Another un-holy week spent in Bantayan Island.

Last week, everyone canceled their Bantayan Island holy week plans on me and I was left with a challenge of finding who to go with to that island. I tried coming up with a plan B (go somewhere else) but it didn't work out quite well so I decided to go back to plan A - spend the weekend in Bantayan Island. Turns out, Godfrey and his friends, who I have little acquaintances with, were going to the same island for the weekend too. By Friday noon time, we found ourselves setting up our tents in Sugar Beach. I spent 2009's holy week in that very same place so I couldn't be more delighted! I have to admit, I was a little worried when we got to the bus terminal and the ferry port. It wasn't as crowded as the past years. But why worry when this should be a cause for celebration since this meant less travel stress? My answer- because I have gotten used to the usual spring break vibe at this time of the year. I had a feeling that the island's going to resemble a ghost town with a white sand beach filled with tourists, all silent, bored and just chilling out. I'm all for chilling out but not silence and boredom. We were there to have fun and enjoy our well deserved breaks. And then I got the surprise of a lifetime when we got to our resort- Sugar Beach was filled with people and tents, most of which have already set their camps the day before. By Saturday, the number of people in the resort doubled and it looked pretty much the same as the past years minus the big stage at the beach side. Though no big production party event took place in the island (after it was banned) this year, the atmosphere was very similar to how it was last year. Yes, there were lesser visitors this year but there was just the right amount of crowd in the resort. So no more long lines in the shower and comfort rooms. House, hiphop, and dance music played all day and night. By night time, people would gather in the shores and dance as if a beach party was going on. Fire dancers would occasionally showcase their skills by midnight. People were either busy chilling out in their tents or busy getting drunk. We were busy doing the latter. During day time, people flocked the beach despite the hot sun. Some swimming, some just lazing around, some basking under the sun. Everyone was having a good time. I'm happy I decided to go with Godfrey's friends because they turned out to be very fun to hang out with. I also made new acquaintances during this trip- one of the things I love about traveling. I had such a grand time this year and it'll be hard to top this off!