The Boracay I’ve grown to idealize is culled from my memories of the island some 15 years ago – when I first set foot on White Sand beach with my family for a week-long vacation. I was an elementary student at that time, stunned by the seemingly endless stretch of mellifluous sand and pristine waters that unfolded on both sides of our motorized banca. There were few tricycles at that time, but that didn’t seem to be a hindrance for tourists, as it was so easy to walk leisurely to anywhere on the island. It was a joy in itself to stroll from our thatched-roof hut to the shore, seeing vendors hawking colorful souvenirs, ladies in billowy kaftans and sunhats, fishermen lugging the day’s fresh catch on buckets. Paved roads along the White Beach were still few and far between, most just leading inland to the residences of island locals.

Albay, R. L. V. (2019, August 25). Both sides Boracay (part 2). Panay News, p. 13.