How To Get To Boracay

due to public demand, and me being lazy to reply to all of you wonderful people asking how.do.we.get.to.boracay?
when.is.the.best.time.for.wind?
parties?
place to stay?
 So am here are some answers to some FAQs about getting to Boracay.
This post is dedicated to FLYING in and out of BORACAY.


1. Which airport to fly?

 It's always best to travel to Manila first from your country. Point of Origin - MLA (Manila, Philippines) and then take a connection from Manila to Kalibo (Boracay) via LLCC or Local Low Cost Carriers.

 **The Philippines main hub is Manila. We have 4 terminals that are on the same area but for some strange reason they are not connected to each other via internal tarmac or even a walkway. So, make sure you check your terminal and transfer time. transferring from Terminal 1 (International terminal) to LLCC (terminal 4 or terminal 3) is a shuttle ride away but MOST of the time the traffic is BAD, so allow at Least more than 6 hours between your international flight and your domestic connection flight to Boracay. If you are arriving in the evening, it's best to book a room nearby or better yet book the earliest flight to boracay the next day and just wait in the terminal.

 NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE TRAFFIC SITUATION IN MANILA, it goes from bad to very bad and worst when it's raining. i have had friends who missed their international flights because of this reason. and i even had my own bad experience with typhoons/flights and terminals

http://skurbanista.blogspot.fr/2010/07/what-dfa-and-lola-basyang-did-to-me.html


 ---- Kalibo is the nearest airport from Boracay THAT ACCEPTS boardbags, from Kalibo you have to take a 1.5 hr VAN or BUS to Caticlan Jetty Port.
 Van Fee = Php (150.00 per person or 3 euros)
*BUSES can cost up to 250.00 or 5euros some companies include boat transfers/terminal fees/environmental fees

 otherwise if you are traveling light and do not mind the extra mind blowing 200usd for a 1 hour flight you can take a flight from MANILA to CATICLAN, which takes you directly to Caticlan Jetty Port.


 Here are some LLCC - Low Cost Carriers you can choose from



 Cebu Pacific Air - relatively the cheapest - most of the time i take this myself, i try to get the earliest flight in the morning because after lunch MOST flights are already Delayed caused by tarmac traffic and late arrival of turn around aircraft.  and make sure you book your sports equipment with your ticket or else they will charge you an arm and a leg in the counter.

 PAL Express/Air Philippines - a bit more pricey. they say it's safer. i don't know really.
 Seair - BEST airline for me and FASTEST. and MOST EXPENSIVE, Flies to both Caticlan and Kalibo.
 Air Asia/ Zest Air - relatively cheap like cebu pacific, i take these planes too from time to time.

 When you arrive at Caticlan Jetty Port you will have to buy / pay for the ff:
 1. Boat transfer = 25php or.50euro or 30php on evenings
2. Terminal Fee = 50php or (not sure)
3. Environmental Fee = 100php or 2 euros

 **OPTIONAL - Porters - porters are people who carry your luggage for you. you can tip them from 20php to 50php per bag. give them more if it makes you feel better. I personally love porters. make sure you hire somebody who wears an ID and Uniform - they usually get to you at the baggage carousel. Porters can take you all the way to the jetty and come with you to the boat or you might have to change to another porter when you get to the other side. The Boat transfer will take 15minutes tops and viola, you are in Boracay. Take a trike(tuktuk) to your hotel/room. **stayed tuned for my next post about places to stay and spots to check out.

For more questions about traveling to the Philippines. like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bestkiteboarding

Shortcutting

The Tour was cut short, what a bummer!

The KTA for this season was cut to two stops because of potical issues and economic issues in Thailand and some more issues in China I guess.

O well, lets hope it’s for the best.

I am a bit disappointed with this news as I really prepared for the season, trained hard and cleared out my schedule.

Although, I guess this is not what the universe wants for me right now.

I always believe that the world turns its ways to change towards the where you need to be.

Now I’d have some time to manage a few new projects that landed on my lap which am really really stoked about!

This KTA stop was really fun! I had an amazing Girl on fire Kite Camp with the girls prior to the competition and then a lot of my local girl friends started doing more tricks and even joined racing which am really stoked about since this is one of the goals of putting the kite camp together. Women Empowerment!  - in the most absolute fun way which is for me kiteboarding! Just going out there and being able to overcome fear, overcome your own limits and stretching your goals!

Ahhh am so happy.

I also had a nice heat but unfortunately I didn’t make it through but hey competition is always about fun and giving your best !

Here are a few snaps from the competition using my Sony Xperia (PS this phone is really awesome! I swear! )

The Tooth Fairy

My impacted wisdom tooth is finally out.

hurray!

after 3 years (since it first erupted) of contemplating if it should go or not

i finally decided that now is the time!

--

last week was the last haul of the wind and i didn't get to kite for the last 2 days because 

the pain was just insane that i booked a flight 

the next day and went to see a dentist in Manila.

Yes, i had to fly to Manila to get my wisdom tooth

extracted because nobody can do it here in Boracay.

The travel to and from Manila was exhausting as i am nursing a toothache

and takin the trike (tuktuk) to the port, sleepover at Bahari Kite Resort (Thank you Marc Nelson)

catch a van to kalibo at 2am, fly to manila at 530am and go the dentist at 9am.

the 530am flight was the only choice i had considering prices, its insane how can a 1 hour domestic flight cost you 7k php 1 WAY! wow! it's like going to Bali or something.

plus some flights you'd have to fly through Cebu then Manila.

now that i say is very exhausting.

and the ferries crossing to/from boracay stops at 10ish so yes, i had to sleep in union bay.

which turned out good in the end for the change of scenery away from the bright lights and hard pumping music of Station2 in Boracay.

I also got to see the new baby of Jemma and Bacchus of Mango Riders Union Bay. he is just so adorable.

I also got to hang with the kids there. it was a nice little break with an awesome sunset peaking from the clouds. sunsets from the east side of our spot is just amazing especially when there are a lot of clouds around.

I've been wishing that one day, i can spend the entire season in Asia being based in union beach instead of Bulabog beach, just to enjoy a less busy beach.

and finally work on fixing our sliders

PS: please somebody who has the same liking for sliders,
please spend some time to help me with this. 

anyways, am usually good at keeping my patience with flights but not with a toothache. 

I only had a backpack with me with water, pain killers and my Ipad (for my amusement).

i didn't bother to bring ANY clothes, as i can just ransack my old closet in Manila.

when i got in to town i went straight to the dentist and told him to hook me up with strong anesthesia for my tooth and take it out.

i really didn't feel a thing during the procedure but when the anesthesia wore offf.....

that was another story. I went back to the dentist after spending the whole day in pain just to get a prescription of stronger pain killers.

am not usually a fan of pain relievers but F*ck that, sorry for the language but it was just too much pain for me to handle at that moment.

i imagined it to be less painful. 

also am really pissed about not being able to move so much while am recovering.

am a bit bored now, i might say. 

i cannot swim, go underwater, do yoga, surf, kite or even just jump up and down. 

well, now i guess the body needs to rest for a bit and enjoy just being lazy. although, the fact that i cant really eat anything either is killing me...and i love to eat 

i've been eating oatmeal cereal for the last 2 days..ok i had a fish brochette and pita bread and hummus but it had to be cut in bits and easy to chew. and it takes me 2 hours almost to finish a skewer for dinner.

--

i feel like a sick baby.

but over the 3 days that i've spent in manila,

i managed to see all the brands i work with

since am working remotely in Boracay, technically.

they don't really see me often aside from my Facebook and Instagram updates 

plus the occasional blogging.

i had a nice lunch with the awesome peeps at Roxy/DC 

while my face was still double the size after the surgery . it was quite funny and sad

to have me eating miso soup and small sushi while everyone is chowing down their tonkatsus and tempuras.

-

PS: i always get extra excited when i enter this place

the next day, which was the most painful day of all, i was trotting around high on pain killers

when i met with Jeena and Jason from Headware and Tribu  - i finally saw my big mural in their office, and look, even a smaller one from my last snowboard trip from tahoe with my filipino flag

headware.

i also spotted the new package and marketing stuff for The New Body BAg which i personally adore, plus the mural of my kite friends too!!!

the new headware stuff drove me crazy! the prints are amazing!!!

And THANK GOD for DAVID's SALON! 

who gave my hair a lift as usual! 

i am so stoked to be an official endorser now for this amazing company! 

Laura is one of my favorite hair stylist,

we worked for a David's Salon AD a few years back where she dyed my hair pheonix RED!

now we are collaborating for a new look on my hair for the summer. 

I was also hoping to catch my Boss from GoPro philippines when i passed by his office, who i know is extremely busy, to personally thank him for the new GoPro 3 plus the sweet mounts he stashed me with and also for aiding me in shooting for my 2013 season movie BLUSH #2. 

and, believe it or not i thought i was gonna eat elsewhere when i was in Manila but i still ended up in Kasbah - The Fort - just because! it's so sick to hang out there and the food is really great, seriously! 

I can live with Kasbah food for life!

i had din din with my wondertwin danielle

This is when i had the fish skewer.

a lot of chatting, since we are not neighbors anymore, havent seen her since my last manila trip.

The next day, i went back to Kasbah to Have lunch with my fellow Roxy Girl, Jo who i also havent seen for ages except on TV,

coupled with a fun chat with my amazing Boss,
the lady behind Kasbah - Madonna -
who is RAD in her own sophisticated way!

a few sick plans for the next season plus many more! so watch out for that.

Am personally very excited!

this moroccan cigars were yummy but i can't chew on them so well :(

--- 

To Summarize it,

i love all these people that i work with one way or another.

Looking back on how our partnerships started it was for a common interest

PASSION.

The BRANDS that i represent are not only good products/services but also looking at the people behind them, they have the passion to deliver to you (consumers) a product with a purpose and working with it with a lot of Passion, plus of course a genuine love for the environment and embodies an active lifestyle.

To all of you thanks for the laughs (to distract me from my aching tooth) and ideas.

Am excited for what the future brings to us! 

and also to your RAD new products
it's always to difficult to choose just one,
can i not get both? lol

PS: Thank you for the best "CARE" package in the world my Tooth Fairy, or should i say Tooth Faries!

Everyday i feel so blessed and loved!

Forgive my poor iPhone photos, i think i need to dust my lifeproof case clean

I am really high on pain killers right now...
Thanks for reading this long Post guys
and i really hope my tooth surgery gets better soonest.
i miss being in the water.

Peace.Love.Good Vs
Paula

KTA - Boracay 2013

WOW! now that was a Long Busy WEEK!

A lot of speculation was going around a week before KTA Boracay

since it is almost the end of our season and the wind was a bit sketchy already.

But hence, Boracay still delivered.

it did put up to it's name as one of the most popular tropical 

island destinations of the world and also one of the windiest places in Asia.

The wind started light which was good for racing and a little bit of freestyle when i can lightly use my 

9m (my biggest kite sail), then it just started to blow like crazy during the last day, i was OVERPOWERED on my 5 that my bar was jsut slipping out of my hands, and some of the guys were having such a great riding session with 7 and 6s.

This tour stop showed how busy Boracay can be, especially at that time which is easter week.

I did not really participate in the race for this stop as i was really really busy with work and a lot of work plus i dont have a big kite for this.
Competing during the busiest time of the year for us, got an A on my busy bucket list.
although, at the same time it's good for the publicity of Kiteboarding in the Philippines, and the local establishments that supported this event, of course including KASBAH :)

all the photos and videos about the KTA here in Boracay showed sunny blue skies, clear blue waters, happy people, good winds and a great kiteboarding community. What more can you ask for?

I just wish we have better internet in general so we can broadcast almost on real time
but hey, it's just insanely slow.
Day5 video is not even out yet and its already almost a week after the event.
it takes a day to upload a hi res photo up on the web..
pssssss.
things like these really pisses me off.

but anyways here's the day1-4 videos from the event
As you can see, kite racing is a big thing in the Philippines,
we have very good representation on this discipline up in the podium,
to the racers of the Philippines, congratulations!!! great job.

As for us freestylers, the boys are doing well and landing bigger and better tricks with more style.
As for the women.. there are still a few of us and i really do hope more girls come in and get into freestyle and surf. X

I've made it my personal job to get my board-riding friends to go kiting but i am too busy with other things recently that i cannot get them out in the water as much as i want to. :(
Next season it is then.


PS: I really would like to be less busy and spend more time with my friends and family and i know that the only one who can do this is me. working on it.

I am only less than two months away from leaving for the USA and Europe. I am nothing more than excited to do this again for the 3rd year. and hopefully go somewhere new as well.
I really wish though some of my friends can join me on this trip!
-
Peace!

KTA Philippines 2013 Day 1 from Kiteboard Tour Asia on Vimeo.

KTA Philippines 2013 Day 2 from Kiteboard Tour Asia on Vimeo.

KTA Philippines 2013 Day 3 from Kiteboard Tour Asia on Vimeo.

KTA Philippines 2013 Day 4 from Kiteboard Tour Asia on Vimeo.

Video Killed The Radio Star!

Video Killed the Radio Star, Yes it did!

check out these two rad videos that came out this week my way.

first is the 

Kasbah Boracay X MedMessiah Video

Shot and Edited by my great photographer/videographer Alexandru Baranescu 

AND!!!! The ROXY X Dare Yourself campaign is out! Girls! join in! you'll never know if you deserve to win this unless you try. <3 --paula="" and="" div="" enjoy="" happiness="" love="" peace="" pure="" s="" surf="" up="">
Let The Sea Set You Free finalists for Dare Yourself from Roxy Philippines on Vimeo.

The December Showdown rundown

Spell HECTIC and that's me. December is always a hectic month, i thought this year would be different because we didn't have the WONW event but boy was i wrong.

As you all know, i am now riding for BEST kiteboarding. First asian rider on the team - i will never stop saying this but it's the BEST crew in the world!!!

Also, i just got signed in with ROXY and DC shoes, and got renewed for GoPro...wohooo!

Of course Tribu outdoors and The Headware are staple supporters

thanks to Jason and Jeena.

so it's gonna be a FAB year ahead when it comes to kiteboarding!

January is already full of surprises!! watch out.

---

On the other side of life, i've been going to Yoga class to strengthen the shoulder and i just love it as much as i love kiteboarding.

I also like the fact that i would be able to have Dulcinea Chorros for breakfast after yoga.. 

Yes guys, Dulcinea is now open in Boracay, in this place called Uptown which is near True Food in Station 2.

As much as i hate food chains opening here in there in our favorite island paradise, we really can't help that now especially with Mc D's opening up in Boracay Regency...uhhh such a waste of space.

Noli Aurillo has been Serenading us 4 times a week at Kasbah for the whole month of December, not to mention the great ambiance that my "front yard" called Kasbah is giving everyone.

PS: it's a pretty stressful job to make sure all you tourists have a great and "chill" time. BTW! lol

and i got my NEW Sol ION Harness. it's super comfy and really really snug.

i can grab my board so easy now. wiiiiii!

We also had a little christmas party by the river Nabaoy, i haven't been there for YEARSSS!!

me and anna were assigned to do the decor for our Mad Hatter Christmas Tea PArty..

it was one of those childhood dreams that you wish you have a reason to do, just for fun :)

The party was an awesome mess!! i love my friends!

PS: silver cloth courtesy of my mum.

so, in case you are wondering when do i wear my tutu. i wear it when am cooking.lol

    Check out this new 2013 headware!! the new designs are to die for!

Incase you were wondering where i got all the party decor, masks, feather boas and glitters, i went on a short work trip to manila for some inspiration and shopping for the holidays.

Check out this rad lamps at the Kasbah the Fort girl's washroom

and these cute decor by the bar.

The Kasbah experience won't be complete without... a chocolate cheesecake!!

yummmmy!

I also went to the Dapitan arcade to score some christmas decor and lamps, i wanted to buy everything!!

and of course a visit to the Roxy Store in Robinson's Manila :)

some more snaps from my short manila trip

Happy Holidays everyone, hope all is doing well.

am a bit disappointed that my 60D is broken, my iPhone is broken and the other day i busted the bladder of my 7m TS. 

Also, i cannot believe how dependent i am with my iPhone, my calendar, contacts, everything is there.

now am a bit confused with whats going on workwise. 

tsk

:(

O well, am sure 2013 is gonna be RAD!!!

Wohooo!

Lots of Love from Boracay

Cheers XO

Paula :)

Kiting Photos courtesy of Alexandru Baranescu and Denise Valentino.