Event: Geeks on a Beach (tech conference), Aug. 20-21, 2015. REGISTER at geeksonabeach.com.
This post is part of #CheapTrails series. More #CheapTrails stories here >>.
Last May 2015, my family went on an inter-island road trip in Western Visayas, Philippines. We started in Cebu then cross to Negros Occidental to Panay and back. In every town / city that we made an overnight stop, I tried to sneak in a quick run.
Running, for me, is always the best way to explore and experience a new place.
Previous stopovers:
Running on Highland of Talisay, Negros Occidental: The Haciendera Feels”
Running in Talisay City, Negros Occidental: In Between Sugar Plantations & Business Park
Running in New Washington, Aklan: “Precious Moments”
Running in Iloilo: Madge-ness
However romantic it would feel to run along the beach, it just does not appeal to me. So finding a loop or a place to run in Boracay can be challenging as its roads are small with quite busy traffic of vehicles transferring tourists.
Our 4th overnight stop was in Boracay. This was the turning point of our 10-day Western Visayas road trip. After here, we’ll be retracing our steps back to Cebu.
Cagban Port with Silka tarp (it’s a brand by a running friend)
But lucky I was that I found a perfect 3-4KM loop nearby the place we’re staying, Alta Vista. The loop was a mix of road, short stretch of beaches, uphill, and pocket forest. ROMANTIC. =)
So before we made our turn-around back to Cebu, I was hoping to get a ROMANTIC run in Boracay. But the world has other plans; the romantic turned out to be a HORROR.
On our last day in Boracay, I was hoping to maintain a decent pace before we left the island when “sh*t happens” literally. I was just 1.5KM away from the hotel we’re staying but I just could not hold it any more. Luckily, I was in a “forest-y” area of the 3KM+ loop. It was the perfect place to “do the thing” because there were no other people as I was on the “private road” used by hotels in the area (I think Shangrila, Boracay Eco-Village, and Alta Vista are the hotels used the road).
The urge was just so strong that I could not hold it any longer. So when a perfect bush for hiding came into view, I jumped without checking what’s behind it. That’s when I felt something pointed stabbed into my feet. It was really painful but my priority at that time was to “relieve.” (And, don’t bother to ask me if I was carrying tissue with me at that time.)
After relieving myself, I got out of the bush. And, this time, I had to relieve my foot from the pain. I was thinking that my foot just landed on a pointed rock. But when I checked my sole, it was from a thorn of a plant. I pulled one out, and blood dripped.
I was ready to go but I still felt a lot of pain and uncomfortable-ness from my foot. So I checked again my sole, and discovered that there was still another thorn stucked. This one was bigger.
WOW! How lucky I was! Truly, when it rains, it pours!
That moment when I planned to have some romantic epic run of this 10-day road trip, then the world decided to rain on it — sh*t and blood. It must want me to have a BLOODY WILD kind of romantic.
Anyhow, if you want a quick run in Boracay. You might want to try this loop. You can head to northern part of Boracay. I started in Alta Vista, then go straight to Puka Shell Beach. (I think the northern part or any where in Boracay far from the Station 1-3 area is generally less crowded I think.)
Puka Beach is probably 5KM from the D’ Mall
When in the Puka Beach, just run along the beach until you find a small fork of road that leads to a mini “pocket forest.” This road is sometimes guarded. It’s mostly used / shared by some hotels in the area. But you can just pretend that you stayed in one of the hotels if ever someone stopped you (And, I’m not sure if I should be writing that tip.).
The entrance to the mini pocket forest is an uphill. =)
When you reach Boracay Eco-Village Resort, you can find another fork / detour that will lead to the Punta Bunga beach.
Or you can just go straight and exit back to the main road of Boracay through the Boracay Eco-Village resort’s entrance. But you probably do not want to miss the detour to Punta Bunga beach.
“Protected” timberland of Boracay in Punta Bunga
From the beach, you can go back to the Boracay Eco-Village area, then exit from their entrance gate.
And it’s back to the main road.
And, don’t miss the GEEKS ON A BEACH tech conference to happen in Boracay this Aug. 20-21, 2015. REGISTER now at geeksonabeach.com.
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Posted by:
Rose Buenconsejo. A runner who runs after runners, and their stories, and her dream to become a NEDBANK.
Promo Girl, runroo.com
View her aktib race calendar >>
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