In Bora the best things in life are free

There is nothing like time spent in the beach to make me experience how wonderful it is to have and hold life’s simple joys. Time in Boracay always does that to me.

The moment my feet touch the powdery white sand I already wish I could stay longer. I always feel that after the trip I leave the island recharged and dreaming of when I can return.

Whereas most others would love time off in a beautiful island to pursue their many interests, I happily glide through each day with no fixed agenda, go where the wind blows, so to speak. My happiest and most relaxing moments on any vacation are almost always like that. Perhaps the many possibilities leave little room for expectations. In the same way that having no expectations thwart any possibility for disappointment, I can’t say for sure. Maybe. All I know is that it can be very liberating to go through a day where, for a change, you are not chasing time.

In the hurried and harried city life we do not always have that luxury. In Manila, the days always seem much too short, with traffic chewing up a large chunk of it. Manila has an abundance of beautifully landscaped establishments. You go through posh villages and there are all these immaculately manicured lawns dotted with lovely plants. Yet we hardly have time to appreciate anything. Let me rephrase that. We hardly have time to appreciate anything that we feel is already a given. Often, we look at all the beauty around us without really seeing them. Thoughts always speed ahead to the meeting that we are already 10 minutes late for, the grocery shopping you have to squeeze in right after, the kids’ homework and projects, and that dinner later on at night.

But in a world where life is slower, it becomes more beautiful. In the beach, there seems to be time to do everything your heart desires, with plenty of downtime, too. The day will melt into night with a sunset so beautiful it will bring tears to your eyes. In this last trip, Richard and I stayed in a huge room at Boracay Terraces Resort that had floor-to-ceiling glass windows. The room was facing the sea. I would wake up to a bright yellow sunshine against a sky that made the sea look bluer than blue, and sparkling as if sprinkled with a gazillion diamonds. I started most of my mornings with that beauty, guiltlessly enjoying the sight at my own pace, being grateful for simply being where I was.

In the afternoons while Richard was working (they had taping for their Lagot Ka Isusumbong Kita sitcom, aired Mondays on GMA 7) I would go for a walk by the shoreline until I reached my absolute favorite spot on the whole island – the adorable cabanas of Waling-Waling Beach Resort. It was there that I would either write, read, or swing on the hammock, lulled almost to sleep by the sea breeze. I was surrounded by the happy sounds of children laughing, friends talking, musicians running through their program for that night’s performance, tables being set by the beach for the buffet dinner, plates and cutlery clinking. There were bodies of all shapes and forms being massaged, tired muscles and tight knots being kneaded away by expert hands slathered in coconut oil from the island. I like it that although there seems to be a lot going on at the same time, the island seems big enough for everyone to have some private space.

My favorite waiter at Waling-Waling, Roy, took very good care of us. He would bring us endless orders of my favorite banana-peanut butter shake, fish kinilaw, and whatever else we would crave for from the extensive menu. He would also arrange for a masseuse and once when Richard was desperately craving for turon na saging he even managed to have the kitchen prepare it for us, with langka as an extra bonus.

The highlight of my day was watching the sunset. It was different each time, yet it was always beautiful.

On my past visits to the island, there were vendors peddling rosaries and native jewelry fashioned from beads and shells. This time I hardly saw any. What there were a lot of were manongs selling yummy comfort treats that, for me, peppered chill out time in the most perfect way. There were hot peanuts, sorbetes, and of course the ubiquitous balut and penoy, best enjoyed with salt and suka.

By 8 p.m. we would start walking down the beach strip. Dinner would be had where our feet would take us. Often it was at Cocomangas for their delicious pizza and Bailey’s shake, one time it was at Joni’s for Mexican food, yet another time at Banza’s for the most delicious seafood rice and sangria.

Although I have not done it yet, I know I can walk up and down the beachfront for hours. I just love it. If I get tired, I know there will always be a place where I can just stop and stay still for a bit, sip a shake or a mango daiquiri, and just take in more and more of all the beauty.

I love this island. The mornings are awash with vivid hues – from the yellow sun and the blue sky, to the white sand and the pink seashells, to the sailboats dotting the sea, to the scantily-clad bodies out under the sun, to the rainbow-colored beach towels and umbrellas and to the tropical uniforms of resort staffers. In the afternoon as the sun sets, the bright colors melt into pastel shades – the beautiful evenings are spiked with acoustic music from the most talented local musicians (Simon Cowell’s jaw would drop in disbelief if these guys auditioned for American Idol).

Our last night at Boracay was spent at Café Del Mar with good friends. All we did was eat and talk and laugh until our tummies hurt.

To say I enjoyed Boracay is an understatement. It does the spirit good when we touch base with life’s simpler joys. It puts a lot of things in perspective when we take the time to look back and enjoy all these little things that made us happy – the sound of hearty laughter, genuine smiles, holding hands while walking, talking and laughing at the same time, the feel of sand on bare feet, lopsided sandcastles, sunburned foreheads and windblown hair, sugar and ice cream, memories and happy times. The key word is, always will be, comfort; seeking the familiar and the innocent. Truly, the best things in life are free.

And the beautiful sandcastles that dot the island early every night, painstakingly built by locals, both young and old are a most bittersweet reminder of just how fleeting these perfect moments can be.

At least there will always be Boracay to go back to.