Day 10: The long walk, White Beach, and Manny Pacquiao!

We've been here long enough now to know when the tides come in and go out, and believe it or not there are about 3 feet of difference between the lowest and the highest!  We headed out at low tide today so we didn't have to tread water the whole time!

We brought the underwater camera out to play with!  Here's proof of my one handed handstand!  Look at those straight legs and pointed toes... my old gymnastic coaches would be so proud!

Aaron and I almost always rent scooters whenever we travel in south east Asia, but we're used to paying $5.00 a day, not $55.00!  Yep, that's right, in Boracay, it's 2,500 pesos for a full day.  That's $55! 

We'll walk, thank you... So, we did. 

We decided to head out and do a little photography walk around the area. :)

An easy way to remember where you put your flip flops!

Can you say, adorable?!

This is a typical Philippino home on the island...

The men are ALWAYS playing pool around here, and are REALLY good at it!

We walked from the beach to the main road and were dead tired...

...so we caught a tuk tuk from here into town.

I had had breakfast here last time I was in Boracay and it was really good,

so we headed back for some blueberry pancakes!

Aaron has become quite the coffee conoseiur in the last year.  He drinks at least a cup a day, and since they only have instant packets at Spider House, he's been frequenting Starbucks on White Beach where a coffee is 100 pesos ($2.20!)

We walked White Beach a little bit.  It's a gorgeous beach, but a bit more built up and touristy than we care for.  I will say, if you're looking to shop, get cheap massages, or eat fresh grilled fish on the sand, this is the place to go!

We decided to check out Bulabog beach, on the East side of the island, where all of the kiteboarders hang out.  We had met a lot of kitboarders in the past week and were interested to see what it was all about. 

I came to this beach last time I was in Boracay and it DID NOT LOOK LIKE THIS! 

It was actually pretty dirty and only the locals hung out here, but since the kiteboarding shops have moved in and taken over, it's been cleaned up and is now filled with beautiful and brightly colored kites!

*** If you remember my story from my last trip here, you remember I was invited to stay the night at Dolly's home, which is on the hill in the background.

After being out for most of the afternoon, we decided to head back to Spider House... do you blame me?  Who wouldn't want to spend the rest of the day cuddled up on this comfy hammock?

Manny Pacquiao is the Philippines pride and joy when it comes to world class athletes!  He is arguably one of the best, pound for pound, fighters (boxing) of all time!  His own private residence and resort are actually right next to Spider House (West Cove). Philippino's love him, so all day long, banana boats, filled with young Philippino women, come by Spider House screaming his name!  It's quite comical actually... especially considering Aaron just read that Manny's currently in New York, promoting his next fight!  haha.

I saw this guy at Spider House, sporting a Pacquiao shirt and was reminded that I should walk over and check out the resort.

There's a little guard gate you have to pass through in order to get into the resort.  Apparently only guest are allowed in, or blonde American girls with big smiles! :) haha

I gave myself the grand tour of the place and ran into one of the employees who offerred to take my photo next to the rail here.  I swear she did a full photo shoot of me.  I have about 15 pictures of me standing here.  She was so nice, I didn't wanna tell her to stop, because she felt like she was really helping!  I just walked away thinking, geez, what would I ever do with 15 pictures in the same spot!  haha 

I walked back to meet Aaron for dinner and stopped to say hello to Diniwid in the bar.  He frowned and said, "Jill, I have something for you," and held up this handwritten sign that says,

 "SORRY I FORGOT UR DIET COKE."  Spider House doesn't sell Diet Coke, so Diniwid said he would pick some up for me before his next shift.  Oops, he forgot!  :)  Lucky for me I had picked up a 6 pack earlier in the day!  Whew!

We headed over to Microtel (On Diniwid Beach) for dinner.  It's a resort on the beach with fabulous food!  We ordered a hamburger and some spaghetti and split both!  We are gonna be in SERIOUS diet mode when we get back to Korea!! lol. 

While we were eating, the sun set over the water, and Aaron found and saved a little crab who was traveling in his shell across the sand near our table.  He apparently was looking for the water, but walking in the wrong direction.  Good thing Aaron was around!  

We are loving it here, and are not sure how we're actually going to get ourselves on that plane next Thursday to go back home... Someone might have to carry me while I kick and scream the whole way!

Day 9: First day as FIANCE'S!

Today got off to a fabulous start!  We had heard of a fabulous BLIND masseuse on the island and had talked about wanting to get massages from him.  He's a bit more expensive than the women who give massages on the beach, but we loved the idea of supporting a blind man!  So, Clement (the Spider House manager) called and asked him come from his shop in Bulabog (15 mins by tuk tuk) to spend the day at Spider House, giving massages! 

So, mine was scheduled for 8am!  I came down right at 8:00, and in true Philippino fashion, he wasn’t there yet, so I ordered a chocolate pancake…

… and relaxed in the hammock next to Diniwid (the bar tender) who was still sleeping! J 

The perks of living where you work, I guess!

The masseuse arrived around 8:45am with his guide, who helped him set up the table in the

lounge area of Spider House.  My massage was fantastic! J

Aaron was up next, and since the guy specializes in deep tissue massages, he asked for him to go hard on him! Not sure he realized how sore he’d be afterwards because he’s been crying all day about it! Hehe.

While Aaron was enjoying his beat down, I spent the hour hanging out and getting to know these two!

(Pola: aka Coco and Michelle). 

BTW: All you pinteresters out there… Any creative ideas for this wine bottle (from the proposal night dinner)??  I’d love to do something special with it but am coming up blank on ideas.

After our massages, I jumped in a tuk tuk and headed for town to do some shopping.

I walked throug D’mall and bought a couple things we can’t get in Korea! 

I spotted this postcard stand and thought to myself, I think my goal should be to always live somewhere so fabulous that when I go into town I see stands full of beautiful postcards showing off the area! That’s a good goal, right?!  Luckily I’m about to have a husband who completely agrees!

While I was talking with Coco and Michelle earlier in the day, they were talking about their fake pearl earrings that they buy near their homes in a little shop in Bulabog. I asked them if the men who sell pearls in town, and on the beach, are selling REAL pearls. They both assured me that ALL of the pearl vendors in Boracay sell REAL saltwater and freshwater pearls.  I asked if they had any and they both said NO, but that they love pearls… (BTW: 1 pair of pearl earrings is equivalent to 1 of their daily wages) So, while I was at D’mall I bought 8 pairs of white freshwater pearls; one for each of the local girls who work at Spider House!  They are all wonderful and deserved to get a little treat!   

When I got back, I gave each girl their own pair (2 were working the morning shift so they got theirs in the morning) and they were shocked!  Gift giving is definitely my love language! They all immediately put them in their ears and were smiling from ear to ear.  The old lady who cleans the rooms (far right) was jumping around, singing, “I’m so happy!  I have pearls!”  It was a really sweet moment!

Aaron and I decided to do a little snorkeling before the sun went down and headed out in a new direction.  The tide was low so there were only about 3 feet between the top of the water and the corals beneath us.  We decided to do some shell searching on the corals to see if there was anything worth bringing in (sorry environmental people who read this!).  All of a sudden, Aaron grabbed my arm, gave me the look of death through his snorkeling goggles and pointed a couple feet away where there was a 3 foot long banded seasnake staring right at us!  I kid you not, I swam out of there faster than I've ever swam in my life!  One bite from one of those and you're dead!  Aaron said I looked like Michael Phelps swimming out of there!  When he saw how terrified I was, he followed suit!  Smart guy!

(picture credit: google images)

*** You didn't think we were gonna hang around long enough to take our own pic, did you?!

Seeing that snake was enough for me to call it a day!  So, we got out, got ready, and spent the evening down in the restaurant with the staff and other guests!  Getting to spend my life with Aaron is like a big huge yummy cake... this ring is the icing! :) 

*** Picture for all the curious ladies who've been asking me to post a close-up.

Ah, to be newly engaged... It's definitely a fun thing to be!

Around 7:30pm, we headed out and walked the beach to Wahine where we feasted on chicken curry and a sandwich on the sand.  While we were sitting there, Aaron noticed that the moon (which was right over the ocean) was turning bright orange.  Then a couple minutes later, we noticed that it was starting to fade!  Within about 30 minutes, the moon was completely gone!  That's right, we both witnessed our very first eclipse!  Talk about good timing, eh?!

I'd say day 1 of being the future Mrs. Osteen was a huge success!

Day 6: Eat, Drink, Swim, Repeat.

Today's pictures are pretty self explanatory, so I'll save myself some time and just say, "Here you go!" :)

Lunch at Wahine Bar, on Diniwid Beach.  We walked there and then swam back over to Spider House!

Diniwid Beach.  Spider House is at the far end of the land behind me.

Happy girl! :)

Taken before we swam home! :)

Zena and Clement.  Zena is one of the servers here and Clement is the manager!  They're both super awesome and sweet!

Ordered a screwdriver, but got a sunrise.  Ehhh, still yummy!

During the day, Spider House is completely empty!  It's usually just Aaron, me, and the workers, who we love!  At night though it gets packed!  These were taken just as people were starting to get here for dinner.

We walked over to a resort nearby for dinner and then took a tuk tuk downtown for some coffee!  Before dinner though, I got ready in my room while watching the sunset out my balcony!  I could DEFINITELY get used to this kind of life!