From Macau to the Philippines

Boracay Island September 2019

Hello friends! Today we are leaving on a long-awaited trip to Boracay Island. Philippines.

How to buy a ticket?

Tickets can be purchased directly through the Air Asia app, or through the popular Skyscaner and Aviasalse apps

In our case, we purchased tickets in the Chinese application 去哪qunar. Sometimes tickets appear here at a very tempting price, disappear and reappear. In general, the application is somewhat unstable, unlike skyscaner and others. In terms of cost, they turned out to be cheaper than other options. In total, two round-trip tickets cost us approximately 1000 yuan without luggage. Hand luggage up to 7 kg. So we took a drone, swimming trunks and a couple of T-shirts 😎

How to get there?

From the Macau Zhuhai border you can take Bus 51A and AP1 directly to the airport

There is even WiFi on the plane, they offer food and drinks, but it is better to take something to eat with you, since the journey will be long, during this time we ate all our supplies of cheese, sausages and sweets :)) 

Where to change money? 

Upon arrival, after crossing the border (by the way, they ask for a hotel reservation), leaving the Kalibo airport and turning right, you can exchange $, yuan, Hong Kong $ for the local currency - the Philippine peso. There are also many exchange offices in Boracay itself, but the exchange rate is different for everyone.

Fare from Kalibo Airport to Boracay Island

At Kalibo airport we were offered a taxi to Caticlan for 1000 pesos for two, but we preferred a more budget option - a bus. 

As a result, the journey cost 200 pesos per person to the port of Caticlan. Drive 2 hours 20 minutes through narrow Philippine streets. Upon arrival we were asked to fill out this form 

We paid for environmental fees and a boat ticket to Boracay Island. 75 pesos per ticket 60 environmental fees. Total: 135 per person 

We got from the port to the hotel by motorbike for 100 pesos.

We got back in the morning from De mall by three-wheeled taxi for 50 pesos for two. This is what the local Filipinos taught us. The cost from the port by boat and then by minibus to Kalibo airport with bus is 250 pesos per person + tax 30 pesos. A surprise awaited us at the airport. It turns out they also charge an airport service fee of 700 pesos per person, otherwise you won’t be able to board. The international airport itself is in a disrepair.

Weather

All year round the temperature stays around 25-28 degrees.

From May to September there is no season here, rain is possible. The sand is not so white, it is cloudy, but from October to May the golden time of magnificent sunsets, sun and beauty begins, Boracay reveals itself in all its glory. And although we arrived in the off-season, the weather spoiled us with sunshine and the sea was very warm. 

What to see?

Of course this is wite beach 🏖 It surprised me like no other beach. The color of the water here is simply fantastic. This is the kind of mint, turquoise color you can imagine, and it is 🏝 like the water in this emoji. The sand is light and feels like flour. Waves forming snow-white foam, surfers, 🏄‍♂️ yachts with bright blue sailboats create color for the beach. However, see for yourself: 

This place certainly has many advantages. And yet it is a very touristy place, with overpriced restaurants and shops. Everyone is trying to promote their service. “Masages, massages” “fud fud” “motobike ser” “madame drinks drinks” you hear every five minutes. 

If you go to the far side of the beach along the stone paths, towards the city mall, it is also very beautiful, a pleasant and quieter place where you can watch sunsets and sunrises. There is also free internet here, PS internet is problematic here. From this place you can walk straight to the City Mall. And at the same time see how the local population lives, feel the atmosphere.

Beach “Puka beach” in the settlement of Yapac

Another beautiful beach less visited by tourists, however, there are barkers and cafes here too. Forest, rocks, turquoise water, waves, you can’t take your eyes off such beauty. The water is quite cool, the sand contains a lot of corals, so you need to be careful when walking barefoot. It’s also worth visiting this place for a change; besides, there is another beach nearby, about 2 km away, where people come with masks and snorkels to look at the marine life without additional excursions. There are no waves here, peace and quiet! thanks to the powerful coral protection and, as a result, the diverse animal world

Other entertainments

Of course, diving, surfing, parachutes, bananas, an excursion to the caves by ship and even a helicopter flight. Every whim for your money:))

Where to eat?

Here you will find both popular catering establishments McDonald's, KFS, Starbucks, Seven Eleven and local cuisine. One meal for two on the beach costs an average of 500-700 pesos. Fish with rice, or pasta.

Our favorite was an inconspicuous cafe on white beach, they prepare excellent crispy fish and delicious pizza!!! And what does beer with lime cost? In general, it’s really incredible 😋 and what a view 😍

The food in public catering establishments is not as tasty, but the prices are much more affordable. 

 So, the main cafes of the island. Jollibee is a standard fast food cafe. A selection of chicken, hamburgers, spaghetti, etc.

We ordered a bucket of chicken fillet, not spicy at all, the taste was like it was cooked with the addition of a maggi cube for the main course or rollton.

The next cafe is especially popular among the Filipinos themselves. It was here that friends from Manila (Philippines) invited us to eat together. 

They reported that this is one of the most popular places among the local population. It would seem like just chicken with rice, but the dish has its own cooking technology. First, squeeze the lime into a small bowl that comes with the dish, then add some vinegar mixture, a little chicken fat, soy sauce and our meat mixture is ready. It tastes like chicken in wine vinegar. Rice, like chicken with sauces, is eaten with your hands, it’s much tastier, locals say. Devices are also provided.

Dessert is also very popular in this Cafe. This is ice mixed with jelly, beans, waffle rolls and purple ice cream. The point is to stir this mixture until it turns purple-gray. This is how the locals eat and the taste of the dessert is revealed. In our opinion, it turned out to be sweet ice with pieces of jelly; it might be worth trying once. 

The next cafe where we ate Andoks several times 

Assortment: fish, meat, rice, pasta. On the plus side, it is a comfortable place with air conditioning, where there are not many people, if we talk about the cafe near De Mall (the main street with a reservoir or lake in the center). The preparation is average, often too much spice for our taste, sometimes too salty. But it’s acceptable, you can eat it.

There are always a lot of people in this place, prices start from 500 per pizza, depending on the size and composition, we never tried it because there are a lot of people wanting it and there is not enough space. But based on popularity, they probably cook deliciously. 

Shops

City Mall. The shopping center is located in the center of the island, it is usually not advertised, and is not on the tourist map. There are few tourists here, prices are about two times cheaper than on the beach street. Perhaps the traders are stocking up here. Here you can find all the basic goods at reasonable prices and eat comfortably. For example, water 960 ml on the beach is 60 pesos, in shops 50 pesos, and in the supermarket 14 pesos. 

Market

Market with fruits and vegetables Dali baba. We have not been here, according to those living here, you can buy fresh fruits and vegetables here at reasonable prices.

Transport

The transport here is complete trash. These are mainly gasoline and electric three-wheelers, as well as motorbikes. The cost varies per trip from 25 pesos to 300. As we understand, it is better to look for regular flights. These are electric three-wheelers in green or blue. They have stops and take you for 25 pesos per person from De moll (central location by the lake) to Yapac Beach or from De moll to Caticlan Port. They are not much different from other taxi drivers, so you just need to ask “Regular”? And show them the cost in advance. A taxi will cost from 150-800 pesos. The roads are very dusty, with potholes and bumps, just like in a village, and this was the central road. 

Infrastructure

As soon as you enter the island, it is difficult not to notice the devastation. Construction, protruding fittings, half-finished neglected buildings. Many hotels are empty, although a couple of years ago these were luxurious buildings. It feels like a typhoon recently passed through here. And there really were typhoons in the Philippines, but not on this island. So what happened? 

We asked local residents about this, in their words. In 2019, the island was closed for repairs for six months. The main reason is not a typhoon or even a damaged ecology, as tourists are told, justifying the unknown origin of taxes. And the global restructuring of the island, now more properties here began to belong to the Chinese. The authorities have introduced new requirements for buildings, so repair work is underway all around. You need to be careful, especially in the dark, so as not to fall into a ditch or bump into rebar. 

Can I use a quad computer?

One of the goals of our trip was to photograph the picturesque beaches of Boracay from a bird's eye view. Already on the plane, the flight attendant warned that it was forbidden to use a drone on the island. When we arrived and looked at the DJI map, it turned out that in most parts of the island there was indeed a dangerous zone for flights (near the airport), but there are places where flights are safe. White beach at the end of the beach is one of these places, here we first tried to fly a quadcopter, after some time a security guard came up and said that it was forbidden to fly here, we showed on the dji map that it was safe here and he agreed. We also launched a drone on Yapac beach, no one restricted us here, we flew freely along the deserted part of the beach without disturbing anyone. However, we noticed helicopters flying frequently, perhaps this is what is causing the flight bans. 

Local Filipinos

As in many sunny resort countries, Filipinos are smiling and calm people. While serving us, no one was in a hurry, they did everything very slowly, often sleeping in the middle of the day somewhere under a palm tree. Sometimes you ask a restaurant for some dish, they can be surprised for a long time and search for what kind of dish it is, as if it is the first time they are doing it, creating some kind of incomprehensible commotion. Maybe we just came from fast-paced China, where service is always on point. 

  In the evenings, children often play different games with friends, football and others. They just walk, talk and laugh. This is cool!

  It is impossible not to notice that the main GDP of the island is tourism. Therefore, locals look at tourists as bread.

Interesting

The local police were surprised 👮🏿‍♀️ They look very impressive: a tight uniform, shotguns or a pistol in a holster on the front, or just a holster without a pistol. It is possible that in the evenings they can earn extra money in clubs. The guards are also well armed. 

In general, what conclusion did we draw? The sea, the beach, the nature are very beautiful, but this is a very tourist place with not yet developed infrastructure. Happy Travels!!