Actual Reality

Internet AGAIN! Its like I'm in the real world. In Boracay now. Very touristy, lots of pasty white Germans walking around and lost of nice little Filipinos selling me things!
I bought a dress today. I was so excited I even forgot to haggle. Oh well. I got totally ripped off and paid a whopping $8 for it. Bad traveller.
Today was....interesting. We woke up early (or didn't go to bed in my case...I'm still wearing teh dress I went out in last night...whoops) and got cabs to the airport in Cebu. A girl on my trip, Amanda, was really really sick all day yesterday, spontaneously throwing up and complaining of stomach pain. Most of us figured it was a really terrible hangover based on the late night Karaoke she was doing previously, but today she was still pale and puking and feverish and in the tropics those are not good symptoms to have. At the airport we spotted a medical clinic and sent her in to see if she was dying or hungover. They diagnosed her with potential apendicitis and advised her not to fly. So as the final boarding call was going out over the loudspeaker we made the snap decision that she and her brother would stay in Cebu where there's nice friendly American-owned tourist hospitals and the rest of us would come to Boracay. Bertus stayed with them, so we are flying solo for the moment. There was some talk about staying, but to be completely honest, I didn't pay all this money and take a 36 hour flight to sit in a hospital waiting room in support of a girl I met 3 weeks ago. I feel for her, but this is MY trip. Having made these snap decisions, all of their stuff was already loaded on the plane, and in a blatant violation of international aviation laws, their bags came to Boracay with us. We also recieved a new addition to our group today, joining us for the next 20 days (is it half way already!?) So 5 of us girls had to lug 8 backpacks through the airport, find the right helpless-looking white girl with a backpack, get a tricycle (motorbike to sidecar) to the ferry, take a ferry, get transport, find our hotel, all hungover beyond all help. Success! I think the definition of a good traveler is one who can do all that while trying not to puke.
Boracay is so different from everywhere else we've been. I feel like I'm on vacation from backpacking. I'm half expecting to see a Senor Frogs around the corner. We're going to shop, beach, drink, eat, dance, and SCUBA! I'm totally in love. There's a really nice PADI scuba center here and I think I might do my Advanced Diver course! It involves Deep Dive, Wreck Dive, Drift Dive (underwater current that pulls us 2-3km in 20 minutes) and some real stuff like Navagation and Rescue. I figure why not! Its another $400, which would mean I have spent $800 on diving, $200 on my visa extension, and $200 on food and drink and personal expenses. How twisted is that budget? Such a cheap place but I've managed to spend some serious coin.
Off to boost the local economy!