Arriving in the middle of the morning in Caticlan airport, our host, Merrell Prado, the Tourism Operation Officer, was mildly irked that the flight announcement read “Caticlan, Boracay!” To set the record straight, Caticlan is just one of the seventeen barangays in the municipality of Malay, with only three (Yapak, Balabag and Manoc-manoc) in the island of Boracay; the rest are in the mainland. Boracay the island, is not a local government unit.

After a dogged determination to explain to us the local geo-political set-up, we found ourselves trekking uphill to a rather tranquil and lush community with sporadic Aeta houses lining the path. It’s been ages since I’ve been inside an indigenous community and I cannot help but think, as true owners of this paradise, we owe them a debt of gratitude for being able to enjoy what is rightfully theirs. Arriving on a very lush plateau, we were treated to a program of indigenous songs and dance. The Alat dance was interesting because it mimicked how they use their baskets in everyday life. In the Motag Living Museum, one of the “Seven Wonders of Malay,” visitors can actually participate in their daily activities. After a glimpse of their culture, it was lunchtime.

We drove to barangay Nabaoy. Its tranquil river is where all the drinking water of Boracay comes from. Remember, we were still on the main land. The highlight of the river is the resorts with big kawas or woks that function as individual thermal baths. The Narra Resort, owned and operated by Sensia Quinto, didn’t have the giant woks but it was known for its food. Before lunch was served, I was in the river, watermelon in hand. The buffet started taking shape soon after. First off was the pako or fern salad. Like the river, it freshened my palate. The banag or snails with coconut milk had two versions, with gabi or taro, and plain. Failure to suck the entire snail out of the shell elicited the most laughs. The eel and the native chicken were also in coconut milk. But the star of the table for me were the bamboo shoots side dish and the fresh river shrimp. The bamboo shoots salad was unbelievably refreshing to the taste and the river shrimps were very juicy. River shrimps are strange, with claws they look like they were cross bred with crabs. Unbelievably, this resort along the river can accommodate three hundred dinners, boodle fight style.

There were three more stops for that first day: the Eco Park with its butterfly sanctuary and giant tree house with a panoramic view of Boracay; Balai Tadao, a café with a lush garden, owned by the local landscaper Rafael Ong Jr.; and Distileria Barako, an award-winning distillery headed by two Australians.

The following day, we woke up to a foreboding weather. The storm came in the middle of the night and it woke me up with its howling winds and furious rain. With overcast skies, there was no paraw ride but our shoot went on. By the way, with 160 paraws there, it was good to learn that these boatmen are organized and they have a cooperative, MASBOI, which took care of the needs of its 700 members.

After using the “backdoor” to get to Boracay, our next stop was our hotel, Boracay Amor Apartments. As the name implies, each unit is a full apartment with its own kitchen, refrigerator, dining area, living area, spacious bedrooms and even an outdoor jacuzzi. They have two properties overlooking each other. The first property is probably the highest point in Diniwid, Balabag. The owner, a Swiss married to a Filipina, has made sure each unit is private and has an amazing view. Scaling the honeymoon suite in the higher property, the view was beyond spectacular. It was literally at the top of Boracay and one can see Station 1 clearly from its balcony, where a jacuzzi is tucked in a corner. Inside was a Filipino-themed living room, dining area and kitchen, and the shower was just sensuously designed and located at the entrance of the bedroom. My room was in the second floor of a unit in the lower property where the swimming pool is. It was very spacious and my bathroom was nothing less than superior. There was an even bigger room and a bathroom at the ground floor of our unit.

Back at the beach, we wined and dined at the various establishments owned and managed by Jian Sacdalan, our Lloyd Samartino look-alike chef. We started at the Happy Bar Café, had dinner at the Jeepney Stop and drinks at the Om Bar. The following day, we had lunch in Subo, their seminal restaurant. In Happy Bar, we were treated to patatas bravas which are native Aklan Chorizo and potatoes that were very complimentary. The coconut crusted prawn with wasabi mayo and mango salsa had a surprising contrast between the biting wasabi and the sweet mango. The pugita croquettes with squid ink and aglio olio dip was outstanding as the dip truly brought the croquette to life.