If my slightly unreliable memory serves me right, it was between 1995 and 1997 when I first laid eyes and set foot on the sands of Boracay. Back then, I remember it being pristine and clean. It was like one of those deserted island settings we see in movies, with beaches that had that untouched look to them. Fast forward to more than 15 years later, I went back, and it felt like a completely different place, with structures set up on the sand, and a distinct bustling in the air that spelled B-U-S-I-N-E-S-S. So I kinda get why the authorities are now making moves on making sure places like Boracay do not, well, deteriorate. I do hope those moves work.

Continue reading “Jeju-do, South Korea: Udo Sanho Beach” →

Living in a tropical country with some of the most famous beaches in the world, I have become exposed to (though not necessarily subscribe to) the idea that whenever you’re on the beach, you’re supposed to get into the water. High-profile beaches are always accompanied with photos of people in their various states of dress and mostly un-dress as they frolic in the sand and surf. It’s almost a rarity to equate a well-known beach with something more sedate like simply taking a walk and just sinking your feet into the sand. Instead, they’d go, “if you want some quiet ‘muni-muni’ time, go climb a mountain!” Fortunately, that is not the case everywhere.

Continue reading “Jeju-do, South Korea: Udo’s Hagosudong Beach” →