MetroVan Independent News September 2015 | Página 23

MetroVanIndependent.com

September 2015

23

Lifestyle

Boracay in my mind
PINOY MIXX
By Rene Orobia Durian
It was in 1990 when I first visited
Boracay. Joben Miraflores, then Mayor of
Ibajay, a municipality in Aklan Province,
invited me.
Boracay then was thinly populated. The
resorts and commercial stalls were sparse
and the beach was almost uninhabited.
An island off the province of Aklan,
Boracay became world renowned for its
powdery sand, almost like a “polvoron” and
its mile long pristine beach.
My recollections of Boracay the first
time I went there was memorably sad. Not
that I did not enjoy the place, but Boracay
etched an unforgettable event in my life.
We spent almost a week in the beach.
Communion with nature was the daily
pursuit. The place where we stayed was a
simple hut with basic amenities.
Before I left Manila, I had a profound
heart to heart conversation with my mother.
She was bed ridden for several months due
to a slip disk.
As I was saying goodbye to her, I saw
her face glowed with intense happiness
and peace. She just told me to take care
and enjoy the trip.
On the third day at the beach, I could
not explain my feelings. I was morose and
melancholic. The sunset was beautiful as
always but the feeling of sadness seemed
to enslave me.
I thought of drowning the mood with
alcohol but to no avail. As I went to the bar
to order for more drinks, I asked if there
are newspapers around. There was none.
There was neither television nor radio.
The waves in their rhythmical fashion
served as the musical scoring for the starry
night. The lonesomeness continued until
the last day of our stay.
As we left the island going to the
airport, the family of the Mayor met us
at the Caticlan port, a 2-hour drive from )-