Boracay Island is a great place for just lazing
around. Seven km long, it is only one km wide at its narrowest
point. Boracay's largest villages or barangays are Yapak, Balabag
and Manoc-Manoc. A confusing network of paths and tracks connects
them, and several smaller hamlets called sitios, so maps of Boracay
can only serve as a general guide. Slightly more than half the
5200 population lives in Manoc-Manoc.
There is a beautiful beach on the west coast with very fine white
sand, particularly near Balabag. The water is quite shallow, however.
For snorkeling the east coast is better but beware of rips. There
are scores of little sandy bays scattered around the island; they
make an attractive alternative to the ever-popular White Beach.
The atmosphere on Diniwid Beach is also pleasant and peaceful,
just to the north of White Beach. There are a few places offering
inexpensive accommodation there that would cost twice as much
at White Beach. Also well worth the visit is the immaculate Punta
Beach.
Boracay is also well known for its now very rare gleaming white
puka shells, said to be the best in the world. For years puka
shells were dug out of the beach at Yapak and then sold. It's
already a fait accompli that large masses of land are soon going
to be moved in the north of the island. The most important Philippine
property developers, Ayala Land, FiI-Estate and Primetown Property
Group have bought up 205 hectares of land. There they intend to
build resorts and housing for the better off; construction on
the obligatory golf course is already well under way.
Every day seems to be a holiday on Boracay - all you need to
do is relax and enjoy yourself. Just get up, make some coffee
and decide whether to go sailing, windsurfing or perhaps snorkeling
and looking at corals. If you're curious you may get as far as
the Caves of the Flying Dogs of Yapak' or Bat Caves (admission
P20) on the other side of the island, where there are still fishermen
who have nothing to do with tourism, except that they too have
to pay higher prices in the stores.
For many people, Boracay is the typical Pacific island paradise.
Whether this will change in the foreseeable future depends on
how much building development goes on. Which will inevitably change
the face of the island Out of all recognition. The new slogan
seems to be 'concrete instead of bamboo'. Fortunately, so far
most architects have succeeded in designing buildings that do
not dominate their environment and fit in with the island around
them.
