Personal, Entrepreneurial, and Patriotic Reasons to Visit Boracay

Why would I want to go to Boracay?

I have three main reasons (and a truckload of subreasons) ... personal, entrepreneurial, and patriotic.

PERSONAL REASON

I'll start with the selfish bit... the personal reason (Yes, this has to go first because it's selfish).

I'd like to see Boracay (not Bora!) through my own four eyes. I only see it in magazines, travelogues, and friends' Facebook albums (sob! sniff!). Some of my friends go there a few times per year. Hey, a handful of them fly over on a whim just to toss a frisbee around!

So, I'll be going there as a first-timer, where everything will seem new and fresh. And I'll be one of the representatives of the soon-to-be-founded Boracay Newbies' Club.

When I get there, I would love to:

• be thankful that the plane has landed safely
• touch, feel, and caress (easy there, Tiger) the world-famous white, powdery sand

photo from mariatheresanoel.wordpress.com

• see an actual lets-build-one-on-the-spot-because-we-can majestic sand castle
• experience the night life... wearing shorts and sandals
• make new friends (bloggers and otherwise) on the island
• take a whole bunch of photos

photo from rheykz.wordpress-com

• witness the Boracay sunset
• try very hard to wake up early to see the sun rise
• go island-hopping

That's Hannah of flaircandy.com; photo by Nicholson Ong

• stare in awe (nothing beyond that) while brave cliff jumpers leap off a plank at Ariel's Point
• hold on for dear life while parasailing

You might have noticed that I was limited to borrowing others' photos because I have none of my own. How sad.

ENTREPRENEURIAL REASON

I also intend to interview some entrepreneurs in the area, to shoot some video snippets for a newborn, "experimental" tv show called SME Forum (not my show, I'm just fortunate enough to be a part of it). The show aims to encourage our fellow Pinoys to explore the possibilities of entrepreneurship, so why not feature Boracay-based, business-minded individuals who took the leap?

I will attempt to talk to a number of entrepreneurs on the island... the manong who rents out his bangka, the talented tattoo artist, the souvenir stall owner, and several others in the area.

PATRIOTIC REASON

Everyone raves about Boracay's fine white sand, clear water, and fantastic night life. But in the travel blogs and tv shows I've read or seen, there's usually very little mention, if any, about the locals and the "tiny things" that make Boracay Island the way it is. If we love the place now, imagine how much more we'll appreciate it once we find out about the fascinating stuff rarely talked about. 

This blog you're reading now is "the blog about the main blog". My main blog, 7107reasons.com, is meant to accumulate "7,107 reasons to love Pinas!", which means that my goal is to compile 7,107 unique and specific reasons to love our mother land. The reasons will range from the obscure to the obvious. I conservatively estimated that I would be able to collect at least 20 good ones in just one trip.

I will be gathering quips and quotable quotes from both tourists and locals. Various perspectives that will share insights that others who go to Boracay take for granted. I will take photos and even videos that help others visualize what the locals see. All this is meant to create deeper interest in the island. And this will, hopefully, add to the overall picture of building an even more "lovable" Philippines. And this is my main objective whenever I visit various areas in the Philippines.

So to me, visiting Boracay will be a combination of work and recreation. Although I'm sure the "work" portion won't seem like it.

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