where people head when everything else closes down and they're still in the mood to drink, dance, chill or just eat. With a bar open 24/7, the party's never over. Which is exactly why I love this place. I love it so much, I passed out because of Cathy's drinks and woke up to a family having breakfast infront of me.

That's how comfortable I was there. Eric made me sleep my amats away on the couch. And at one point when I was forcing consciousness, Eric mentioned that they were planning to put a branch up in Manila too. I don't know if that can match the vibe of this place but, just like what I have to say about this place: It's sooo worth a try.

I forgive Ezra for taking this picture because it's really good.


but this, is just him being a bitch.


Partying like there's no tomorrow. Actually, it's tomorrow na!

It's a threesome! Iba talaga 'pag may tama na.

Cathy's shot. Delicious!!! I'm coming back for more!

Boracay in August: Part 2

Before we left for Boracay, a lot of people also questioned the date of
our trip. We were all imagining the same thing: stormy weather, big
waves, deserted island...

We couldn't have been more wrong.

What rain?

Even if the sky was dark while we were in Tabon port, the sun broke out just as we stepped on the island. God loves us!

If I had no idea what month it was, I would have thought it was summer.
The weather was perfect! Cool breeze, hot sun, calm water and without
the icky summertime algae! Even the locals said we were lucky.
According to them, days before we arrived, it was just raining non-stop.
What can I say, I bring the sun with me. Haha!



So we were lucky. But just in case, here's what to expect when travelling to Boracay during the "off-season."

1. Cheaper rates.
Like I said, we got our beach front cottage for just P900 a night.

2. Koreans, Koreans,Koreans.
I have nothing against Koreans, but seeing them in groups every single minute in their heels and long sleeves and matching outfits kinda gets to me. I swear, with their population on the island, you'd think you were in Korea. Even establishments now have a Korean version of their signs.



3. Anti-Habagat nets.
Establishments usually put up nets tied to bamboo poles facing the beach.
This is to shield them from the strong Habagat winds during this season.
It's not that bad, it just blocks the scene of shops and bars when you're in the water.



4.Tambay with the locals.
Because the island wasn't overpopulated and the locals weren't busy,we got to hang-out and mingle with them. They were the skim boarders, bar owners, bartenders, waiters, dragonboat people...they're really cool and their lifestyle makes you feel like you're a freaking slave.

We really learned a lot from them. But the most important thing we learned was this: they can't stand Manileños. I don't blame them. The way some people turn Boracay into Greenbelt or Eastwood, that sucks. The way, (as the locals put it) "they come and strut around the island like it's theirs." I could just imagine. All the noisy dude-pares and the screaming, tipsy chicks who come there to meet each other, screw each other and go back to Manila, leaving their mess behind. Yes, I can't stand Manileños too. Boracay, adopt me.

But that's not all. They really cringe at celebrities too! According to the locals all of them look alike, those tisoys and tisays who feel oh so special. They really don't give a shit about these people. As a matter of fact, some of the locals leave the island during the peak season to avoid the Manila crowd. Sad isn't it? It's a good thing we got a chance to hang out with them.
Boracay, I'm yours.

Once When It Rained

The only time it really rained in Boracay was on the morning of our second day.
Ezra and I woke up to wind so strong it was bending the coconut trees, really heavy rain and big-ass waves. But instead of staying in the cottage, we gulped down some Tanduay, changed into our suits and charged the sea, screaming our lungs out.

"Is that all you've got?!!"

"Sige, ibuhos mo pa, t*ngina!!!"

"You can't ruin our mood, God! We're in Boracay!!!"

We were the only people on the beach. No one was crazy (or drunk) enough to go out in that weather. The sky and the water were practically touching each other, it was dark and freezing cold. The water looked so scary, like an infinite army of waves that kept pushing us to shore and we just kept pushing back. We spent a good hour or two just running and shouting and swimming under the dark clouds like it was the end of the world.

Pretty soon, when God realized that there was nothing he could do to dampen our spirit, the sun came out.

Things to do before I die: Swim in a stormy sea, check.

A Few More Pics

Just
sharing a few more pics that I may not be able to fit into any other
article. Here's hoping they tell the rest of the story.

Boracay in August

The rainy weather didn’t even make me think twice about going to Boracay during this season. I needed a break really badly, and I didn’t care if it was raining as long as it was sand and water in front of me, instead of my office computer.

Having almost only two weeks to arrange my vacation. I submitted my leave form, booked my flight through Air Philippines, the place; Bans Beach Resort and tagged along my “kaladkarin” officemate, Ezra.

So off we went to the place now fondly called Boradise. Cheesy, I know.

Ez and I didn’t go straight to Kalibo though, we landed in Iloilo first since I wanted to visit some relatives along the way. So we took a roadtrip from Iloilo to Antique to Aklan.

Due to the Habagat winds, the Caticlan port was temporarily closed, we were asked to transfer to Tabon port, just a short drive or tricycle away. It wasn’t raining when we arrived at the port, but it was kind of gloomy. That is why instead of heading straight for the beachfront, the ferry boat dropped us off at the back of the island. There, we found tricycles lined up, charging P100 for a “special” ride to any resort. The “non-special” ride means filling up the tricycle jeepney-style, in which case passengers split the cost.

The ride seemed to take forever, because I was itching to see the beach already. And the fact that the backroads of boracay looked like UP Village didn’t help my anxiousness either.

Finally, we got down, walked as fast as we could towards the beach and just as I saw a glimpse of the white, powdery sand, it sank: TANGINA NASA BORACAY AKO!!!

Ezra, such a gentleman, left me behind. He just dropped his bags, ran towards the water and twirled under the sun. He also got on his knees and kissed the sand…a must for Boracay newcomers, we were told. He really had no intention of hiding the fact that he was a big, fat, Boracay virgin.

And so our adventures began.

Too bad, no amount of words can capture the excitement we experienced during the 5 days and 4 nights we were there, but I’ll be sharing snippets nonetheless. Prepare to get very, very jealous.