F'in A, Cotton. F'in A.

Today rounds out my two week trip to the Philippines. I spent most of my last week on the island of Boracay. This is a beautiful island. Its main feature is a 3 kilometer long white sand beach with turquoise blue water. Because of that the island has become a major vacation spot and lost most of its cultural feel. 

During my time there it was often hard to determine if I was somewhere like Hawaii or in the Philippines. However, with my budget, I wouldn't have survived in Hawaii so I guess that was one constant reminder for me. Also there is the constant barrage of locals approaching you to get you to buy sunglasses, necklaces, boat tours, atv rentals, etc. I was also able to find a great backpacker hostel, called Frendz Resort, which was essential in meeting people and providing a great atmosphere. 

Twice during the stay, I ventured out to a place called Ariel's Point. It's a day trip put on by a local bar who owns some land on an ocean side cliff about a 40 minute boat ride away. This day trip includes unlimited alcohol (and they are not stingy either, in fact they are strongly encouraging to take full advantage), a great lunch, cliff jumping, ocean kayaking and snorkeling. I got to jump off a 15 meter (45 foot) cliff which was definitely the biggest jump I've ever done.

A few cliff notes from my experience in the Philippines. Their national sport is basketball and they play it everywhere. I've seen so many makeshift baskets and courts. It's amazing! Another thing is that there is quite the disparity between the well off and the barely surviving. I met many Filipinos vacationing from Manila that all led very modern and well off lives. However, in other places, people are living in tents made of palm leaves and tarps.  I make this observation because in my time spent in Thailand and Vietnam, I didn't meet many people with those types of means but I also didn't meet or see many people with that little either. 

All in all, the Philippines has been a great and very worthwhile experience. I strongly encourage anyone who was considering coming to visit here to do so. I can only imagine that in another decade there will be many more places out here like Boracay and that will ultimately take away from its unique culture.