@ Boracay, "The Best Beach In The World" part 2

Boracay was voted "Best beach in the world" in 2012. It's been at or near the top of the world's best for years and when you get there you'll understand why.

It has a reputation for having the softest, finest white sand in the world. When you hold the sand in your hand, you might be surprised that it has the consistency of talcum powder. I've visited a lot of white sand beaches but Boracay's sand is in a class by itself.

Don't try to bring sand home though, the authorities are trying to stave off sand erosion in the island by discouraging the practice so just buy a small sand bottle sold from the souvenir shops if you'd really like to take some with you.

Anyway, you visit paradise for the fun and sun and Boracay have lots to offer. We tried the banana boat ride which cost us 2500 for 9 people. It was 30 minutes of holding on tight to the rubber boat and getting splashed in the eyes with salt water which was a challenge for me and my niece Alyssa since we were seated in front, but that's a small price to pay for the experience.

We screamed ourselves hoarse just for the fun of it and the feeling of utter freedom in the middle of the waves. It's worth every penny my other niece Hazel paid for the whole thing. I'm an extremely lucky aunt that I'm close enough in age to my nieces to get invited to their trips, haha!

Boracay is famous for its night life so we could not resist plunking our butts on bean bags at The Bamboo Bar in Boat Station 3 to drink some cocktails and see the fire dancers do their thing. I'm not much of a drinker so I nursed my martini the whole night while the others had a bit more.

Those fire dancers are seriously fun to watch. I wondered how they do it without burning various parts of their anatomy. I would probably singe my hair if I try those moves! They are seriously fit too, those gay guys are sexy and that girl's abs was just unreal.

The next day, even if some were nursing mild hangovers, we rented an outrigger boat for 3000 to take us snorkeling to Crocodile Island. It was great to see all the colorful fish though we wish we brought an underwater camera, that was really awesome. Some enterprising boatmen were selling buko juice in the middle of the ocean for  ₱50 so we bought several when we were ready to get back on the boat.

 We also did some swimming after snorkeling away from the White Beach, it's really crowded in April there so beautiful as it was, we appreciated the chance to swim in relative peace somewhere else.

Tired of the roasted chicken and pizzas we had from Andok's and Yellow Cab the previous day, we asked around and found Bella Bistro Boracay who agreed to cook for 100/kilo the seafood and tuna we bought at the D'Talipapa wet market. It was one of my best meals, fresh and oh-so tasty. I'm starting to drool just thinking about it.

Feeling wonderfully full, we walked around the narrow street of D'Talipapa and bought funky bangles for ourselves and key chains and refrigerator magnet pasalubongs for our friends. Dit even bought me a dress which pleased me to no end.

I visited Boracay years ago and it was a shock at first to see it so crowded and noisy now--with so many people running around and touts everywhere selling all kinds of stuff--but I'm glad it's getting the attention it deserves.

I might long for the peace and quiet of the past but I'm aware of the positive effect of the tourists' presence on our economy. I just hope Boracay would be developed responsibly because it is truly a treasure and an island I will always love to come back to no matter how many years pass by.