An Impromptu (Mis)Adventure to Boracay - Catching up with the Daughter (Part 1)

I am the kind of person who wants to plan ahead if I am going to do  something, especially out of town trips. However, there are those of kind of trips that will just present itself when you least expect it and then, planning is out of the question and thrown out of the window and, well, you just go for the hell of it.

That is exactly what happened when we suddenly had this "impromptu" trip to no less than the Paradise Island of Boracay some weeks ago.


It started when my father, who is on vacation at that time (as he is an OFW), planned on going on a trip to Boracay with my mother along with my little sister and her BF. They invited me and my family to come  - I really would love too since it will be my first time to go there, but I was a bit reluctant due to funding issues (You kinda prioritize essential things over travel when you have a family) and have to politely decline. However, I guess my father would not take "No" for an answer and decided to "kidnap" my daughter to change my mind. Okay, hold your horses guys and gals, it is not that kind of "kidnap" you had in mind, though.

It goes like this, My father covertly decided to include my daughter when they purchased round-trip tickets for their Boracay trip and just informed me after all was said and done. With my daughter having her own ticket and set to go with them on that trip, me and my wife simply had no choice but to book for flights and have an unplanned getaway to Boracay too.  Well, we haven't been to Boracay, so why wait for another time? Might as well go now, right?

Me and the missus were able to book a flight scheduled a day after our daughter's (accompanied by my Mama and Papa) and we will just meet up with them on the island when we arrive - sort of like catching up to our "kidnapped" daughter.


The Plane Ride to Kalibo

Okay, first of all, me and my wife haven't traveled by air until this flight, so I looked at this plane ride to Kalibo as a challenge and an adventure on its own, especially for me who has a great deal with fear of heights. Also, we both find it as a good husband-wife bonding moment - First time together in a plane ride? How cool is that huh?

Our flight was set on 2:30 p.m. on a Thursday so we have ample time going to the airport - including the traffic jams and the like. I came off a GY shift at work, so it is a good thing that the flight is in the afternoon as I was able to rest and freshen up a bit at home before proceeding to the airport.

Terminal 4 - Minimalism

We made sure to travel light and limit our carry-on to one bag each only because of two reasons; one is the 7 kilogram limit for carry-ons on the plane and the second is to make sure we can keep our stuff in check while we pass through airport security. Why? Well, if you are keeping up with current events, the notorious "Laglag-Bala" (Bullet Planting) scheme going on lately in the airport  is something you do not want to encounter when you pass through security (Shame on NAIA management for letting this thing happen in the first place, 1000 deaths are not enough for all of them).  Me and my wife had a battle plan to prevent that and making sure we have less bags to worry about is of utmost importance to that plan.

Somebody told me once that for plane travel, the rule of thumb is arriving at the airport about 2 hours before your scheduled flight, following that, me and my wife arrived at 12 noon at the Manila Domestic Airport (better known as Terminal 4), pretty early huh? We passed security without any incident (Wooh! sigh of relief) and was able to check in for our flight at about a shade past 12:30 PM (We actually had reserved seats, but still checking in early is a good habit).

As the clock hits exactly 2:00 PM, a voice on the intercom announced that our flight will be delayed (Nothing new as that has always been the case with domestic flights, as I was told, LOL) and so, the waiting game has started.

Playing the Waiting Game

Luckily for us, our flight was only delayed by just less than 30 minutes (Hey! could have been worse) and we were finally allowed to board the plane. As you can see, our carrier is AirAsia so I guess the delays are not that notorious when it comes to them, just my two cents.

Sige, Ate at Kuya...Selfie Pa More!!!

The plane that we will be riding to go to Kalibo is an Airbus 320 model and it is the widely used model for LCCs all over the world. It is a bit on the small side, but since it is the ones used on domestic flights, it can be expected. It is a little bit cramped on the inside, but still comfortable. It just triggered a little of my "claustrophobic" tendencies, but after settling in, it felt okay afterwards.

Safety Information - among the reading the materials in the plane, this is the most important

After a few reminders from the plane's crew and some waiting for the runway to be cleared, we are up and away to Kalibo.

Going a Long Way Away

After about almost an hour, we finally arrived at Kalibo International Airport. It is relatively small for an "International" airport, but it has a very solemn vibe to it compared to the hustle and bustle filled airports of the Metro.

Touchdown: Kalibo

Just Arrived

From Kalibo, we had to take another two hours travel (by land) to get to the Caticlan Jetty Port - since Boracay is an island, you have to ride a ferry to get there and the Caticlan Jetty Port is where you take a ride on one. You can choose to get to the port via taxi cab, a bus ride, or a van (UV Express style). We chose the latter as it is the one that offers great balance of time and cost (the taxis are costly and the buses are time-consuming).

About to start the two-hour van ride to the Jetty Port

A Two-Hour van ride isn't a joke and I cannot really count the times that I dozed off, awoken, and asked myself or my wife if  "Are we there yet?" and then rinse and repeat.

It is really dark when we arrived (finally) at the port and there is still a ferry ride to endure until we get to the island of Boracay, so we wasted no time and get a move on.

There are a few fees you have to pay up in the port first before you get a ferry ride. You have to pay three fees in three booths; the first fee is the Environmental Fee which is 75 Php, the second is the Terminal Fee which costs 100 Php, and finally the ferry ticket which costs 25 Php for a grand total of 200 Php.

Note: It is really dark when we arrived in the port and the pictures I took that time were not suitable to post so I did took the following pictures on another day and used it here so you can get a "better picture", Pardon the Pun. LoL!

The Fees before the Ferry Ride

After paying and acquiring the tickets for all three fees, you can then board a ferry that will take you to the island. We then boarded a ferry and thanks to the calm sea, our ferry ride was uneventful.

Arriving at the Cagban Port (the port in the island of Boracay) presented another challenge: Getting to the Hotel where our daughter and the others are staying. We are really tired at this point in time and when we saw a tricycle terminal, it was really a no-brainer! We hopped in and just told the driver that we will take a special trip (that costs 100 Php). 

The tricycle ride was a breeze and I noticed that small vehicles seem to be the norm of transportation in the island because except for some Police patrol cars, most of the vehicles plying the road was either a tricycle or a single motorbike. After, about 10 minutes or so, we finally arrived at the hotel and was able to catch up with our daughter, finally!

Catched up to the little one

Honestly, I never expected that the travel times will be that long, but in the end catching up with our daughter is still the price after it all. Arriving late in the island, we only have the night to enjoy, but with a full day ahead of us tomorrow, things are looking great, I am optimistic about it.

Make sure to check back for the second part of this feature.

Until next time,

Ciao!