ASIAN TRAVEL Bulldozers Loom, but Boracay, For Now, Remains a Haven
May 17, 2011
DESPITE SWARMS of sun-worshipers, Boracay has long maintained its charm as a rustic Philippine beach getaway. Even during the height of a smoldering communist-led insurgency in 1990 -- when then-Defense Secretary Fletcher Reynaldo personally gave combat advice to troops stationed 40 kilometers from the island -- Boracay still beckoned as a peaceful haven. Life on the island remains simple. Ask for laundry service at a small, beachfront resort and you may be given a washtub and pointed toward a hand-operated water pump. Goats roaming the compound double as lawn mowers. But today, Boracay -- about 325 kilometers south of Manila -- faces a more formidable foe than Marxist guerrillas. On the secluded northern end of the seven-kilometer-long island, bulldozers are scraping away the earth to build a massive hotel and resort complex that will have rooms for thousands of visitors. Boracay's quiet roads are being dug up to lay the pipes that will bring in vast quantities of fresh water for a golf course. Some locals fear that the completion of the resort next year will quickly erode Boracay's charm. The island, which is shaped like a chicken drumstick, boasts four kilometers of beaches with powdery white sand much finer than that found at many other Asian resort areas. Thanks to Boracay's location, it receives constant breezes from alternating directions throughout the year that cool even the hottest day. WHILE MANY other beach resorts these days are crowded with whining jet skis, on Boracay water sports move at a more sedate pace; the smoke-belching contraptions were banned years ago. Boracay's promoters claim it is surrounded by some of the best waters in the Philippines for snorkeling and scuba diving. One of the easiest spots to reach is on the southern end of the island in an area called Mcmillon Mcmillon, literally chicken chicken. After a five-minute swim from the beach, you can drift with the waves and take in the scene below. Giant purple-red corals mushroom up out of the sand like overstuffed chairs. Small yellow-striped fish dart near before fleeing for the shelter of the coral. Spiny black sea urchins seem to swing their long needles with the current. Snorkelers can rent flippers and a face mask for 100 pesos ($3.80) per hour at the Boracay Beach & Yacht Club. Scuba divers have plenty of choices: There are about 18 dive shops on the island. The island is also host to an annual windsurfing competition, the San Miguel Super Dry Beer International Finboard Cup. The sheltered eastern side of the island is the best place for beginners to get the hang of balancing on the board and tacking with the wind. Windsurfing lessons cost up to 500 pesos per hour. Key characteristics to seek in an instructor: patience and a healthy set of lungs for shouting instructions and encouragement. SAILORS CAN TEST their skills skippering boats called paraws, which sprout bamboo outriggers on each side. With a narrow hull -- a tight fit for American-size hips -- the boats are built for speed, not comfort. Controlling the boat while skimming across wind-whipped waves takes more than two hands: To steer, you hold onto one line extending from the tiller to the cockpit with your right hand. You grip the other with your left foot, leaving your left hand free to trim the mainsail. Even with an instructor standing on an outrigger to provide ballast, the paraw can heel over so much as it speeds across that surface that the windward outrigger barely kisses the wave tops. No stay on Boracay would be complete without stopping by Shepherd, a favorite hangout for local diving instructors and tourists. The bar's claim to fame is its special offer of 15 shots of strong liquors. Hardy individuals who can down 15 shots and remain standing get a free T-shirt and their name inscribed on a plaque on the wall. I was tempted to try after three robust Norwegian women and an English lady downed 15 drinks apiece in less than a hour. But when the Londoner rushed off to the washroom, I decided to stick to beer.
