On Sunday Eric and I started with an awesome buffet breakfast at the sand’s edge and just people watched. We took a swim and waddled up north on White Beach to the D’Mall entrance.
The beach is lined with small shops, massage spas, restaurants and security guards. The activity vendors were persistent but not overly aggressive. I was surprised to see American fast food right on the beach. Shakey’s, McDonald’s, Subway and KFC are quite popular even here.
But every hundred yards or so there is a strong smell of sewer gas, even right next to where people are dining. So you stop and wonder how that can be. And then you realize there are manholes right in the main pathway, just under a layer of sand. Poor planning, Boracay. You can do better.
Later I walked alone a mile south to try and find a safe drone launching point. (More on that later!) The sand here is the consistency of brown sugar. Not quite white but more blonde. It stays cool in the 90-degree sun and feels good on the feet.
Back at the Skybar we were getting to know our “barmaids,” Pinky (yes, like your little finger) and Vanessa. They work on their feet six days a week and stay in a boarding house on Boracay, traveling hours back to their villages on neighboring islands on their day off. Pinky is the savvy Bar Team Lead, and Vanessa the Ambassador of Smiles.
The language here is Tagalog, but they all know basic English. Still, the mistranslations can be quite perplexing — and funny. Eric and Pinky were Mobile Legends addicts, so they had lots to talk about. We promised to bring our wives next time to keep us out of trouble. 😉
In the evening we switched to Mai Tais and the girls were happy to make them Hawaiian style, with guava juice. Yum! I dubbed it the Pinky Mai Tai and suggested they should start charging for drinks here. And yes, drinks are incredibly cheap in the Philippines — especially when your brother is charging them to the room!
This bar only serves Filipino food and the “beef” here is not what you think. They don’t have western cows here. When they aren’t feasting on seafood or chicken here they eat Carabao, which is fattier and gamier than beef. So now I can say I’ve tried water buffalo. 🙂