After our tiring 2nd day, it was finally time to do some water adventures! We psyched ourselves to wake up really early in order to cover all the activities (reef walking, parasailing, island hopping, etc).

Me: Baka maglakad na naman tayo ng walang katapusan ah! Ayoko na. 

Ian: Hindi na, nakakapagod! Saka ano ‘to, walking tour?!

Me: Exactly!

hahaha

Syempre, before we officially start our 3rd day, pictures muna…

Jona’s Milkshake

Before going to Boracay, I read a lot of raves about Jonah’s Fruitshake & Snack Bar. Super sarap daw kasi ng milkshakes nila so we made sure we had time to drop by and try it ourselves.

Jonah’s is located in station 1. Sakto kasi we really wanted to go to station 1 to:

a) see the grotto and

b) claim our free 30mins. massage voucher (c/o TravelOnline) at the nearby Nigi Nigi massage center.

Luckily, Jonah’s also serve breakfast apart from their famous fruit shakes. Since we had to fuel up for a full day of activities, we ordered their “silog” dishes which, if I remember correctly, tasted pretty average lang. 😦

Their milkshakes, on the other hand, were really worth the raves. Ang sarap and fresh specially their mango shake! If you have spare time in Boracay, I recommend a visit to Jona’s 🙂

Nigi Nigi

After breakfast, we headed straight to Nigi Nigi to claim our free full body massage. Here’s a confession: First time ko magpamassage! And after that, I don’t think I ever had another massage again. hahaha  Hindi naman sa ayoko pero parang nakakaguilty to have someone else pamper you like that. Parang hindi ko deserve.

Anyway, the massage felt really nice. Bitin nga lang kasi half an hour lang. We gave the two ladies generous tips since we didn’t have to pay naman for the service itself. 🙂

The Grotto

Luckily, the grotto was just opposite Nigi Nigi so we didn’t have to wander far. I’ve seen it so many times in photos and finally, na-meet ko na sya in person. The grotto was not as huge as I imagined it to be. It would only take several steps to reach the altar. And parang maximum of three persons lang ang kasya. Still, it’s a must see when you’re in Boracay 🙂

Back to the Hotel

We briefly went back to the hotel to freshen up and ask them for any recommendations on trustworthy tour companies. They kindly referred us to Boracay Reefwalking Association which also took care of our parasailing experience. They also contacted a boatman who would take us to a 3-hour island hopping gig in the afternoon.

Reefwalking & Parasailing

Both excited, we approached the nearby booth and signed-up for two water activities — Reefwalking/Helmet Diving (PHP700/pax) & Parasailing (PHP750/pax). After payment, we were asked to sign a waiver confirming that we were healthy & ‘brave’ enough to do such extreme activities!

I was cool as a cucumber during registration but when it was time for us to board the boat, that’s when paranoia hit me…

Me:  Pa’no kung maiwan tayo ng bangka habang nasa ilalim tayo ng dagat?!

        What if we encounter a shark?

        Pa’no kung mag-snap yung tali ng parachute?

Ian: Andami mong problema. Dahil yan sa kakanuod mo ng ‘I Shouldn’t be Alive’!

Me: O’nga noh.

Toinks! Hahaha

After sometime, I got a little relaxed. However, there was another problem. I GOT SEASICK! Grabe, I was so dizzy I couldn’t enjoy the moment anymore. To think this was before we started any of the activities ha. Bad trip talaga ‘coz I was looking forward to the experience but the dizziness took over the anticipation. It was actually way worse than a bad hangover. Tsk tsk!

After around 15 mins., we finally reached the diving spot where a floating platform, more like a wooden raft or balsa, was waiting. We were instructed to transfer to the platform & waited for our turn to be briefed.

Here’s a list of what I’ve learned about reef walking in Boracay:

1. Reef walking is also known as helmet diving because of uhm, the helmets. hehe

2. The helmets were really heavy! If I remember correctly, each weighs around 25-30kg. Reason for this is to help it stay in place while under water. It will also keep you from floating! They will feel lighter once you go down the ladder.

3. To reach the sea bed, you’ll have to descend for about 15-20 feet. No worries though, the instructors will teach you how to relieve the pressure (Pinch your nose then blow as hard as you can). FYI, you can still very much breath normally while under water.

4. Since talking is not possible, you will have to use some hand signals to communicate underwater.

5. It is so called reef walking because you will actually walk and not swim (unlike scuba diving). Throughout your 15 mins. stay, you will be given pieces of bread to feed the fish.

6. Don’t worry about documenting your experience because the package already includes photos & videos taken by the guide(s)!

In summary, the whole experience was surreal. All the inconvenience and paranoia were all worth it as we got to meet and feed the fishes like we were one with them.

More importantly, I could not forget the short but sweet moment of tranquility when I felt time briefly stopped and it was just me and mother nature staring at each other. Too lovely beyond words 🙂

Parasailing

From the bottom of the ocean, it’s now time for us to fly (well, sort of)!  We were taken by another boat to the parasailing site and briefed us on the do’s and dont’s. I was feeling a lot dizzier already, hence I just wanted to quickly get it over and done with. Syempre I couldn’t back out naman kasi sayang yung binayad namin and I didn’t want to deprive Ian of the experience.

When it was finally our turn, we handed our camera to the crew. As much as we wanted to take photos from above, we didn’t want to risk losing it in the vast ocean. hehehe

They then securely strapped us to the parachute and slowly loosened the string sending us higher and higher and higher!

Letting go of the ground was scary and liberating at the same time. Scary, because we didn’t have any choice but to let go and trust that the parachute was strong enough to keep us safe. Liberating, because when we did let go, we were able to soar high and see the world in a different perspective.

Ian: Baby, tingnan mo ang ganda noh?

Me: Wag mo kong kausapin. Nahihilo ako. Baka masuka pa ko dito.

Ian: Sana huwag muna nila tayo pababain. Minsan lang ‘to mangyari e.

Me: Anong ‘wag muna pababain? Ayoko na! Ibaba nyo nako please!!!

Ian: Ikaw na ang KJ!

Hahaha

Thinking about it now, sayang yung moment kasi not a lot of times that you get to ‘fly’ and see an unobstructed view of the world from above tapos hindi ko man lang naappreciate kasi hindi ako nag-bonamin. hmp! 😦

Island Hopping

We were supposed to go island hopping in the afternoon but since I was so dizzy, we cancelled it nalang. Too much for sea sickness. Hay.

Afternoon

We spent the rest of the day eating out and pasalubong shopping. We also had the chance to catch one of Boracay’s gems — Daniel Matsunaga, ay sunset pala. hahaha

So more or less, this wraps up our 4 days & 3 nights stay in Boracay — definitely one of the most beautiful islands in the Philippines.

Have a great day!

Snaps from Paradise – Boracay, Philippines (Part 1)

Snaps from Paradise – Boracay, Philippines (Part 2)