18 September 2017, Monday

This morning, I had a very important piece of business to settle, and that was getting my mobile phone repaired. The front and rear cameras were not working anymore after I dropped my phone last night. I felt extremely handicapped without a camera so I made it my number one priority to get it fixed today.

There was a mobile phone repair shop nearby called Mac Mac. The guy told me that it would cost me approximately PHP 2,000 (S$56) to repair it, and it could take around three hours to do so. I left my phone at the shop and went to a local eatery near my hostel to have my breakfast in the meantime.

I ordered a portion of baconsilog and it cost PHP 75 (S$2.05). Baconsilog is a typical Filipino meal, often served for breakfast, and it is short form for bacon, sinangag (fried rice) and itlog (fried eggs). It is sometimes also called bacsilog, to shorten the name further.

Three hours later, I went back to the shop to retrieve my phone. Unfortunately, the guy was not able to fix my iPhone cameras as he said the problem was likely caused by a software issue. Since I did not back up my phone, I didn’t want him to reset it for me. I thanked him for his help and left the shop dejected. He was nice enough and didn’t charge me any fees for looking at my phone.

I then considered my options – should I buy a digital camera, or should I go camera-less for the next two days? I was very tempted to go for the latter option but I decided to first check out D’Mall to see if there were any shops selling cheap digital cameras before making my decision.

As you would expect, there was a shop at D’Mall called Sweet Techbiz Center and it carried a small range of digital cameras. The cheapest one was a Kodak that cost PHP 4,350 (S$118.32) and the SD card cost a further PHP 660 (S$18). I thought about it for a long time and I decided that I would get it. I knew that I probably would not use the camera very much after this trip, but I felt it would be too big a pity not to capture any snapshots from Boracay. So the unfortunate slip of hand last night set me back with an unplanned expenditure of S$136.32. Haiz!

After buying the camera and the SD card, I took a scooter to Puka Beach, located at the northern tip of the island. The 14-minute scooter ride cost PHP 100 (S$2.72). The ride was a little scary because the driver rode quite fast and he didn’t provide me with a helmet. Nevertheless, I made it to Puka Beach safely at 12:30pm.

There are several beaches in Boracay and the most famous one is undoubtedly White Beach, where most tourists will end up spending most of their time at. However, White Beach is way too commercialised and Puka Beach is a much better option if you want to spend some quiet moments relaxing and sunbathing. The beach here is also wider and more conducive for swimming.

Puka Beach got its name from the abundance of puka shells that can be found on its sandy shores. Puka shells are a type of seashell from cone snails. The puka shells here are mostly crushed and mixed with the white sand, so you can still walk on the beach normally without getting pricked by the sharp edges of the shells.

There are a lot of operators offering deck chairs/beds at Puka Beach. If you buy a drink for PHP 150, you can lie on the deck chair/bed for free, and also use the colourful floats to laze about in the sea. There are also other activities like kayaking and stand-up paddling. It would have been fun if I wasn’t alone. I just wanted to lie on the beach so I continued walking to find a quiet spot.

I managed to find a secluded spot away from all the bars and water activities. The puka shells here are more intact because less people venture here. After sunbathing for a while, I went for a dip in the sea. The water was clear like a swimming pool and the temperature was just right. It was a cloudy day so the sun wasn’t blazing, which was fine actually. I also spent some time reading on my Kindle.

As I used my Kodak digital camera to take pictures, it felt anachronistic, like something I have not done in years. It felt strange to operate a digital camera yet it was liberating to be doing something different from the crowd. It was like listening to an iPod again, or a Discman or Walkman. Humans are weird sometimes. When technology becomes too advanced, we in turn crave for something simpler or more basic.

At 3:15pm, I left Puka Beach on a tuk tuk back to White Beach. The ride also cost PHP 100 and it was a better option than taking a scooter. I left not a moment too soon because it started to rain heavily after I left Puka Beach. In fact, the rain was so heavy that several stretches of the road were submerged with water, causing traffic to slow down to a snail’s pace. Amazingly, the tuk tuk was still able to navigate its way through the flood waters. The lady who shared my ride said to me “Welcome to Boracay”.

I finally arrived at my hostel at 4:05pm and went back for a shower and rest before heading out again for dinner at 8:30pm. I chose an Italian restaurant called Donatello and ordered a chicken cordon bleu (PHP 270). The food was ok, though nothing special.

After dinner, I went to White Beach again (where else is there to go?) to jalan jalan for a while. I then popped in to Starbucks for a cinnamon Danish pastry and latte. I spent the night writing in my journal until they started chasing people out at 11:45pm.

 

Footnote
In light of Philippines president Duterte calling Boracay a “cesspool” and his decision earlier this year (April 2018) to shut Boracay down for six months for a massive clean-up, what I wrote in my journal then seemed especially poignant and relevant. These are the exact passages I wrote in my journal in verbatim while I was at Starbucks that night on 18 September 2017:

The drainage system here in Boracay is quite bad. It is common to see roads being flooded – the road outside Mad Monkey is perpetually flooded and it is just annoying because the water is dirty and smells a little of urine too. But that’s Boracay – it is messy and developed too quickly for its own good.

As with other Asian cities, I wonder if this tourism is sustainable. Sure, they have implemented an Environmental Fee for tourists, but I wonder how much of it really goes into improving the infrastructure and developing sustainable practices. The whole of Boracay is catered to tourism. But I also see local villages and schools, so this is home for many other people too.

Tourism is great because it allows foreigners like me to visit this place to experience the beauty, but it also comes at a cost of the environment and the locals’ way of life. I’m sure White Beach looked very different 20 years ago. In fact, boats used to pull up at White Beach itself, hence the names Station 1, 2 and 3. The boats no longer pull up here but the names have been retained. The landscape has been changed forever for the locals, due to the invasion of the tourists.

This is the dilemma I face when I travel. I want to see the world and visit all these amazing places, but by my doing so, I am changing the place with my presence. The other dilemma is also one where I want an authentic experience vs a commercialised experience. As a tourist, you visit a place for only a few days, which often isn’t enough to experience the authentic local experience. If it is not commercial enough, there may not be things for you to do and you may not enjoy it. But if it is too commercialised, you may be turned off as well. It’s so hard to strike a balance.

My favourite countries are those that retain their own culture without pandering to tourists, yet have the necessary and sufficient infrastructure/ecosystem to support tourists. It’s hard to say, but Japan strongly comes to mind. Their culture is so unique and they have managed to maintain it mostly, while still being a magnet for tourists.

I think tourists are becoming increasingly sophisticated and crave for something more authentic. Which is why I think Boracay will not last. I think the tipping point will be reached soon, like Phuket or Bali. At least Bali is big enough and there are other areas and activities besides Kuta and Seminyak. It is the wet and low season now in Boracay, and I already feel it is optimum in terms of the number of tourists. Cannot imagine the peak period in December. It would be a madhouse.

Looking back at these words, I feel that president Duterte’s decision was the right one and I applaud his bravery to do the right thing before it’s too late. I hope that other countries in similar situations will do the same too.