Boracay Mornings

Do you ever get to catch Boracay on an early morning?
Or are you always too wasted the night before for this?

Well, let me tell you that, what I (still) like about the island - even now that it is already too urbanized for comfort - is its early morning scene. Not that rural anymore, but the cool-breezy-beach that we all yearn for, without the thousands of tourists crisscrossing your every view, is still there after all!

That is a reason why howsoever 'wasted' I was at last night’s 'til the wee hours party', I make it a point to stroll or even just silently sit by the beach on very early Boracay mornings. It's a wonderful feeling!

Here is a fact: sometimes, when I've been up too late with friends, I even prolong that sleepless night way into "just before sunrise", only to savor another soothing early morning breeze on Boracay Island!

You don't literally catch real sun rays at any of Stations 1, 2 or 3. The entire white beach area is on the western coast of the island, so actual sunrise is over at the other side. Just the same, the un-crowded goings-on in the entire white beach strip is an experience that should be one for your memory books.

Swish swish swash swish swash, the rhythmic sound of a Manong or a Manang's broom, sweeping the resort’s beachfront from fallen leaves and rubbish thrown by the irresponsible, is all you mostly hear.

If you close your eyes, the broom's sound even has a tempo that can lull you as you lay flat on one of the sun loungers! And even big resorts still have crews manually sweeping their front and back yards!

There's also that soft whispering krrrhh sound that comes after the sweeping. If you look, you'll know it's the same hotel staff now using a rake to flatten the sand even and to create a stripe sand pattern!

It's almost like a 'karesansui' (Japanese dry landscape garden), often also called a 'zen garden' by the western world! The main difference is that they only make straight lines in Boracay! And they make it really straight – sometimes even ‘erasing’ and redoing their lines if they don’t like what they just did!

It's a calming experience watching them do those lines - and it happens only in the early mornings!

FYI, I asked sometime ago, as to 'what are the raked patterns for'. The reply was a simple “so the sand will look clean and beautiful”. Hmm, I agree - even if it would only be for some few fleeting moments!

Years ago, this line-making morning ritual by resort staff would usually extend very far out to almost the water's edge. Nowadays, they do it only a few meters front of their facades. Why? "Dahil sa truck"!

What truck? On the beach? Yes a truck, and on the white sand! Ah, when snoozing, I even always open my eyes to watch that green truck! It's not really so big. It's cute, at about the size of a regular forklift!

Yep, a little green truck that always runs the length of the entire white beach area every morning. And I have many friends who haven't seen it yet, therefore they can't imagine what it is. Ah there's nothing like it along city streets, thus, it's always hard for me to describe! It's purely for use on sandy beaches!

It tows some gadget (about as big as it is) that picks rubbish from the sand -including stones, twigs or even glass shreds and candy wrappers. Hey, that gadget can pick as tiny a thing as a cigarette butt yet it can also easily pluck bigger ones like wine bottles or 'long-neck'. It leaves a striped "raked" trail too (above picture), much like what the resort crews manually do, but perpendicular to the beach length.

I still don't know its technical name, but soon I will (I hope)! None of the (local) people I asked on the beach knows. Everyone just tells me "garbage truck". I'm guessing it must have a better, more specific name other than just "garbage truck". It scoops sand, sifts it, and returns only sand back to the beach!

Someone suggested it is probably called a "Beach Cleaner". Another said a "Beach Combing Machine" since it combs the beach and cleans it up! I said maybe a "Sand Sifter"! Ahhh basta, it's a green truck!

Anyway, it's the only truck you'll see on the beach (if you do), and only at such an early time of day.

Then there's the dognapper. Oops, dog catcher I mean! It's a multicab type little white truck where the entire rear portion is a cage for stray dogs that island officers catch when seen loitering on the beach.

Except probably for the 2 famous dogs that know how to skimboard and are always with their owners!

Oh there's something 'cute' with the little white truck and the dogs! Even if the vehicle is still far, stray dogs already run for their respective residences and start barking angrily hehe. They probably already know what misfortune that white truck brings forth to them hehehe! So, they scamper home but bark!

I wonder if those dogs also remember barangay officers individually? I think they do!

Boracay's ATV Policemen can also be seen patrolling the entire beach strip during early mornings (we hardly notice them amidst the crowds during the day - and night)! Oh yeah, and I have been dreaming of riding on one of their vehicles! I mean the real Police ATVs - with the written word “police” - and on the beach! Not those that you can rent to ride up on the hills! Wala lang, I just want to, feeling macho!

Oist! I also look when I hear the thumping feet of those who do their early morning jogs on the beach area. Y’know.., just people watchin [wink wink].., even early in the mornings! Aba, tsismoso rin ako oi!

Some are serious health buffs with running gears and all. They always remind me to ask my lazy royal highness handsome self, when did I ever come to Boracay bringing my running shoes? Can’t imagine I will. Leather shoes yes, for the weddings etc., but sneakers? Nah, they take lots of my backpack space!

Hmm, I've seen some tourists jogging barefoot. I’d say, I think that must be a cool thing to do. But the surface, especially by the water's edge is sometimes too hard. Isn't that a bit hard on their bones? Da!

Ayan na... atrevida talaga, nakialam na naman hehehe! Ay, there are even others I’ve seen who jog the entire white beach in their “maong shorts”. Bakit ba, right?! To each his own! Walang basagan ng trip!

Isipin na lang natin, those heavy maong shorts are "weights" for extra endurance training hahahaaay!

Now... some of those joggers wear stuff on the wrist, waist, arms, legs and ears. I think those that they attach to the waist and legs are weights. On the wrist, probably a timer or speedometer or something to that effect - to monitor the heart. But those attached to the arms and ears never cease to fascinate me - with occasional rolling of my eyeballs. Need that cellphone be attached to an arm? Or need it be brought to a few minutes of jogging anyway? Really?! Sino naman ang tatawag sa'yo at 5 or 6AM, aber?

Equally fascinating are the "earplugs", sometimes even big "headsets" that crown the skulls of many a jogger. They probably don't want to hear the breeze, or lapping little waves on the beach, as they run?

Or they don’t wanna hear themselves panting and running out of breath? Whatever!

When I hear music, my mood if not my total physique, moves with the rythm. Ganun din ba sila? What do joggers listen to? Probably not lonely ballads for I haven't seen anyone sobbing as they run heheh!

Probably not ballet music too, for they might start floating in air, pirouetting as they jog hahaha! Rock or hiphop? Hardly, since I should see a head or two banging into the air as they jog. Head bangers ba!

Reggae? Maybe not too, as the rhythm seem to be slower than a jog. Maybe a march? Ah whatever! For all I care, they may probably be even listening to DZBB or DZRH for their "daily morning news update"!

Anyway…

“Isda, fish sir, fresh fish”, while lazing around, I sometimes also get approached by fresh-fish-hawkers - yup, their catch straight from the sea (not the cold storage)! Nowadays though, I have been noticing, they seem to 'walk fast', 'talk fast' and leave just as fast upon sensing you're not interested to buy fish.

Maybe fish vendors are not anymore allowed to walk and hawk their catch along the beach? Probably. But on early mornings, I still see them deliver fish to their habitué (suki) resorts, residents or guests.

I once asked a manong who delivered fish to my resort and he told me, they are not anymore allowed to park (or is it dock?) their little fishing boats on white beach by a certain time of day. They may only do so at either the northern or southern end, far from Station 1's central area where most buyers are.

Hmm, that must be a bit controversial... people trying to earn their livelihoods (by selling fish) are not allowed to dock their boats on the famous white beach for what? Touristic aesthetics? Ganun ba yun?

Whatever. Because I also think, if you allow fish vendors to dock on the famed beach, it will become a fish port na! Paano tayong mga magsu-swimming? Ah, they know better. Let's not rock the boat. As is!

Aw, speaking of north and south ends… this is one little thing I ALWAYS do when in Boracay. I do early morning walks to them. One morning to the right (north), another day to the left (south) or vice versa.

Depending on my mood, I walk as far to the end as my feet and my cowardly brain can allow me hehe! Both ends have fantastically good views, especially the southern end at sunrise. No you won’t see the sun rising as I said above. But, the wash of yellowish light from the hills to the beach and the boats is magical, you photographers out there must try it! I know I have pics of that, but I can't find them now!

The northern end is a more challenging walk as there are crags to pass-by, with narrow walking paths (made of stone-and-concrete mix) that seem to be hanging by the rocky cliffs with veery sharp edges.

During windy high tides, big waves could be smashing right unto the path you're supposed to trod on. I must admit there were times I backed-off. Magisa kasi ako walang tao, eh kung lamunin ako ng alon?

But, the views are picturesque, and it's a wonderful quiet beach over at the Diniwid area, and beyond. Also good for those who like taking pics, as the white sand is dotted with boulders and smaller rocks.

Oh! The number of hotels and resorts with cottages hanging from those cliffs is increasing by the day! There's a now-getting-famous viewdeck restobar with some cliff-jumping in that tip of the island too!

Plus, there is, btw, a fishing platform along the path with a very good view of the entire white beach.

These places are of course always just there any time of day, but they're more wonderful to visit early in the morning, without the crowds. You get to feel the serene, tranquil island that Boracay once was.

Note: this is just at the northern end of the famous contiguous white beach - not the island. There are still resorts and things to see/experience beyond, such as Diniwid, Hagdan and Punta Bunga Beaches.

Alright.., far on the opposite end, on the southern portion of white beach is an equally lovely morning walk destination - at least for me! Like the rocky hills and crags of the northern end, resorts also keep penetrating further south. They keep making paths, so I get braver to step further every time I return!

There is even a resort that bore something like a tunnel for easy access to the main road!

Once I walked too far where there were no more resorts or attractions. After I passed those big black smooth boulders on the sand, I stumbled upon another white sandy beach in a small cove, hemmed-in on both ends by vertical ridges. Nice photo-op! But I stayed there a bit too long, that on my return, it was already high tide, the waves were ramming me to the rocks and cliffs. And I was alone! Kulba oi!

Oh, on this southern portion, there are more boats floating some meters away from the shore. They're a nice shot, but the earlier you do it the softer your pics will register on the camera. So wake up early!

Wake up very early or don’t sleep at all yet hehehe. Note that there's also a very nice morning view of the entire white beach from this southern area, by the boulders. You can climb atop the smaller ones.

BUT.., compared to the north, some crevices and boulder corners are smellier – meaning humans still defecate somewhere in this area. Are they locals? Probably, since tourists all have resorts with toilets! I know it's already 2006, the whole country is educated enough, pero me ganun pa rin. Sa Boracay pa!

Ah eto ang juicy news! On those morning walks to the southern end, I have seen many a set of 4 legs "entangled or entwined" at many of the boulders with white sand at the base. I just move on hehehe! Alangan naman manood pa ako 'no? Eh di naman "betamax" yan! Judging from the color of their flesh, hmm... not all of them are locals (sure ako dyan)! Madalas mukhang atin si Adan, dayo si Eva, ahahay!

Ah, let’s stop it here!

See?! There are so many things Boracay, even very early in the mornings. So, as I said above, wake up early or do not sleep yet until the sun is up, to experience Boracay mornings. Then, snore all you can!

Enjoy Boracay like I always do!