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Saturday, January 23, 2016

What happened to Boracay Island?




While I’m sure not many people would agree to my opinion, this is what I think and please feel free to make a comment if you disagree with what I’m about to write here.



About 20 years or more ago, boracay island is one of the places you must visit in the Philippines, not only that it has the best sunset scenery, beautiful white beach but also laid back, relaxing and CLEAN.  But that was then.  Some people would recall Boracay to be a dream vacation, a long lost paradise.


Now however, it still has its beautiful sunsets but you will be shocked to find out that the white beach is packed with so many people you can’t imagine where to find a place to relax on the beach. There are thousands of people sharing it with you day or night along with plastic bottles and whatsoever afloat on shore and on the sand. There are also so many individuals on your beach walks that would offer you expensive services from scuba diving, parasailing, boat trips, massages, etc.  Sometimes it’s helpful but most times it’s annoying and then you found out later that if you go directly to an establishment for their service you pay a much lesser price.

It’s a great party place though if this is what you only want on vacation, however it becomes monotonous after 2 to 3 nights, every where you go offers the same or similar things, fire dancers everywhere, hookas (shishas), dancing and drunk tourists, so there isn’t really special about it after you’ve toured it in one night.



There are pretty much garbage everywhere, and what's more disturbing was during rainy season the drainage would over flow, it would smell on the beach front and sidewalks in the main road. This would mean that the beach is dirtiest when it rains as the stream would go to the beach from the drainage.



I was also confused that the peddlers or people selling peanuts or the famous “balut” were not allowed on the beach front but beggars are everywhere. Does this mean begging is allowed instead? I’m sure it is not. However, they still exist everyday and I haven’t seen anyone while I was there that has taken any action to remove those beggars there or enhance the way they live as I understood that they are really the original inhabitants of Boracay.


There are so many hotels and establishments under construction everywhere you go on the island and I cannot imagine how it will become soon.  Already with what it has now it is already very crowded and dirty. Imagine adding more to it. I hope the local government would do something to this trend as well as have a plan to preserve what’s left of this once an island paradise. 

It's funny that I wrote this blog a few years ago and the Philippine government has closed down the island for rehabilitation only this year.  That means for many years people have been swimming in a sea of shit.  Im glad Boracay is now being rehabilitated to preserve the natural beauty of the island.

Update Feb 25, 2015 : High Bacteria levels found in Boracay water





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