August 26, 2010 (Thursday)
Before going back to Manila for our 6 p.m. flight, we decided to make the most of a half-day, with the latter half alotted to the long roadtrip back to Kalibo. We woke up just before the breakfast buffet ended so we only had roughly 3 hours in the half-day. The breakfast was the same but I got hooked eating the omelettes with cheese and black olives so it took a while. We were itching to try the Zorb Ball adventure so we hopped on a tricycle (4 for P100.00 one-way) to take us directly to the site.
We passed by local houses and mostly unkempt vegetation. The driver suggested that another alternative thing to do in the island was to take a tricycle and go around the island with him as the guide for around two hours at P600.00. This was an unexplored way to see the island from within and I would very much like to do this when time permits. The zipline was another option as we went past Fairways Resort. You can also rent Buggys and ATVs and drive along the main road with the tricys.
The location was very remote further past Station 1 and we reached a point where the roads were unpaved that the tricycle couldn’t carry all our weight up the street. The driver was very friendly and offered to walk with us to the site. He said that there was no available transportation in the location so he would also wait for us and take us back.
For our Zorb Ball adventure, we decided to try out the harnessed ride for two people (P380.00 per person). It was weird that they weighed us and looked at the difference but I guess it makes sense. We were off to the top of the makeshift grass hill after we signed our waiver forms.
The man who assisted us took our before, during and after pictures and was kind enough to offer to bring our slippers all the way down the hill. The harness ride shook my head a bit and it’s normal to feel a little bit disoriented. You just have to remember to shout as loud as you can, to keep your eyes open and to keep your feet straight (do not bend) during the entire ride. We also tried out the water three-person ride (P300.00 per person). Basically you’ll be in a zorb ball but you’ll be sitting down without any harness in around three buckets of water.
Prepare to be wet in this ride because even though you’ll just be swaying at the bottom of the zorb, the water will be splashing and coming from all directions. It's body first going in and legs first going out.
Everyone agreed that this was the more fun ride although we all felt it was a bit expensive to go for a second round.
There was no more time to go to the Zipline (more expensive than the Zorb Ball) so we asked the driver if we could just drop by the famous Jonah’s Fruitshake to sample their drinks since it was near our hotel. We ordered the Banana Choco Peanut (tasted like Chocnut but a little too sweet, leaves you very thirsty, last to finish), Mango Lemon (too sour for my taste, I forced myself to finish it) and Tropical Shake (the flavors were just right, first one to finish).
The shakes costs an average of P90.00+10%(Service Charge) per 350mL bottle (estimate). I like the Jammers’ Coco-Mango Shake better.
Our last lunch was at Mañana – a Mexican-themed restaurant, also near the hotel. We ordered the Taco Platter (my favorite), Sizzling Squid (don’t eat too much), Sizzling Chicken (a little too spicy) and Pumpkin Soup (it came last but was very concentrated and smooth). The tacos were good in taste (the sauce inside was different) and in texture (crunchy yet soft and thin taco shells). Mañana is listed in My Favorite Guiltless Foodie Picks in Boracay post.
We were in a hurry to catch our 1 p.m. shuttle back to Kalibo. We decided this time to see the hotel transport arrangements for P950.00 per two people one-way via Southwest Tours. I think this was the best choice for this price back to Kalibo, especially when the van is replaced by a big and comfy tourist bus for the 2-hour ride. I heard that going to the island costs P950.00 per two people plus the terminal fee and the environmental fee which costs an additional P125.00 per person. Of course, the cost would be lower going back(at around 250.00 per person vs. 475.00 per person here) if we had taken the same route when we got here minus the fees. The upside though of this arrangement was a custom mini-van ride with luggage carriers to the port (same boatride) and priority/prepaid-at-the-hotel status to the bus (super comfy and spacious bus than the van).
We were early for our 6 p.m. flight (around 4 p.m) so we went out the airport after check-in to look at the little souvenir shops and a few restaurants. I found my favorite Iloilo Original Biscocho Haus Butterscotch (P160.00) in a few stalls and bought one to take home with me next to my box of calamansi muffins.
We hang around the waiting area until it was time to go back to Manila, which was only an hour away via PAL.
*Note: Please be reminded not to smoke or litter in Boracay. I heard violators who are caught would have to pay P500 per occurrence.
Read more about Boracay:
