If you can only spend a weekend in Boracay, you have experienced one of heaven's blessings!
The tropical island of Boracay is one of the Philippines' most popular world's destinations. Its white sand beaches are the island's main draws. Choose from Yapak Beach, with its white shells, White Beach, with its amazing sunsets, and romantic, secluded Balinghai Beach. Off the sands, good restaurants, enticing shopping and Boracay Butterfly Garden provide other appealing diversions. Explore the 4.5-mile-long island by motorized pedicab or rent a bicycle or motorbike from your resort. Boracay is divided into three main districts: Yapak in the north, Balabag in the center, and Manoc-Manoc in the south. Central Boracay is situated in the mid-west of the island along White Beach.
White Beach, with its blindingly white and powdery sand, is the main tourism beach. It is a bit over four kilometers long and is lined with resorts, hotels, lodging houses, restaurants, and other tourism-related businesses. In the central portion, for about two kilometers, there is a footpath known as the Beachfront Path separating the beach itself from the establishments located along it. North and south of the Beachfront Path, beachfront establishments do literally front along the beach itself. Several roads and paths connect the Beachfront Path with Boracay's Main Road, a vehicular road which runs the length of the island. Bulabog Beach, across the island from White Beach, is the second most popular tourism beach on the island
The first settlers of Boracay are called Negrito or people we called Aeta. They spoke a language known as Visayan language or Inati. Later settlers brought other languages to the island, including Aklanon (as Boracay is part of Aklan province) and other Visayan languages, Tagalog (and its variant, Filipino), Spanish and English.
I came to wonder how the islang got its name. The word "Boracay" originated from the word bora or bubbles due to its foamy appearance that the waves make when it softly crashes onto the whitish sands. No less than the natives themselves said that as far in time as their memory as one of the original settlers and natives of Malay and Buruanga, the island which is now known as “Boracay” had no name before until a couple blurted out of their personal conversation about the froath and foam of the oceans of boracay. Malay was a part of Buruang or was only a barrio or barangay of the municipality of Buruanga, and people merely called the place “Ro Isla it Buruanga”. The name “Boracay” was first given to a very tiny island off the northern tip of the “Isla” by a native upon hearing conversation between a couple, now known to be the Father and Greener of the island of Boracay - Lamberto and Sofia. Folks have it told that many years ago (late 1800 or early 1900), when a settled named Soping or Sofing married a Tirol Judge, they came to settle at the northern coast of the “Isla” to engage in planting coconut trees and selling tobacco leaves as their means of livelihood.
A coconut oil gatherer known as "mananggete" eavesdropped and overheard a conversation between the couple at their dwelling. Lamberto was at the beach or in the beach water as he observed thick froath being washed ashore by the waves that clased between the tiny island and the “Isla” agitated by the Amihan wind. He said he saw the Tirol Judge observing the thick froath and so he called out to his young meztisa wife Soping or Sofing and said “Acay, hanggod ka bora, Acay,” which when translated can mean: “Darling, there’s plenty of froath, Darling.”
There is not much history after that. Now all we hear from the news are environmental issues, sex scandals, human rights violation and government intervention in Boracay.
Such a waste of good piece of heaven.
When a colleague asked me if I intend to go back to the island, I said of course I will. This time with my family and some friends.
Here's to hoping that by the time I get back, the island stays as heavenly as it was when I left.
Originally posted at The Simple Site of The Simple Traveler on May. 8, 2007