Lakad Pilipinas

From a lackluster afternoon sky, the heavens slowly flared into deep reds and fiery oranges, the waters reflecting the fire above. We watched from a rock outcrop near Balinghai Beach, elevated fifteen feet from the waters, bottles of beer in hand temporarily forgotten as the lightshow commenced; Boracay’s famous sunset has never failed us yet.

BORACAY WEST COVE’S UNUSUAL GAUDI-ESQUE FACADE

It was an unexpected invitation. We were lounging at the White Beach, our tummies full from the feast at Obama Grill, when we were told a sunset cocktail awaited us at Boracay West Cove. We’re all too familiar with the resort, with its white Gaudi-esque facade, from our numerous Boracay island hopping escapades, but we can only afford to have a passing glimpse of the exclusive resort from tour boats.

With no Boracay itinerary, we simply ambled along the island’s beaches, swimming when the urge hit us, but most of the time, we just lounged on the sand and eat when our tummies beckoned. On one of these instances, we went inside Obama Grill. We heard they have one of the best tuna panga in Boracay, and my friends were rarin’ to sample it.

First things first, Obama Grill isn’t really Obama Grill. It’s actually Bama Grill, but since the restaurant decided to put in their circular logo—which, by the way, is very similar to Barack Obama’s sigil—people assumed that it reads as Obama. And now, they’re more known as Obama Grill, lol.

Up more than a hundred meters above the emerald waters of Boracay, we spied three small beaches lined with the island’s celebrated white powdery sand. These, unfortunately, falls near a land owned by a big resort and are usually off limits to the public. It was something we wouldn’t have seen if not for the vantage point we were in. No, we’re not on a helicopter tour of Boracay, we’re somewhere a lot cheaper but with relatively the same view sans the mobility, Mount Luho.

HOW ABOUT A VISIT TO MOUNT LUHO?

It was almost lunchtime but we were still waiting for one of our friends to arrive in Boracay. With nothing to do, one of the staff at Ferra Hotel Boracay suggested we visit the nearby Mount Luho. Well, we’re still full from their breakfast buffet anyways, so why not.

A sumptuous feast, enough for half a dozen people, was laid on our table. The offerings on each plate were beautifully set, each one looked mouth-wateringly good. But there was one big problem; we were only three in the group. Even the gluttons that we are, there was just no way we can finish everything!

COMFY OUTDOOR-INDOOR SETTINGS AT FERRY HOTEL’S ROOFTOP BAR

We were at the roof deck of Ferra Hotel Boracay [BOOK DISCOUNTED RATE USING AGODA COUPONS], one of the newest boutique accommodations to mushroom at the celebrated island. The hotel is located in between the White Beach and Balabag Beach, a few minutes by foot from D’Mall.

We weren’t staying here though, what we were here for was their Asian-themed Ruf Resto Bar. While dining at Boracay’s White Beach is always enjoyable, it’s quite refreshing to also have one far-away from the island’s maddening crowd.

It was an hour before midnight when we arrived on the island. Tired but excited, we went straight to our appointed lodging in Ferra Hotel Boracay to rest a bit before heading to the White Beach to party our first night away. Or that was supposedly the plan.

FERRA HOTEL’S TASTEFULLY DECORATED LOBBY

It has always been like this for our Boracay weekend getaways; take the Friday afternoon flight from Manila, arrive early evening at the Kalibo Airport, then take the two-hour ride to Boracay. It is tiring, but heck, with very cheap flight tickets, who could say no to Boracay!

Coron, a town in the province of Palawan, is one of the most sought after destinations in the Philippines. And you can easily understand why. It has pristine white sand beaches, unbelievably turquoise waters, rich marine life, World War II shipwrecks, and karsts-dotted landscapes that can rival the best that the world has to offer. Often referred to as the country’s Last Frontier, it is located on the upper region of Palawan, 595 kilometers from Metro Manila.

Coron is the perfect destination for casual vacationers, hardcore backpackers, beach lovers and adventurous divers. Once you’ve visited, coming back for a second time is really something you won’t need to decide on; Coron would automatically make the decision for you.

One of the reasons why people visit Bangkok, besides its graceful temples, is its numerous shopping districts. During our previous trips to the city, we’ve visited a few of these. And as always, during these shopping outbursts, we go home with fewer bahts in our pockets but with numerous shopping bags in our hands.

PERSONALIZED ITEMS AT ONE OF BANGKOK’S NIGHT MARKETS

The things being sold on these outdoor markets range from household things, to fashion accessories, shirts, elephant pants, dresses, bags, toys—legit and bootleg ones, souvenir stuff, figurines, antiques, collectible what-nots and basically everything you can think of. Me, I go here for the shirts—Bangkok has the coolest selection of printed tees that I can’t seem to find elsewhere!

“It looks like a village of sorts,” I kid C, as we walked along the corridors of Windsor Suites Hotel Bangkok on our way to our room. The hallway, punctured with cute framed curtained windows for each room, indeed looks like a campy village. We stopped on our designated room—with its own window too—scanned our keycards, opened the door, and were unbelievably surprised. The room is beautifully designed; modern, but with hints of Windsor’s history.

THE WINDSOR SUITES IN BANGKOK

We were on the last part of our Thailand tour, four more days before we fly to Vietnam, and after staycationing at Hilton Sukhumvit, doing the Kanchanaburi Death Railway Tour, and shopping around in Bangkok, it was time for another staycation, this time at Windsor Suites Sukhumvit.

The hotel is indeed one of the older of its kind in Bangkok. Having more than fifty years of service history, I bet they’ve now perfected the art of hospitality.