el toro bumingo 2: Boracay At Dawn (My First Trip)

July 19, 2019

It’s almost 1:30 AM when our RORO reached the port of Caticlan. We left Bulalacao Port around 10:00 PM last night. Compared to the RORO ship we rode in Batangas Port, which has sleeping bunker beds, this RORO ship from FastCat only has seating area at the top most deck (Economy). Even though it’s not fully occupied, I can’t lie on the bench because it has “separators”.

Cagban Jetty Port, Boracay Island

There’s a nearby 7-11 where I had a quick breakfast. The staff asked me a few questions as part of a survey. He asked where I came from and where am I headed to. I initially plan on tour the towns of Aklan but since I’m already in Caticlan, I might as well visit the world-famous Boracay Island even just for a few hours.

There are no boats in Caticlan Jetty Port that is heading to Boracay. I was advised that due to Habagat, the boats are in the nearby port of Tabon. It’s about a kilometer away from Caticlan according to Waze. I decided to walk towards Tabon Port. After the 6 months rehabilitation of Boracay, one of the changes they made in making a trip to Boracay is that you must show a proof of hotel accommodation. I used the Agoda app to find myself the cheapest hotel/inn in Boracay. I found one for a dormitory type (6 beds in 1 room, double-deck) for around P400 located in Station 2.

Since it’s before 6:00 AM, the price of the ferry doubled to P50/person. The environmental fee is P75 and terminal fee is P25. My co-passengers were mostly Korean (or Chinese). The boat trip was about 15 minutes to Boracay Jetty Port. There were e-Tricycles there, but I decided to hire a habal-habal for P100.

I was at the inn along Boracay-Bulabog Road around 4:00 AM. I toured the area and was able to visit Stations 1-2 before sunrise. All the establishments were already closed but I enjoyed the sight of the sea (the moon was bright). Sunrise side of Boracay is the Bulabog Beach where most of the fishing vessels are docked. I took some pictures of Boracay Sunrise along with some Koreans (or Chinese). After that I went back to Stations 1-2, Willy’s Rock and Boracay Church. I returned to Caticlan Port around 7:00 AM.