musings on bora

i first came to boracay in 2001 for work. i had long wanted to visit the island paradise--especially after even my uncle who grew up in the US, was able to go there several times in the late 1990's. sadly, though i wanted to go with him and his friends then (free airfare and lodging!), my parents didn't think it was such a great idea.
i only partly enjoyed it my first time there, getting to swim only once in the pristine waters, but i fell in love with it instantly. it cured me of my aversion to beaches, because how can you not love the powdery feel of the cool sand under your feet, and the fresh seawater under the sun? and yes, as most people are wont to do, i fell in love in bora. but that's not important, because it ended on the same beach more than a year after.
anyway, i came back to bora later that summer, then the next year, and the next. my last and only non-work-related trip was in february 2004, when i went with my friend marlowe via the RORO (on our trip back to manila, we could not face the 18-hr ride anymore, and opted to take a plane).
but my love affair with bora has ended. i was disappointed to find, on this last trip, that it has changed too much. like a friend you've lost touch with but look back to in nostalgia, boracay had always occupied a special place in my heart. but the harsh reality of its overcommercialization and degradation hit me hard. every inch of the beachfront is already occupied by a business establishment, d'mall has turned into an eastwood or greenbelt wannabe, and there's now even a d'talipapa. whoa! boracay and i have grown apart. the beach, thankfully, with its white sand and clear waters are still breathtaking, but everything else has lost its appeal. as if its soul has changed. bora will always be a special place, but past is past.