My travels, pictures and stories: More from Boracay

Another number of days passed by here on the island, which means some really great kitesurfing, parties and other experiences. I think I can get used to this :-)

Eating out here is cheap, and if you go to the right place, pretty good as well. The other day we went to the fish market, which is just that, surrounded by restaurants where you can have the fish you bought cooked in the style you prefer. Nothing beats fresh seafood, and being it so cheap here, I just can’t get enough. It’s like the mango shakes!

Another food related experience was to have dinner at Gustavs house. He lives in a room in the house of a Filipino family, and they’ve got some kind of a deal that if he buys the ingredients they will prepare the food for him. This was great! We went to buy some fresh tuna, vegetables and rice and had a feast on the terrace. Gustav has been here for a month and I was impressed to hear him haggle in tagalog, the language people speak here. "How much with a discount?" :-)
We forgot to tell them not to cook all the rice, so we got one kilos worth, which was a bit too much, even though we both eat quite a lot. It still blows my mind that we both didn’t know we were going to the same place and met here by chance out on the reef, on the other side of the globe!!

These kind of places, like Boracay, and the Philippines in general, draw a lot of people you normally don't come across while shopping for milk in the supermarket back home. For example, the other day we went to a party in a massive villa up one of the hills, owned by some russian guy who once bought it, and now lost interest of staying there. People come from all over, as the Philippines is a bit far away from everything. As many from America, Europe, the Arab states and Asia. So, every now and then there's parties like this going on in similar places, with a real mix of people. The surfing aside, getting to know all these people would almost do it for me, making my stay here worth while.

The wind has been a bit crappy around here the latest days, usually just working in the morning. One afternoon we rented scooters and went around the island. There's actually quite a lot to see around here, besides the centre. The contrast is striking, at the white beach you can pay up to 1000 pesos for something to eat in the restaurants, and if you go outside where the locals live, you get to the real Philippine prices and pay maybe 20 pesos for a small burger. The centre of the island is super developed, but once out of the centre you still find the classic dirt roads surrounded by simple sheds and houses, with kids playing in the streets and stray dogs chasing you when you drive by. Even though people around here who don't work directly with the tourists have nothing, they are extremely friendly and nice. I have written it before, and I still think so, that the Philippines has been the best destination in Asia for me this far.

Another magical sunset on the white beach.

Partying with the Spanish gang and Nicole. Why is Jägermeister popular in Spain?!?!

Shopping for some fish at the fish market.

Not much left of this guy…

Really? Is it necessary to put up a sign in the bathroom that you shouldn’t wash your feet in the basin? Good to know though the next time I feel the urge to cleanse my toes before eating.