Leaving Boracay

Tonight may be our last night here in Boracay. 15 days - who knew Geordie could stay that long in one place? Tonight he said he really didn't want to go - he liked it and will miss it.

I went to the doctor today and had my check. He wasn't totally pleased with the results of the medication and prescribed another anti-biotic. My friend Marje said her diagnosis was that I had a coral sore, based on her childhood experiences on the coast of Kenya and that iodine would exacerbate the sore. I think the doctor discounted that when I saw him today. But I was given orders not to swim - didn't tell him about our midnight swim last night.

We will miss Boracay - the things we enjoyed, the beach, the lovely water, the powerful rain. There were other things too. The Miss Earth pageant for which we refused tickets daily on our way along the beach. We never did see any of the beauty queens although we walked by several venues where they would be - the chairs and the dais all decked out in finery. And we did meet Miss Earth 2008's parents - remember. They were the couple who were separated but hanging out together at the Hobbit House. The mother was with her new boyfriend and the father with his new girlfriend - all very friendly.

We also won't forget the young Korean couples who walked along the sand beach path in their matching outfits. It was amazing how many of them were doing it - shorts and t-shirts, even matching hoodies on some of them. It must be cool to do in Korea - or when you holiday at least. Geordie would not be caught dead wearing anything that looked like what I was wearing. He checks our wardrobes carefully for overlap.

And I suppose we won't forget the girls who called out to us every time we passed by. "Massage, sir, massage." They did it in chorus, every time we walked by - in perfect three part harmony I think. It got so irksome, but they do it for every single man who walks by, so we didn't feel singled out.

And I won't forget the child doctors who cared for me. They were charming and serious, and asked us what sights we had seen, what activities we had participated in, as well as checking on infections. Turns out they are only here for 10 days - they will go back to Manila to continue their residencies.

Of course there was scuba - such a wonderful experience. I don't have a list of things I must do before I die, but if I had, scuba diving would have been on it. So I can cross it off. Maybe I should start a list - what about Bungy Jumping, or rafting the Zambesi river with the crocodiles?

We are off now to eat at Aria - an excellent Italian restaurant just below this internet station. We have eaten there at least 4 times including last night, but since it's our favourite we decided we would do it again tonight. Maybe we'll have pizza instead of pasta, but then again - the black pasta with creamy seafood was delicious.

Tomorrow we'll get up, go for coffee at Arwana where we have every morning since we discovered it. It's next door to our resort and the coffee is great. After my fifth or sixth visit, Jhun started serving me a large cup of coffee for the price of a small. They were so nice. And we met Kyle, the 8 year old with the presence of an adult at times. And Nono, who served us our cheap SMB (San Miguel Beer) on the beach at happy hour every evening when we went to watch the glorious sunsets. Tonight's was really wonderful - very mysterious with the red background light breaking through the deep grey clouds.

So on we go - we are hoping to spend only one night in Iloilo and then we'll be off to Guimaras Island we hope. We have asked for a reservation but have not received a reply. Maybe we'll have to use the cell phones we bought for exactly that reason.

Onward!