Boracay | Kite 2012

Kite Surfing in The Philippine Islands

Posted by Emma Pat On May - 12 - 2014

When you find yourself travelling to the Philippine Islands, you might want to take a detour to these places or plan your trip around it and not just for the spectacular view and delicious food but also for the renowned Kite Surfing spots that would make you want to stay there forever or maybe just extend your trip a few extra days.

boracay_kitesurfing

Boracay is known for many things; the epic parties, the white sand beach, it’s tropical beauty and a number of water sports like; snorkelling, skim boarding, surfing, wind surfing, kite surfing, parasailing and a lot more. Boracay is approximately 315km south of Manila and 2 km off the northwest tip of Panay Island in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines. At the moment it is the go-to place to kite surf in the Philippines. Try visiting Boracay’s Bulabog beach and Union beach!

Ilocos Norte is a province of the Philippines located in the Ilocos region. There are a lot of things you can do when you’re in the area like visit Paoay Church that has been there since the 1700’s and other famous churches and historical landmarks. You can also find the Bangui Windmills, Fort Ilocandia Resort & Casino and of course while you’re there, why not try the local cuisine? Don’t miss out on the Batac Empanada. Aside from that, Ilocos Norte is also known for it’s breath taking beaches (one of my personal favorites). Ilocos Norte’s Kingfisher beach and Bangui beach is a kite surfer’s dream.

To get to Seco Island in Tibiao, Antique you’d have to take a plane to Iloilo then a bus/car ride and lastly take a boat to the island itself. It seems like a lot of hassle but doesn’t it look like heaven? totally worth it.

Bagasbas Beach in Camarines Norte is also a good place to visit if you’re looking to surf, wind surf, kite board and paraglide.

Palawan is my paradise. If there’s one place I could live in for the rest of my life, it’s here and yes, it’s because of their gorgeous beaches. The most popular tourist spot in Palawan would have to be the underground river which is now included in the new 7 Wonders of Nature. You can also visit the crocodile farm, socialize with the inmates at Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm and get down with the locals and go to the market to get some green honey. Puerto Princesa, Cuyo Island and El Nido Palawan are the places to visit when you’re itching to surf and do all sorts of water activities or you could just simply sit back, relax and enjoy the beauty of the island.

**For Cuyo Island you can go to Victoria or Capusan beach.

All, Kite Spots, Phillippines

Kite surfing in Boracay

Posted by kite2012 On October - 14 - 2012

Kite surfing in Boracay

Boracay, a small tropical island of Philippines, in recent years has been famous for its beaches and home for kite surfing lovers. The white sunny beaches, and the warm temperature whole year makes the day and night life as one of the most happening places and this is what Boracay is special. The country of Philippines is ranked first for getting registered in Kite surfing and that became the best place in Asia. Trainers of IKO and VBWS teach the beginners. Boracay Island is situated away from the mainland and so less crowded compared to the other beaches. Bulabog is a Beach where Kite surfing takes place. The kiters also have their own secluded section for kite surfing. Another beach for good kite surfing is situated to the north known as the White Beach or Diniwid. In total, the island of Boracay has 12 beaches. The kite surfing practiced on these beaches have mainly five different types of courses. Each course is being taught by the IKO instructor to the beginners and generally each instructor will have maximum two students each at a time. Every student is given proper attention so that they can learn the safety procedures of flying and also gather experience through their performance. The equipments which will be needed for the beginners to learn kite surfing are – Cabrinha, F-One, Slingshot Kites, Naish Kites, Nobile Kite boards, Prolimit and many other brands. In fact you can pretty much learn kitesurfing or hire equipment with any of the major brands on the kitesurfing market.

The different types of courses that the students learn here will have an international license that will be equivalent to the IKO level certificate provided around the world. The different courses trained here are namely –

Discovery Course – It’s the introductory course for the beginners or for those people who wants to learn and then find out whether they can do kite surfing or not. It’s a course for only 2 hours.

Day Course Level 1 IKO – This is the first step one course for beginners. They start learning with the IKO instructor’s help. In this step, they are trained about the set up of the kite, turbulences, bar and lines, safety system, fly a 4 line kite, power zone and wind-window theory. At the end of this level the beginners learn to use the kite in the power zone. This course is of 4 hours duration.

Beginner Course Level 1+2 IKO (IKO Certificate) – In this course one gets trained to become an independent kiter. The instructor also helps them during this training. After a 12 hours/ 3days of session one gets good control over kite surf. Another part of the learning in this session is to get on the board and riding oneself.

Advanced Course Level 3 (IKO Certificate) – Session of 5 hours/1 or 2 days. Here learner already knows how to ride a kite. He learns from the professional instructors how to turn, ride upwind, and do their jumps.

Private Tuition – A course of 1 hour. Someone will be there who will recommend and answer your questions. Select of right spot for kite surfing and right material. It depends on direction of wind, shallow water and strength. There always be someone for launching and landing. Anyone lost then instructor will help and pick them up.

All, Boracay

KTA Boracay 2012

Posted by kite2012 On April - 28 - 2012

Here is a collection of videos from the KTA competition at the Bulabong beach in Boracay.

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

What To Do In Manila Airport?

Posted by kite2012 On March - 18 - 2012

What To Do In Manila Airport?

Well, you can’t do jack shit, but eat expensive junk food and watch how the time goes super slowly. I figured that it would be extremely boring to spend my 18 hours in Manila at the airport while I was waiting for my next flight, so I decided to explore the surroundings a little bit. They have a storage room at the airport, so I handed in my 22 kilos bag and started to walk in a random direction towards the town. A friendly cab driver asked me where I was going and then gave me a free ride to a street from where you could see some local shops, a perfect starting point!

I walked straight into something that most white people probably wouldn’t even think about going into. Dirty streets, small dark alleys, shabby concrete houses, roosters, dogs, cats, playing kids, curious staring eyes… not the kind of atmosphere where you normally feel comfortable and safe, but it was in the middle of the day, so what could happen? I walked around for about 2 hours and I didn’t get robbed, beaten or anything like that, but had a pretty good time!

The first thing I noticed was that they actually had vacant rooms in this little hood. I didn’t check in considering that my flight goes so damn early in morning, so I might as well try to find a bench at the airport, it will do good as a bed for a couple of hours. But in case you are travelling on a low budget and look for some place to stay in Manila then there are several options in these hoods. I didn’t ask for the price, but I´m pretty sure that it´s not that expensive ;)

All the walking made me hungry and I was lucky to find a small restaurant that seemed ok and with fair prices. I bought a tuna and cheese sandwich for 15 pesos, with water included. The Philippinos were friendly and had lots of questions. They thought it was a pity that I didn’t stay longer in Manila since their 22 years old was single and I was obviously a potential husband.

I continued my sightseeing in the neighborhood and the atmosphere that at first glance seemed to a bit unfriendly turned out to be the opposite and full of vibrancy!

So what are Philippine people up to during the days in Manila? Some are actually working, usually by selling food and all kind of stuff in their small stores. But many seem to just take the day as it comes. Playing bingo was apparently popular here. In absence of unmarked bingo-maps you simply just place macaroons on your numbers. Card players were seen here and there. I was invited to a game, but left quite soon, the “mob” around me was a bit to close, besides I didn’t knew the game they were playing. Some dudes were playing basketball and gladly showed off their skills infront of my camera. Some men were sharing a bottle of rum while eating some unidentical things, why not?

Other were just sleeping…

And it´s about time for me to sleep as well! My flight departs in 9 hours, so I´ll see if I can find a comfortable bench somewhere in the airport, not looking forward to this night… over and out!

insect bite + scratch + sea water = infection

Posted by kite2012 On March - 17 - 2012

The infection I complained about the other day didn’t get better. The so called doctor at the clinic I went to gave me antihistamin, which is for allergic reactions. I must admit that I was a bit doubtful about his diagnosis, why inject antihistamin in someone who obviously have an ongoing infection? But hey, he was a doctor, so I figured that he probably knew what he was doing!

Anyway, the infection progressed and I decided to go to the hospital yesterday, which I think was a good decision. The nurse and the doctor were wondering why the hell I hadn’t got antibiotics, which they gave me together with some anti inflammatory painkillers + an injection with vaccin against tetanus. I didn’t knew what tetanus was, but they recommended me to take the vaccin against it. Now when I google on tetanus I realize that I already have a vaccin against it, but I also read that it´s recommended for adult people to renew their tetanus vaccin every 10 years. I think I had an injection with tetanus vaccin when I was a kid, so I suppose it was about time anyway =)

I went to the hospital today again, to drain my abscess from pus, a very painful treatment. Unfortunately the pus still isn’t soft enough to get out, the antibiotics need to work a little longer before all the pus can be squeezed out. Tomorrow I´ll do it myself. I´m prepared with alcohol (for cleaning the wound, not for drinking), sterile injection needle (for digging out the hard pus in the opening of the wound), cotton buds, anti bacterial cream and sterile gauze. I can barely wait until my little operation, what a relief it will be to get the stuff out of my knee!

Talking about pus, I ate durian yesterday. The color and the creamy consistent of durian is very similar to pus. When it comes to the taste I do not know if there are any similarities. All I know is that the durian fruit is… strange! But good! Almost like eating butter mixed in a blender with whip cream and banana or something like that, impossible to describe the taste! Here are two pics of the durian. By the way, did you know that it´s forbidden to walk under durian trees? Perhaps can you guess why =)

I have to go back home and pack my stuff now. Then it´s time for a last dinner with my philippino friends, Bicol Express is on the menu!

However, anyone who reads this. If you ever get to the Philippines, be sure to take care of all kind of wounds that you might get. I´m far from the only one here that got an infection. The problem often arise from a mosquito bite or any other kind of itchy bite that you can´t refuse to scratch a little. The scratching with your dirty nails is bad enough, but what is even worse is the sea water! You might think that salt water can´t do any harm to a small wound or insect bite, but it can! The water is dirty and contains bacterias that our immune system can´t handle and that´s why so many non asian people get problems with small wounds. So my advice is that you immediately seek medical help if you see any sign on an infection, and of course don’t scratch! =)

Goodbye Boracay

Posted by kite2012 On March - 16 - 2012

Two days more to go before I leave Boracay. The last few days have literally been painful… My scalp has been itchy for several days, it´s extremely annoying. It has at least not been getting worse, but not better either. It´s very tempting to scratch the scalp, but I suppose it only will make things worse. I guess it´s about time to visit a pharmacy and get some kind of cure :P
However, the itchy scalp is not the worst issue right now, but an infected insect bite. I got bitten by something a couple of days ago, right above my right knee. I scratched a little on this bite and apparently managed to make it infected. The infection gradually got worse from day to day until yesterday when I staggered away to a clinic. And yes, I staggered. The infection hurts so much that I barely can walk. Anyway, the doctor gave me an injection of antihistamin, a tube with hydrocortison and some tablets with antihistamin.
The antihistamin makes you very tired and drowsy, so I slept for several hours in the afternoon. I actually had a good night of sleep the last night as well, even though I slept on my back, unable to move without feeling the pain in the infected area. Probably thanks to the antihistamin, nothing bad without anything good :)
In case anyone is interested in seeing what the infection looks like, here is a picture.
The white stuff you see is the cortison, applied right on the bite.

So, even though it´s windy today, I can’t go kitesurfing. I better do as little as possible. So you might think that all is just shit, but it´s not! The fact that I´m flying home soon is nice =) And I´m spoiling myself a little extra these last days with some awesome meals =P

I´ve got a bit tired of grilled tuna, so I tried something different the other day, Kare Karé! The chef that tought me to make Chilli Chicken made this dish for me. I just bought the ingredients at the market, handed them over to the chef (his name is Alan btw) and was served this super meal!

Talking about flying. A bird at Villa Frency had a nest in a small tree. This bird was brooding three eggs that were hatched one day. I followed the rapid growth of the chickens. They went from blind newborn chicks to flying feather balls in just about one week!

It´s about lunch time here now, so I´m heading to Levantin for another Chilli Chicken. My knee actually feels a little bit better, perhaps can I walk normally soon!

A Boracay Guide Is Taking Form

Posted by kite2012 On March - 12 - 2012

I´m currently sitting in the shadow at Levantin enjoying a Chilli Chicken meal that is so damn good that only this itself is a reason to go back here to Boracay! I usually don’t take photos of the food that I eat even if it´s super tasty. The fact that I do it now is a proof that this dish is something extra ordinary!

This is my last week here in Boracay. I hope that my posts on this site will give you a hint of the life here in Boracay. A friend once told me that if you go on a vacation somewhere then you must stay at least a month to get to know the place and to get a feeling about the life there. If you go somewhere for a week or two, then you might get an insight about that place but more on a superficial level. It´s just like you meet new people, it takes some time to really get to know a person. I´ve been here for nearly 7 weeks now and my impression is that Boracay is a cool place to visit if you´re a kitesurfer. There are plenty of other things to do when there is no wind and there are lots of nice chill out places, for instance Levantin where I’m usually hanging around at. But I would probably go nuts if I didn’t have my laptop with me, but maybe that´s just me that is an internet addict =P

However, I would not go back here without my kitesurfing gear and my laptop. The once unexploited and beautiful Island Boracay with it´s perfect white beaches and clear blue water has unfortunately become a place for investors that are looking for new projects that they can make money with. Boracay is not what it was like 10 years ago. The Island is almost like a huge resort now. I think that there already is way to much tourists and buildings on this small Island, they even have traffic jams on the main road at certain times. And there is more people and resorts to come… But there are 7106 other islands in the Philippines, so there some other options if I go back to the Philippines. And if I do then I´ll probably drop by Boracay for kitesurfing session, a Chilli Chicken meal and of course to say hi to my friends at Villa Frency =)

I went to a cockfighting arena with Japs yesterday. The atmosphere in a cockfighting arena is something different. The majority that go to the cockfighting match is men (big surprise). The “box ring” has two corners. One say Meron, the other say Wala. Prior to the fight the cocks are brought to the arena for a little showoff, then the gambling begins. People are betting either on Wala or Meron. When the betting is done the fight starts. The cocks are equipped with sharp knives on their feet, so the fights are usually fatal for one or both fighters and the fights don’t last very long, sometimes not much more than 15 seconds.

I did bet on a few matches, but of course I lost in the end. So I left the arena a bit pissed off together with Japs. To get in better mood I went to a hair dresser with Japs that hadn’t cut his hair for 1,5 years. We both had a haircut and I think Japs was happy with the result =)

The tide is about to move back now and the wind is ok today, so I´ll soon go for a kite session. The high water makes it very hard to launch and land your kite, since there is no space on the beach. So there are usually not so many kitesurfers in the water around lunch time here. The surfers that go back on land when the water is high will experience some difficulties with the landing… The video below shows what can happen =)

Laters!

A windy day in Boracay

Posted by kite2012 On March - 4 - 2012

This post is dedicated to kitesurfing. It´s been some sunny and windy days in Boracay and my camera is full of pictures from the kite beach in Boracay. Hope you enjoy this little “kite album” and the movie I made for you :)

Lots of “famous” kiteboarders visit Boracay to kite. Mikael Blomwall, Toby from kiteforum.com, Susa Mai just to mention a few that has been here recently. Toby is currently filming for his coming Airstyle DVD.

Here is the video. Unfortunately I didn’t managed to remove the noise from the wind and I have no GoPro, so don’t expect to much :P At least the music is good, in case you like Nine Inch Nails :)

Super Tasty Chili Chicken in Boracay

Posted by kite2012 On February - 26 - 2012

Except kitesurfing, sunbathing, snorkling there are many other things to do on Boracay. One thing I appreciate is eating! I have a weakness for spicy asian food =P Now and then when I come across a dish that I really like, then I try to steal the recipe so that I can cook it for my friends back home. Today was the third time in a row that I ordered the same dish from a restaurant at Bulabong beach, something I normally don’t do unless the dish is extraordinary! The recipe of the dish that I´m now going to share with you is easy to make and you´ll love it! I call this dish Chili chicken with garlic and vetegables.

What you need for 2 persons is the following:

About 300 grams of sliced chicken
1 aubergine
1 red paprika
½ yellow onion
1 green chili (a large one). Or take a red one if you want, or why not one of each :)
ginger
garlic
oil
butter
oyster sauce
Knorr liquid seasoning
Sugar
Lime
Lemon grass
Chili oil (you can make your own by simply grinding small bird chilies and garlic. Boil it with some oil, preferable one without so much taste)

Now just follow these simple steps.
1. Cut the aubergine, paprika, onion, ginger and chili in pieces. Put it together with the chicken in a pan. Garlic, what about the garlic? Actually when I took these photos the cook didn’t add garlic, but I’m pretty sure that should be some garlic in this dish. Perhaps did he simply not have garlic in the kitchen for the moment, or did he forget? Anyway, add some garlic, it can´t be wrong with garlic, can it!? :)

2. Add the oil, butter, oyster sauce and liquid seasoning. How much? I´d say about 1 table spoon of each, just put in some and it will probably be fine. You can always fine tune the amount next time you cook this dish (will be plenty of times if you just give it a chance)

3. Put the pan on a gas stove, medium heat. You have no gas stove? Well, put in on a hotplate instead, I´m pretty sure it will work just as fine! Let it all simmer for about 5 minutes. Add some more butter and oil if the mix starts sticking to the pan.

Starts to look like something huh? Hang on, you´re almost there!

4. Give the lemongrass some bashes, cut it in pieces, put it in the pan. Now add some sugar (approximately a table spoon).

5. Next add some lime juice and the chili oil. Squeeze the lime over a strainer and avoid the seeds. Add some more chili oil if you want it extra spicy =P

7. That´s it! I added some extra chili oil on my plate :)

Serve with rice and why not pop an cold beer, it will be the icing on the cake! By the way, I think that some roasted cashew nuts scattered over the whole thing would make this dish even better!

Bon appetit!

Yapak Beach Boracay

Posted by kite2012 On February - 21 - 2012

Bulabong and White beach are not the only beaches on Boracay. There is two other beaches, one privat and one that is open for everyone, it´s called Yapak beach. Yapak Beach are located “far” from the centre of Boracay (the length of Boracay is 7 km) where all the tourists are gathering. To get there you either have to walk a few kilometers or take a tricycle for about 100 pesos. I went there today and I can tell you that it´s well worth a visit!
Yapak beach is a calm beach where you don’t have to share the sand with hundreds of other people, in fact you almost have the beach pretty much to yourself :)

The water is crystal clear just like on White beach, but it gets deep immediately and there are some strong currents to be aware of. The sand is not as powder fine as the sand on white beach, but instead there are plenty of shells and corals that make the sand more interesting :)

Behind Yapak Beach is a big wall of dense vegetation, but also hundreds of coconuts palms. Two Philippine kids that were walking along the beach decided to make a stop and refill their energy depots, simply by picking some coconuts. But how do you pick them when the coconut palms are 10 meters in height? Well, you climb!

I was learned the technique how to climb in coconut trees, but it was not as easy as it looks like on the video… I manage to get about 2 meters up before I gave up. The key is to climb fast and it helps a lot if you’re light, about 30 kg or so is good! Here are some other photos from Yapak beach.

Found a nice gym the other day btw, so if you ever visit Boracay and feel for a tough workout you might consider visiting this highly modern and well equipped gym!

Bicol Express

Posted by kite2012 On February - 14 - 2012

Had another kick-ass meal this evening. The dish I ate is called Bicol Express (also spelled Beacol Express). A simple, yet very tasty and popular Philippine dish

You only need a handful of different ingredients, namely:

Pork
Chili
Red onion
Garlic
Black Pepper
Bagoong Alaman (shrimp paste)
Coconut milk
Salt

You pretty much just fry all ingredients except the coconut milk which you add after the other ingredients are fried a bit, then just stir it all for a couple of minutes. You can google for it and find many slightly different recipes for this delicious dish!

They have another dish here in the Philippines which I havn’t dared to try yet. It´s called “Dinuguan” and it’s made from a pig’s intestines, snout and ears in cooked pig’s blood. I´ll try it before I leave the Philippines, I promise!

The weather here has been quite shitty lately, so no kiteboarding for me. Will probably have to wait till thursday before I take another kite session. Last time I was out in the water I stepped on a sea urchin which was quite unpleasant… As you may know there are hundreds of different sea urchins. Luckily those that gaze in the water of Boracay are harmful. Still I got about 20 spines in my foot, that wasn’t to easy to get out. Here in the Philippines the treatment against sea urchin spines is human urine and/or vinegar. I was actually told by a few different Philippinos that I should pee on my own foot. However, boiled vinegar that you add on the spines with a cotton swab works just as good. I tried the vinegar method which seemed to help a bit, but the spines were still in my foot… so I ended up buying a needle for 1 pesos, with which I could remove the spines. My foot is now fine =)

Boracay – Fighting Roosters

Posted by kite2012 On February - 11 - 2012

Been sick for the last two days, or at least I caught a cold. But at least it seems to be one of the harmful colds, today is the third day since I caught the cold and I feel more or less recovered. I think it was the air condition that made me sick. Had my bed placed next to the AC and woke up cold a couple of times. Did some reshuffling in my room and turned down the cooling effect on the AC, so hopefully this was the one and only cold that I will get here on Boracay.

So, it´s been some lazy days while I had my cold. Went to a rooster farm with Japs. They had about 100 roosters, but no chickens… so what on earth are they doing with all these roosters? Well, they train them to become figthers! Rooster fighting is popular activity in the Philippines and there are apperantly lots of money to win. Japs told me that the price for a full grown fighter (a 2 years old Rooster) is 5000 pesos, that´s about $120. At this farm they had about 100 roosters.

Went to the Talipapa Market (the local market on Boracay). They sell lots of fresh fish there, many different species. Bought some White Marlin this time which were put on the grill later on, damn good! For those that do not know, the White Marlin looks like a small swordfish. It weighs about 120kg and is a super fast swimmer! They can swim 100 meters in 4 seconds, i.e. 56 mph or 90 km/h.

Found a nice little shop where they sell different kinds of cakes and buns. The store was actually called Pans & Buns. Did three visists there in 2 days, so I more or less tried their whole collection by now which includes, coconut bun, banana cake, monggo rolls, peanut rose etc… 1 bun is about 12 cent, so the price is affordable =)

I end this post with some pictures of some colorful kites, c ya!

Kitesurfing and exotic fruit

Posted by kite2012 On February - 8 - 2012

Today delivered a pretty strong wind, which means that lots of kitesurfers are crowding in the water and on the beach at Bulabong in Boracay. I had a good kite session =) Others had not…

Kites flappering in the palms on Bulabong is a very common view. I´ve seen people crash their kites in the palms almost every day I´ve been at the beach and it´s not like I´m constantly overlooking the beach. Havn’t yet figured out why som many kiteboarders put their kites in the palms. I guess they are either beginners or simply not careful when they land their kites. I´ll investigate =)

There are lots of exotic fruits in the Philippines. One of my favourite fruits is mango! I eat perfect mangos almost daily, but here are other fruits as well, for instance the super delicious cherimoya! Cherimoyas comes in different varieties depending on where in the world they come from. The absolutely best I ever tasted is the one that you find in South America, but the sort they have in the Philippines is also unbelievable tasty!

I also found a big fat worm today, check the size of this monster!

Geckos are also seen everywhere when it gets dark =)

Laters!

Boracay White Beach

Posted by kite2012 On February - 6 - 2012

Took a day of yesterday, i.e. I didn’t go kiteboarding. Instead I decided to check out the White Beach. The White Beach is a paradise for sunbathers! Clear water, white sand, plenty of space, coconut palms and refreshening drinks and food are always within reach. This beach pretty much fulfil all criteria to be called a perfect beach!

Unfortunately I don’t belong to those that value a whole day on the beach, I get bored quite quickly from laying in the sand letting the sun’s insidious rays burn my body. But I don’t mind a nice beach walk, so I walked to the end of the beach where I turned to walk back.

On my way back I passed two small girls, maybe 4-5 years old, dragging sacks filled with bottles and cans in the sweat of their brow. I asked them if they wanted help with carriage of the sacks. For a moment they hesitated, probably cause they were afraid that I would steal their cans and bottles, but their hesitation turned into joy as soon as they understood that I actually offered myself to carry their heavy loads. So I took both sacks in one hand and started walk along the beach with the two girls running along my side, I guess it was that day’s good deed =)

By the way, I have stopped updating every day as you may have noticed. I think I was a bit to naive when I though that I would manage to update this site with a new post everyday… That´s why I stopped putting the days number in the titles =P

Anyway, today has been another good kitesurfing day! I also made a new friend on my way to the beach! Check him out! =)