When The Taste of Salt is a Great Thing

One of the best ways I can think of to beat the heat is to take a dip into the clean clear ocean, even if it means swallowing a ton of salt water. With summer coming on and El Nino bringing on the above average temperatures for this time of year nothing sounds better then a beach weekend with the water always close by to refresh yourself.
We decided that Boracay was the Island of choice for our most recent road trip and so early Thursday morning we packed up and loaded the cars onto the boats for the 1 1/2 hour ride to Panay Island. From Dumangas it takes around 5 hours driving through Panay Island until you reach Caticlan, the jetty port for Boracay Island. It's a long winding ride battling pot holes and random road construction but the view is beautiful and even with the drought a lot of the rice fields were brilliant green and flowing in the breeze looking like velvet.
We arrived on the beach Thursday afternoon, got into our swim gear and headed to the water to refresh ourselves after the 7 hours it took to get there. It was hot, the sand castles were started and the kids were happy to burn all that energy. It was a nice relaxing afternoon, the perfect way to start the weekend. In the evening Bobbi and I strolled the beach while the guys took a nap before starting their night at work. We checked out all the fresh seafoods ready to be grilled and the fire dancers going from place to place tossing their fire all around, so fun.

Friday morning we spent on the beach in and out of the sun. Ryan did some snorkelling with the guys while us girls baked and the kids swam. In the afternoon we rented a trike (a motorbike with a side car) since we now have a family of 5 a normal motorbike is a little too squishy for a couple hours of cruising. The rest of the group got some motorbikes and Lance helped push Ryan up some of the steep dirt roads when assistance was needed while the kids, Bobbi and I would walk. It was quite the adventure well rewarded by a quiet beach located in a small cove with a couple of caves to play around in. By the time we got back to the hotel it was time to get the kids some fuel and settle them to bed and give us adults some time to feed on our Greek foods on the beach.

Saturday was so hot. Ryan and I were pretty careful not to get burned our first day on the beach and although we both were quite successful at staying comfortably coloured we stayed under the beach umbrella's the best we could. We did some wandering around the shops, swimming and relaxing for a bit in the afternoon in our air conditioned cottage. We got to see some great coloured fish, lobsters, fresh vegetables, squids and other smelly treats fresh from the ocean. We watched some artists painting and listened to the crowds from the ultimate frisbee tournament playing on the beach. Days like that seem to end too soon!

Sunday we rented a boat and just cruised around the ocean, did a little snorkelling and a little sitting in the sun. We got ourselves all packed up and ready for our early departure the next morning! It was such a great weekend. Maddy seemed to really enjoy playing in the shallow water splashing away and grabbling at the silky sands. Brayden and Sydney were continually playing in and out of the water and letting Ryan and I get in a little bit of relaxing while Maddy was down for her naps. Nothing like a successful weekend away from the city!