Boracay - are the rapid changes in the span of 10 years sustainable?

~ Text & Photos by Aireen Navarro ~

Boracay......the Philippines' most famous island paradise, is known for its powdery white sand beaches and pool-like waters. Its tourism history has been a combination of ups and downs but in terms of tourism infrastructure & events development, it continues to slope upwards.

The 1970s marked the slow tourism development of the island when a foreign film crew was said to have accidentally discovered its pristine beauty.....others adamantly maintain that it's thanks to the German traveller (Jens Peters) who received fantastic reviews on his travel book that jumpstarted tourism development..... but it was still the country's best-kept secret back then. The 1980s saw backpackers, mostly Europeans, arriving in 'droves' on the island - adding it as one of their 'must-visit' islands in Southeast Asia. Then, is a span of 10 years during the 1990s - the island has been rapidly transformed into one of the world's best beaches.....this continued on to the point of degrading the island and its surroundings as a result of overcrowding......

I first set foot on this island way back in March 1999. Time flies indeed! It seems like yesterday when college was all about exams and research trips. My 'excuse' for going to Boracay was for a 'Convention Management Class.' The convention location's set on this island, that 10 years ago, was already troubled with 'acculturation' positive and negative issues and 'carrying capacity' problems. One of these problems is the poor sewage management on the island --- given all the tourists coming in, how did the island dispose of its waste? That was a huge issue......Have you heard of the island's sewage problem that for a time, scared a lot of tourists? The 'Secretary of the Philippine Department of Tourism' even went to such great lengths as to go there and swim in its waters -- a highly publicized trip to assuage fears of its dirty waters and an effort to bring back tourists. It all seemed such a long time ago.....

Comparing my photos, the island's 'skyline' and beach area (especially White Beach) have changed -- from palm-fringed wide beach areas, to a beach lined with bars, restos, beachfront cottages all crowding it....before, it used to be an island paradise.....but certain areas of the island have become 'seedy' due to overcrowding and overdevelopment....

Make no mistake though ----- the island has not lost its beauty. Sporting events/competitions are now held here annually. We're talking 'big-money' water/beach sports .....you name a water/beach sporting event, chances are, this sport is popular on the island!!! Among the prominent events are the 'Asian Windsurfing Tour,' 'Boracay International Funboard Cup,' 'Dragon Boat races,' 'Boracay Open Asian Beach Ultimate Tournament,' and the list goes on and on.....Take this, Boracay will even host the 2014 Asian Beach Games!!!

Aside from these big sporting events, the island is also a beach paradise for divers and snorkelers (yours truly included). Other adventure sports are also introduced -- you can now go parasailing, go on banana boat rides, ride the 'flyfish,' go quadbiking, take windsurfing/kiteboard surfing lessons, etc......

Of course, what's a popular island destination without a decent 'night scene'??? Boracay has become THE destination for parties, a place to see and be seen.....where concerts and product launches are held..... and infrstructure development continues on.....more resorts are scheduled to open in the next months and 'villas' are being sold as well....Hmmmm....I wonder if the island's sewage management improved as well?

Of the changes this island has undergone - it was a great move to stop all boats/bancas arrive/depart from White Beach. Have you heard of the 3 boat stations? Hey, these stations used to mark where a boat arrives/departs - dropping/picking up passengers. Now, Boat Stations 1, 2 & 3 are indicators of your resort's location.

If you want budget type accommodations --- Boat Station 3 is the place to be (of course there are a few posh resorts remaining in that area - they're among the first resorts on the island). But Boat Station 3's beach area is quite crowded and small. The quality of its 'sand' is coarser, not as fine as other parts of White Beach.

If you want to be at the 'heart of the party' - head to Boat Station 2 resorts. It can get noisy though and a bit seedy if you're the type who wants to have your privacy and some peace & quiet (your definition of vacation).

If you're this type of traveler, Boat Station 1 is the place for you! That's where most of the island's exclusive & expensive resorts are located.

Another great change on the island - the popularization of the 'paraws' - it replaced the passenger boats on the beaches of Boracay. These 'paraws' are now part of the island's 'landscape' together with 'Willy's Rock.'

Don't just spend all your time on White Beach. Explore the island's surrounding areas - go chill out on Puka Beach....

.....Hang out on Crocodile Island and Crystal Cove......

.....go around the island on a 'paraw'......

.....go snorkeling.....

.....and maybe challenge your creativity and outdo the ubiquitous sandcastles on the beach???

Tsk...Tsk....Tsk....One thing for sure - I will never get tired of going to this island whenever I have a chance!!! ..........even if the rapid changes on the island are not sustainable???.......hmmmm......

El Nido, Palawan --- looking back after 10 years

~ Text & photos by Aireen Navarro ~

El Nido - a destination on its own in Palawan. It's been 10 years since my last visit and I've been wanting to go back....

It was while island-hopping with undergrad classmates (BS Tourism senior students) that I fell in love with snorkeling and exploring far-off islands in the Philippines. It was also on this trip that I got very interested in scuba diving - who won't after snorkeling in Palawan??? I got the chance to travel to Palawan and explore a small part of El Nido and its surrounding areas way back in Jan-Feb 1999. Wow!!! Time indeed flies -- it's now 2009!!!

We were a group of 8 students, thesis-mates working on a case study of El Nido as an eco-tourism destination and its sustainability. We focused and based our exploration in the town of El Nido, a small coastal poblacion located on the northwestern tip of Palawan's main island. The exclusive island resorts are just a few minutes' boat ride away. So for students / budget-travelers / backpackers, the El Nido poblacion and its beachfront cottages is the place to be!!!

We of course flew to Puerto Princesa first where we did some research. In and out of Puerto Princesa to/from El Nido was an adventure in itself! The roads from Puerto Princesa to Taytay, Palawan were not paved yet -- so it was a jarring 10-11 hours road travel passing remote towns and forest corridors on a jeepney. Then another 3 hours boat ride from Taytay to El Nido.

Our first glimpse of the islands was just amazing!!! We set off from a remote river in Taytay where we waited for the tides to come in before our boat finally left for El Nido. While waiting, we basked in the pristine beauty of its surrounding mangroves and birdlife!!! Colorful fishes and jellyfishes were clearly visible from our banca!!! A short stop-over at an island for lunch (forgot the name of this remote fishing village), then we're off to seeing lots of islands, rock-islands, limestone cliffs...

So what did we find out while in El Nido? Well, the El Nido Marine Reserve in Miniloc, El Nido, occupies an area of about 96,000 ha & is a popular nature spot boasting diverse ecosystems. We're talking about a mix of pristine rainforests, mangroves, white sand beaches, coral reefs & limestone cliffs. You can just imagine the range of activities one can do here!!! Manta rays/stingrays and sea cows or dugongs known as the world's rarest marine mammal, also abound. Unfortunately we didn't see any of these species but we saw sea turtles and tons of colorful reef fishes!!!



El Nido is now one of the country's premier destinations, blessed with amazing natural scenery, and considered a sanctuary for various forms of wildlife. The area is also home to a few exclusive island resorts, one of which we visited to conduct an ocular inspection & interview to assess how the exclusive resort was able to sustainably develop the area, combining conservation with job-creation. We had lunch at El Nido - Lagen Island Resort. Now, this is a resort to be!!!


The rest of our stay's filled with more adventures --- island-hopping for 2 days, heading out to small & big lagoons.....

.......passing by Pangalusian Island to get to Snake Island (Vigan Island), Simizu Island which is close to Turtle Island (sanctuary for turtles where only researchers are allowed) and other islands (forgot its names....).

We also explored other areas of El Nido, talking to locals on how they harvest the edible nests of the swiftlets usually found in the sharp crevices of El Nido's limestone cliffs. The swiftlets' nests are the main ingredient of the 'nido soup' and fetch a high price, so a lot of the locals brave the high cliffs to harvest nests.


Then, too soon, the adventure ended. We headed back to Puerto Princesa, another jarring ride back to the city, did more research and spent a day snorkeling/island-hopping in Honda Bay before flying back to Manila - submit our case study and finally graduate :)

Someday, I'll go back to El Nido.....

Adventure Island of Camiguin

~ Text & Photos by Aireen Navarro ~

Camiguin - is this really an adventure island? For seasoned adventure-racers, Camiguin is a challenging 'race-course' of rugged mountains and very tricky terrain. Some adventure-racers failed to finish the race --- either due to their self-endurance not able to keep up or they simply got lost while navigating in and around its verdant forests. A good thing I'm not an adventure-racer -- hahaha!!! Though I once thought about it but the training's too rigorous that involves very early mornings - so, never mind!

Born and raised in northern Mindanao (Iligan City), I've always wanted to go there. But never had the chance until after I finished my undergraduate degree. I had to drag my younger brother Angelo to accompany me two days before New Year's Eve in 2001 (or was it 2002???). We got there all right, but our budget's too low (we underestimated it) and there was no ATM so we're strapped for cash. We had to be very creative on how we haggled for the price of a 'multicab' which was the main transportation for hire when touring/exploring the island. Get this - from PHP 1,400, we brought it down to PHP 750.

As I wanted to visit White Island (sandbar) the next morning - we had to do 'water therapy' (aka skip dinner & breakfast) and stay at a really budget inn at the center of Mambajao (near the church). We made it to White Island - off course!! But almost missed the last ferry out of the island --- a good thing a local dive operator based in Mambajao was nice enough to let us hitch a ride up to the church in Mambajao where it's just a short walk to the jeepney terminal for the Mambajao-Benoni pier. We gorged down a very late lunch at Limketkai in Cagayan de Oro City after finally able to withdraw some cash, then got to Iligan City at 1800H on Dec 31st!!!

Years after that experience, my younger sister Charity had a school trip (combined BS Biology & BS Zoology classes). Since I was on a three-weeks vacation at home in September 2005 - I tagged along! Yup, I had to hang out with teen-agers.....hehehe. I was their official photographer but it's not a problem since I was able to take advantage of their 'student package rate.' That's an opportunity I simply cannot miss!!!



So what happened? I had a grand time in Camiguin - of course!!! I took a lot of photos at Tarzan'a Nest, Cold Spring, Hot Spring, Soda Water, Katibawasan Waterfalls, went snorkeling around White Island (sandbar), and trekked up to the Old Volcano where the Holy Week 'Panata' is held annually.

The gradually rising trail is dotted with 15 'stations of the cross' and at the 15th station of the cross - you're awarded with a beautiful view of the sea and the Sunken Cemetery (Guiob Church is not visible though as it's covered with trees).

My sister, her classmates and Professors left the island 2 days ahead. I stayed behind for my own R & R as I wanted to visit Mantigue Island and go diving. I arranged to dive 2 dive sites with 'Camiguin Action Geckos.' Our Dive Master - Barbie's a very nice lady who's originally from Bohol. She's very patient especially during the time when I had trouble with my bouyancy.

First dive of the day's at the 'Old Volcano' - it was FUN!!! The currents were a bit strong but when we got down to more than 22 meters underwater, the marine life's just fantastic! We saw a lot of very healthy soft corals especially sea fans. Also saw the elusive 'pygmy seahorse' bluish/purplish in color. This species is sooooo tiny if you don't know what you're looking for, it's very easy to miss out! Barbie and another divemaster definitely knew where to look coz we saw it!!! It's only seen 20 meters underwater or deeper.

I had to pull out of the second dive of the day. I got seasick during our surface interval. Man - those waves were strong!!! I puked out all my breakfast - eeeewwwww!!! I was so weak but I still wanted to dive - they patiently waited for me to get my bearings. But when it's time to jump-off the boat, I was just too weak. They went ahead and dived 'nudibranch city' while I and the boatman just waited for them. Lesson of the day -- never eat too much breakfast especially when you go diving!!!

Before leaving the island - I arranged for a local boatman to take me to Mantigue Island. The boat ride from Camiguin Island to Mantigue island only took 30 minutes (faster if via a bigger boat with more horsepower). This island has 3 dive sites around it (mostly coral gardens) and is protected. About a third of the island is composed of mangroves and you can even walk around it in just 10 minutes!!! There's a small community with an elementary school living on the island but they don't own it the land as it's government-protected.

I just contented myself in snorkeling but when I spotted 'poachers' - they were spear-fishing!!! I backed off. Better be safe than sorry! Left Mantigue Island and Camiguin sadly - I will surely be back!!! I had a great adventure - it's definitely an adventure island!!

A weekend in Bohol....is it too short or just about enough?

~ Text & Photos by Aireen Navarro ~

Bohol is known as one of the top and unique island destinations in the Philippines. A lot of people from all walks of life, be they local or foreign tourists, have been continuously drawn to its beauty - yours truly included :)

What's in Bohol? What activities can we do there? Hey, you can choose from a variety of activities to do and places to visit depending on your interests. As they say, no two travellers are alike!!! I agree - with a resounding YES!!!

Growing up in the northern parts of Mindanao, I've been curious about it especially the mystical beauty of the Chocolate Hills and the tarsiers. Back then, I only see the Chocolate Hills and tarsiers on TV, magazines/newspapers and postcards. Even while pursuing my university studies in Manila - the ferry I used to take usually makes a few hours stop in Tagbilaran to drop-off/pick-up passengers and I just take the local public transportation to go around the city and buy local delicacies.

It's only in early November 2006 that I and close friends from college finally had the time to visit Bohol for a weekend. We set off at the wee hours of the morning on a Saturday - took a 2-hour ferry ride from Cebu to Tagbilaran City, then another 1 hour private road transfer to Panglao Island where we stayed at Bohol Divers, located on Alona Beach.

I was supposed to dive with Genesis Divers but due to some misunderstanding which wasted almost 2 hours of our time (including tempers flying....) - I opted out and settled in spending the rest of the day with my college friends snorkeling in Balicasag - approx. 45 minutes by outrigger boat/banca ride from Alona Beach, Panglao Island.

Now, Balicasag is truly special!!! It's a haven for divers and snorkelers alike! What more, if you get lucky and go there at a certain season (I forgot the exact months), you'd see whalesharks - the gentle giants of the ocean!!! We settled in and had a blast snorkeling and watching divers underwater - photos below do not give justice to Balicasag's amazing underwater world!!!

After our 'snorkeling adventure' - we rushed to Dauis Church to catch the anticipated Roman Catholic mass in the early evening. This church dates back to hundreds of years - to the Spanish Colonial period and its architectural facade and interiors are testimonies to that. Saturday night's supposed to be 'party time' bar-hopping along Alona Beach's cool bars & restos, but we're all just too tired to go out - only had enough strength to just eat dinner and ice cream of course!

Sunday's a rush of activities. We had to compress several attractions in a few hours as we need to catch our 1800H ferry back to Cebu. As usual, we started with a lazy breakfast and enjoyed a walk on the white-sand stretch of Alona Beach, before we set out for our mad dash from one tourist attraction to another! Hey, it's FUN being a tourist in your own country!!! More fun as well as I know the local language, so it's easier in terms of haggling when buying souvenirs :)

Among the places we rushed in and out of include the 'Blood Compact Site' where you can also get a better view of Pamilacan Island where dolphin/whale-watching is highly popular, and a famous Spanish-era church - Baclayon Church and its museum.

Then we're off to a very late lunch - hopping on one of custom-made bancas that ply Loboc River. That ride got us PHP 250 poorer - but the buffet lunch with a local group serenading us was worth it!!! It's also along Loboc River that we made a short stop to get a close look at tarsiers in captivity. The local government tried to stop this practice but tourist-demand just makes it impossible -- we're guilty as well :(

Our last stop's in Carmen - the home of the famous Chocolate Hills. We had to rush as it's past 1500H. On the way to the viewpoint, we sadly saw a few hills being quarried - really hope the local government will do something about it! We only had an hour to spare before departing for Tagbilaran which takes approx. 45 minutes by road from Carmen. We just made it in good time since our ferry was delayed for 1 hour - whew!!!

So, is a weekend in Bohol too short or just about enough? For me, it's about enough....hehehe...But if I plan to go diving next time - I'll ensure that I spend at least 3-4 days and reserve 1 full day just scuba diving!