incessant rambling

a post marking the "spot" what's 10,564 km from Canada, 2,990 km from Japan, 1,116 km from Hong Kong and 9,882 from Germany? the famous sunset of boracay, framed by the islets near station 1 if you find exactly that spot then you're probably standing somewhere in Station 3, Boracay, an island part of Malay town in Aklan, Philippines. most people know boracay to be the pattaya or bali of the philippines. which isn't really a good thing. ride one of these vinta's and go on a tour around the island without bias or prejudice, boracay has the better beach that is famous for its sugary fine white sand. let me make a small correction, the beach is just a small fraction why the place is famous with tourists all over the world. another sunset view imagine 24 hour hedonism geared towards worshiping the sun and the bronzed bodies that parade in all state of undress. boracay is a temple devoted to sun worship and the gorgeous pagans that share the g...

people can argue that manila bay sunsets are the most gorgeous in the philippines. that is, if you haven't been to boracay. the natural rock outcrop along the shores of station 1 in boracay formed a perfect frame to capture the last moments of the dying sun.

In the early days of aviation, a flight from London to... say Sydney or Manila, required nerves of steel and much padding of one's behind. It also required 42 refueling stops, 5 changes of aircraft and a train journey through Italy because Musssolini wouldn't allow flights through Italian airspace. It took all of 12 days. And we've not even factored in mechanical failures, typhoons, dust storms and the occasional potshots from curious sharpshooters. Crashes were not infrequent, much like what happened yesterday to ZestAir in Boracay. They probably had russian pilots who are notoriously (in)famous for "refuelling" vodka while on duty. and if you're wondering what's the point (pun intended) of the title? well, that's exactly what happened. ZestAir missed the landing point and crashed against the fence. No one died, thank God for that.

who need words when you have pictures to tell a story? at least i have one less place on my must-visit list in cebu. Badian is roughly about 110k Southwest of Cebu City and you get there via the Carcar-Barili National Highway. From Barili it's a short drive to Badian. interestingly, Badian is the town right after Moalboal, another famous destination for diving enthusiasts. The drive is an hour and a half but can extend to about three hours if you're with uhm... senior citizens . if you start by 7am you'd be on the beach by 9am max. (click on read.more) i think we beat the governor in doing the mid southwest suroy-suroy (travel tour), we bought Luis' Chicharon from Carcar, Ice Cream from Molave Milk Station in Barili, Inasal Bisaya Manok (Native Roasted Chicken) and Puso (steamed rice wrapped in palm leaf) in Alcantara, Lechon (Roast Crackling Pig) with Kinilaw nga Nangka (shredded young Jackfruit pickled in coconut cream, vinegar made spicy with chili and other spi...

...Bora in My Mind... Well, since am in a picture posting mood... here's a set of my recent trip to Boracay. Stayed in Pearl of the Pacific - far from the maddening holiday crowd though i gotta admit, i loved walking back and forth from one end to the other. enjoy the pics.... here's the link to the picture album: Boracay

i don't want this to sound like the usual boracay-praise-to-heaven-cliche write up. so... instead of writing about the best things that boracay can offer, here's the dirt dish: 1. Dirty Old Men - try reading up the lonely planet entry about Cebu and they describe the usual european/american foreigner here as old, twice divorced, living on pension, drunk, rowdy and have this fashion accessory called exotic ladies in tow. same goes for boracay. it is bad to generalize but that's generally the same set of people i see beached by the shore, probably too fat to drag themselves once they drift away from the herd (yes, a group of whales form "herds"). Click Read More for Boracay Pictures 2. Persistent Vendors - try to take a stroll in Station 2 - 3 and every other step along the way you'd get offered to buy shades, pearls, an ATV (all-terrain vehicle) ride, paraw sailing, island hopping, boat ride, banana ride, bicycle ride and recently, a ferris wheel ride right in...