Bacardi U Mix Bartending Challenge 2014-2015

On February 21,2015, Pinoytender Management Consultancy in cooperation with Bacardi-Martini Philippines will stage the Bacardi U Mix Bartending Challenge ,a bartending competition for students that focuses on the “talking bartender” and that ultimate cocktail. This is the culminating activity of the advocacy program of Bacardi Philippines, the Bacardi University for students which is now on its 2^nd year.

In our beverage industry we have always strived in developing the competence of our bartenders in crafting the best drink in town. Through seminars and training that is being conducted by our global ambassadors, we are able to monitor the interest and progress of our bartenders.

Last 2013, we have decided to tap our future industry players which are the students. Given the right training, they will be able to apply not only the theories but the techniques and trends that were shared by our competent brand ambassador Arijit Bose from India.

In our first run last 2013, we were able to tap 6 schools that have Beverage Management subjects and are taking up the course of Hotel and Restaurant Management.

This year, we were able to tap 9 schools including schools from the north which included Holy Angel University and University of Baguio.

The Bacardi University,an advocacy program held last August and September of 2014, this is a seminar that not only focuses on the brand and its uses but on Bartending in general that includes theories, demonstration and trends. This seminar also included cocktail appreciation so that the students can hone in on the flavors that would make a perfect cocktail. To cap this activity, we include a competition to see if the participating schools are able to integrate their leanings with their participants.

This event included a distinguished panel of judges that will help us decide the best “bartender” and the best cocktail. Our panel of judges are all from the beverage and hospitality industry.

In a nutshell the mechanics of the competition is for the contestant to make a drink in 5 minutes while talking about his drink. Communication is one of the skills we want to nurture in this competition for we believe that a world class bartender should express himself articulately as well as with his creation.

This competition promises to be an exciting and interesting competition to find out who are the future bartenders of this country.

Show starts at 2pm and will be held at En Route Distillery in Tomas Morato, Quezon City. The champion will receive P5,000 plus trophy and certificate. There will also be an award for the BEST IN COCKTAIL that will receive P2,000.

Come and join us.

Philippine Food Expo

I would like to take this opportunity as well to thank I-Cut Unlimited for organizing and letting us work with them this year and staging the first MIX IT UP! Wanted the Best Student Mixologist held at the World Trade Center last February 26, 2012. This is the very first competition for students that has a format of a "Talking Bartender" It's harder that it looks believe me, but we thought of this for the very reason that bartenders are supposed to be the "Elite" in the F and B industry.This will give the students an idea of how it is to make a well crafted drink while teling the guest how it's done. The first champion of this competition went to Ms. Denise Banzon of PUP Sta Mesa who walked home with P10,000. Who will be the champion next year? Let us find out.

NC II Bartending in the Philippines ---is it necessary??

If one will go to Google.com and search, ”What do I need to be a certified bartender?,” there is a link that would say that one must be at least 18 years of age since it is the legal age of drinking. There are some states that would say 21. It really depends on the law of each state. I also read that to get a certificate you must attend classes, in this case “bartending classes,” that go thru 8 sessions for 4 hours each, after which, you take a final exam and get a certificate.

Here in the Philippines, “Bartending” is part of the course Hotel and Restaurant Management. It is divided into lecture and lab parts and is better known as beverage or bar management which is usually taken by students in their 2nd or 3rd year in college. In this regard, we can say that we are following what other countries are doing in terms of following the legal age for drinking. If one finishes the course, one gets a diploma since a Bachelor of Science in Hotel and Restaurant Management is good for 4 years.

Although now, since I believe there is an Associate course which lets the student finish the course in 2 years, it is here they get a certificate.Another thing I know is that there are really “bartending schools” in some countries, not just short courses but schools. And the more credible schools do placements in establishments.

So after reading these I would say that so far I am a certified bartender based on the information I got. I searched another website and I would say that I need this training to be really certified:

(Taken from the link http://www.certifiedbartender.com)

Bartending Licenses

As a general rule most states do not require specialized training, certification or licensing for Bartenders, however, some localities (counties and cities) require Bartenders apply for a license to Bartend. It is strongly encouraged that you check with your local city hall to determine if one is required where you plan on working. The licensing fee varies but generally it it costs between $25 and $50 and takes less than 1 month to receive -- usually it can be processed in a couple of days. Most do require Bartenders to go through some sort of Certification program such as the B.A.I.'s Certified Bartender course.

What Is T.I.P.S.? Training for Intervention Procedures by Servers of Alcohol.

If you serve alcohol or employ people who do, more and more of our courts have a message for you. You've got to do more to stop intoxicated customers from driving drunk. To help you avoid that risk, and help save lives, there is a proven training program called TIPS (Training for Intervention Procedures by Servers of Alcohol). Generally your employer will provide this training to you either as an ethical choice or potentially to receive a reduction in liability insurance rates.

What Is L.E.A.D.S.?

The L.E.A.D.S. (Licensee Education on Alcohol and Drugs Alcohol Seller/Server Training Program) is a free, voluntary prevention and education program for retail licensees, their employees, bartenders and applicants. It began on January 1, 1991 with a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety.

Since February 1995, the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control has funded the program. Since 1991, the L.E.A.D.S. Program has trained over 100,000 people.

The curriculum is designed for licensees, managers, bartenders, and employees. There is no separate management curriculum. Program length is 3-1/2 hours, except for Fairs/Special Events Training, which is 2 hours.

Benefits Of L.E.A.D.S Training

Reduces risk of liability, including criminal (court action), civil (lawsuit) and administrative (ABC accusation).

1. L.E.A.D.S. Training can help reduce the risk of license revocation.
2. Possible reduced insurance premiums.
3. Provides ways to deal with difficult situations.

So you see, these 2 training programs are very important. I have asked this question before, how come we aren’t really strict in serving alcohol to minors? The answer I got from one mentor is because of our economic situation. This I believe shouldn’t be an excuse because we shouldn’t limit our learning based on what we have in our country.

When I worked on ships, serving alcohol to minors was strictly monitored and followed. One could lose a job right away when found out. I being in a situation where I was with a mother and daughter. The mom ordered a bottle of champagne from me and asked me to give her 2 glasses and pour champagne in them. Based on dramshop law, L.E.A.D.S. and T.I.P.S., what would you do?

I have been in the bartending profession for about 11 years now and I have been connected in the academe for about 5 years. When I arrived here n the country supposedly for my vacation, I was fortunate enough to have been invited as a judge in one in-school bartending competition. Upon conversing with some people from the academe I found out that it is now required for educators to take competency exams so they could teach aside from taking up a masteral course eventually. Wow! Actually, it is a good idea to be “certified” but at the back of my head, is it worth taking the exam? One will pay a fee and for what, to get a piece of paper which states that you are qualified to teach Bartending which here in the country, I believe there is really a need to certify educators into teaching bartending since not anybody can really teach this profession . And I have been in both academe and industry for what, more than what is necessary?

I had second thoughts but I figured since I wanted to go back to the academe again, then "let us do what the Romans do." After 2 weeks of delay I finally came to the assessment center with my picture, resume, and P900. I didn't study deliberately to see if I will pass or not based on mere stored knowledge.

After taking the exam which I would say lasted for about 2 hours since it contained written and practical exams, I would say I passed. As I write this blog I did pass! But here's the catch, I felt that I was shortchanged. I was expecting more since I paid P900, I didn't get what I paid for. I could have been happier if I found the exam hard and it would be easier for me to accept if I failed having known I didn't prepare. If there would be readers from TESDA, let this blog be an appeal, I am not mocking this exam but please make it more worth its fee. There were some instances that kind of affected my ego.

I took the same exam with a fourth year college student and we paid the same fee. I am not being arrogant or something but can't there be a level so there would be an appropriate exam for a certain bracket or group? I used to teach in TESDA Women's Center and I would think that the things that I have been teaching them to pass the NC s the same questions I answered. I only look up to a handful of people that I consider mentors in the area of Bartending, and none of those are connected with TESDA.

I paid for an exam which was photocopied poorly. with some misspelled and missing words, and some poor grammatically constructed questions. I believe that nobody's perfect. I have nothing against the assessor for he was just tasked to assess. I have nothing against the assessment center for the questionnaires I would think is centralized. TESDA is supposed to be highly regarded as the center of skills development. But where is the skill in developing a well thought of, well-produced exam?

We are talking about economic crunch, so why charge so much for something of low value? If I may I can help suggest making the exam a more dignified one and as I have mentioned a separate exam for the students and instructors. I think this goes back to what I have observed that the bartending profession here is very much taken for granted. I cannot blame them for there are really very few qualified and credible individuals who can teach the profession. It is not just flipping of bottles. Again, I call to all educators, with the COHREP's theme of MOVING FORWARD AND BEYOND, let us indeed do this in every little thing we do so we can teach our students to be globally competitive.

Bartending as a Profession

What is a REAL Bartender?

I am currently working as a bartender on a cruise ship and I can safely say that it is a different kind of experience. Nature of the job is basically the same as being a bartender on land. At first I thought that I will find it hard to adapt because of the tall tales I have heard before I got this job.

But bearing in mind that I have been bartending for quite sometime as well as teaching the profession, needless to say, everything else became like second nature.

This post is a very good way to start 2010 because this is the essence why this site was made. I remember we had one training for us bartenders and our head bartender asked us, “What is a bartender?”

Our head bartender said a bartender is the one who mixes drinks…does this…does that…etc. etc. … and I thought, oh, how slow can you get?

I just kept silent for the duration of this seminar because I felt like I didn’t have the same wave length as the rest did although I know the others didn’t simply care. If you would read the previous lines again, it is not “what is” but “who is,” yet technically before you ask the person you should try to find out the noun where the person was derived from.

I hope I am making sense here…

Bartending According to the Books

Our profession, bartending, comes from the word “bartend” which is made up of two words “bar” which means any horizontal object which can act as a barrier between the bartender and his/her beverages from the guest and ”tend” which means to serve or dispense.

A bartender is the person who is in charge of the bar…in some countries this person is known as the barkeeper. So first and foremost a bartender should know everything that he has in his bar and what his bar is all about.

The profession as defined in the Merriam Webster dictionary :

A calling requiring specialized knowledge and often long and intensive academic preparation.

A profession is a vocation founded upon specialised educational training, the purpose of which is to supply disinterested counsel and service to others, for a direct and definite compensation, wholly apart from expectation of other business gain"[1]. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, professions involve the application of specialised knowledge of a subject, field, or science to fee-paying clientele.[2] It is axiomatic that "professional activity involves systematic knowledge and proficiency."[3] Professions are distinguished from other occupations represented by trade groups due to their level of legal recognition.[4]

Based on my research, during the olden days, almost anybody can be a bartender. You can be a college student who wants to earn some extra money or you can be a somewhat older person who wants to keep busy for the remainder of your life.

An example of this is the young student who is working his/her way through college and often too young to even legally buy liquor in a bar themselves; but can earn an extra income serving drinks in that same bar as a bartender.

On the other side of the coin, an elderly person can turn their hands to bartending to supplement their pensions. Between these two extreme age groups there are all kinds of people who fill the position of a bartender.

In fact, barmen have been likened to the man in the streets (or should we say man in the pubs) psychologist or priest. Those two additional professions, inevitably, come with the job.

Bartending is really one of those really ancient occupations that have been around since man first started picking up 'ladies of the night' from the very earliest forms of taverns.

However, although prostitutes are often termed as being part of a profession (or indeed part of the oldest profession), very few people ever think of bartending as a profession at all! It is just a "fill-in job" in most people's eyes.

Here in the Philippines, during the 70’s until early 90’s people who tended the bar were just “accidental” bartenders, they were either underemployed or were just trying to make both ends meet. But during the mid 90’s bartending has become a course/subject under the BS Hotel and Restaurant Management course/discipline.

How I Became Interested in Bartending

Personally, I took the course at first because I wanted to eat…but as I encountered this course in my 2nd year which is called Bar Management Laboratory and Lecture, interest grew since I must admit during those days drinking after class was a routine. But I stumbled into this movie by Tom Cruise entitled Cocktails and if you watched this movie, who wouldn’t want to be a bartender with the perks that come with it?

And so the interest for flair grew when I tried having a short training in TGIF.

After graduation, I had to be a bum for some months since during my time, if you wanted to apply for a bartender job, all the ads would say “with 3 years experience.”

WOW, a fresh grad having experience…hmmm…Sucks, right?!?!

I always tell myself how can you have experience if you can’t be given the opportunity to have one? But then again it’s all about timing. I finally landed my bartending job simply because nobody else would take the job because of the pay. It was kinda low at that time…but I didn’t go for the pay since I was just starting out…I wanted to gain “experience.”

So let’s get back to the topic at hand…bartending is indeed and should be a profession. If anybody can be a bartender before, not anybody can qualify as a professional bartender. It’s not enough that you know how to mix drinks. The knowledge in bartending never ceases, from the different brands of liquors available in the market, to the bar trends, to the latest cocktails that people drink, and every other information about bartending that you should at least have an idea about since the growth of the profession now is tremendous!!!

Possible Career Paths of a Professional Bartender

In fact, if you really love the bartending profession, let me show you how diverse and interesting one’s career can be if he is really a “professional.” If you decide to work whether for a free-standing bar, a hotel or a cruise ship, this is how your path would be:
If you decide to be your own boss and be an entrepreneur:

That’s why I miss being in circulation when it comes to the business. I am surprised that since I have been gone during a contract, some people here in my country claim they are the best or that they were the first. My friends, you as well as I know that talk is cheap. Walk your talk. Be a professional bartender and do your job. That’s all that matters.

If anybody would ask me if I am a bartender, I would say I am a professional bartender.

PS: The first picture on this article is Professor Jerry Thomas, the father of American Mixology.

The second picture is Harry Schraemli, a swiss author who wrote books on cocktails.

First Time Working on a Cruise Ship

I decided to write this entry about my first time because I am sure a lot of people can relate to my experience. For starters, I haven’t ridden a plane yet even via domestic so I am really excited. I only tried ridding a ferry and actually this was a test for me…I figured that if I don’t get sea sick, then I will survive. After I completed my Pre Departure Orientation Seminar, which is a must for all seafarers before they leave, I started packing my stuff. Of course I had to ask around what and what not to bring. An advise for first timers in general is not to bring too much stuff because by the time you come back, the stuff you will bring home will be doubled if not tripled thus you will have to pay excess baggage fee, thus weigh your baggage and just ask around from former seafarers the quantity of the allowed weight.

For a first timer like me during that time, the hardest part is when you bid farewell to your family. I would like to think that I am lucky because I am single, for I think it would have been difficult if I had my own. Although the contract would only be a year, the thought of not being able to see each other for that long is unimaginable. But for my case, deep inside I am excited for I wanted to know how it feels to be independent literally. So when I arrived at the international airport, I had to show all my documents ( make sure you bring all the things your agent told you to bring and present upon embarkation and in the immigration—it is adviseable that you have 3 copies each and put 1 set in a different envelope): passport, seaman’s book, ticket, guarantee letter and contract. I had to make sure that I had a little pocket money in dollars coz one will never know what can happen….O, well if the flight is 6am, one must be there 3am for the check in process is very tedious especially for international flights.

At that time my destination is San Diego California. While in the airport, if you finished fast with the immigration and inspection, then all you have to do is wait for the boarding time. You may take a nap, which is advisable for Philippines to the United States is about a 12 hour flight. Before lift off, the flight attendant will ask you to turn off cellular phones and all electronic devices for this might affect the computer of the plane. But once you have reached the right altitude, you can turn it back on except the phone. If you cannot sleep yet, there is usually an entertainment system infront of your seat and you can choose between watching a movie, listening to music or playing games. There will also be a time that breakfast, lunch and dinner would be served so do not despair, you paid for it anyway. If you really can’t sleep, sometimes alcoholic beverages are bottomless so have a couple of glasses but do not over indulge.

Okay, so to reach San Diego, I had to pass through Hongkong, Japan, Los Angeles, then San Diego. Unfortunately, you do not have time to check out the place coz you are in transit. There are some schedules which are very tight that you have to run to get to the next terminal or airline. The main challenge here is the immigration. So usually when you arrived in your point of embarkation there are two scenarios, you either arrive the day before or on the day itself. If you arrive the day before, lucky you…now you can check the place out. By the way, another thing you have to bring is a camera (self explanatory).

Okay, once inside the ship, you will be inspected after which you will be asked to declare the things you brought in the ship. Make sure you have a duplicate of this. Once this is done, you will report to the purser who will ask for your documents and give you a checklist of what to do. Usually, a supervisor from your department will assist and tour you around the ship to be familiar. In my case, it took me around three months literally to be familiar with the ship as well as the system in my department. You will then be escorted to your room where in you will share your room with 1 person or more. Usually, when you embark, you stay on the upper bunk and wait for the lower bunk to end his/her contract so you can step down.

Actually, this is one of the bigger challenges of your contract. You have to get along with your room mate for your whole contract if not, this will greatly affect your whole stay. I have been lucky that I got along pretty well with my room mate. He gave me some pointers and let me learn the ropes of the job.

These are the challenges that you have to meet in order for you to survive your contract:

• your room mate-----I was in luck since both of us didn’t have any vices and we clicked right away

• your co worker in the same department ---although we all talk the same language we come from different walks of life and upbringing….on the ship I learned 2 things…survival of the fittest…you worked there to earn money…and you have to watch your back all the time…you never know what may happen…you can enjoy but do not enjoy too much
  

• your co worker from a different nationality and department—unity in diversity..although we are different, we all are obliged to speak English yet sometimes cultures are pretty interesting….the trick here is like in my case you have to go with the flow for the first few months…know your way around….just do your job the way it should be done..but if you feel that you are being pushed around already….then you have to choose your battle…if you think that you are in the right side of things then go ahead…

• the work itself---I observed how they work, then I try to ask questions if I am in doubt. After which I execute…When I was on board I had to adjust to the following: the lay out of the workstation, my station, the micros, the products we serve, the promos and the work schedule, I was lucky that I didn’t have any problem when it comes to cocktails and some of the liquors we carried but I had to adjust with the standard of how they are made as well as what garnish and which glass to put it in

• your trainings ---whether it be safety training or other trainings, one should not take this for granted…you should check the schedule of drills so you wouldn’t miss it…people can be sent home because of missing trainings. Your solas training would come in handy so treat it seriously

• yourself---you have to ask yourself why you worked in the first place and let that serve as your motivation…learn in all aspects, challenge yourself to be better everyday…and learn to save money….do not get too excited buying stuff that you do not need and do not do vices….a lot of seafarers end up with nothing when going home because of unimportant spendings.

If you conquer all these challenges then you are good to go for your next contract. I know I had … can you?

My Boracay Experience

I never really planned to go there for this summer season for the primary reason of it being too expensive. Not until I read an ad of Zest Air (formerly Air Philippines) in the newspaper and to my surprise, a one way ticket would only cost me P1700 from Manila to Caticlan. I just wanted to try a one way ticket and try to go on ro-ro (roll in-roll out) on my way back just for the adventure. I didn’t book right away coz I wanted to invite a friend of mine so that I wouldn’t be alone in my trip. I was able to have him confirm in joining me after 7 hours. By the time I got back on line…whoa!!! There’s no more available flight for that price!!! The cheapest rate I could find was P2,600 but this time with Cebu Pacific because prices would be as high as P4,000 since it’s the start of the peak season.I went to the new terminal 3 of NAIA which is just 30-45 minutes away from where I stay. I was asked my confirmation ticket which I printed online and a valid Identification Card. After the entrance I had to go through a scanning machine so I had to take off stuff in my pocket as well as my belt and put it in a basket which will go through the scanner. Afterwhich, I went to this other line where in my ticket was processed and since I only had a hand carry, I was weighed together with it. I was surprised because this was the first time I stepped on a weighing scale in an airport. I found out that this was to make sure that the left and right side of the plane would be balanced in terms of weight. Wow!!! Then I proceeded to another terminal and paid a terminal fee of P200. Manila to Caticlan is just almost an hour flight.

Caticlan

Before we went to main boracay…we had to take a ferry boat from Caticlan…I was surprised that we had to pay an environmental fee, a tricycle ride and a ferry ride all for P150. But for the tricycle ride if I may suggest.. you can just walk from the airport to the ferry station.It will only take you 5 minutes!!!But when you reach the terminal you still have to pay a P50 terminal fee.

The ferry ride is just 5-10 minutes. From the dock, we had to take a tricycle again for a 5-10 minute ride for P25 per person. The first fun part of our Boracay experience was that we didn’t have any place to stay. We wanted to just shop around and find the best deal…and lucky for us, while we were in the ferry we met this lady who is a “commissioner” and she recommended a place to stay for only P1000 that me and my friend can split. So we checked out the place…Once we were there, we weren’t really satisfied so we decided to look around…we bumped into another local who led us into this place called Sheena’s which is located in station 2 by the beach front…We checked out the place and we decided this is the place to stay having a better location and our room has a veranda to boot. The price was only P1700. But another interesting part of the trip is we bumped into another person who was alone and looked safe enough and wanted to share the room with us which means we divided the P1700 into 3!!!

We started our adventure on a Thursday…

Food

We were so hungry from the trip that we decided to have a pizza in the old reliable Shakey’s.

I ordered a beer for P45, a pitcher of Iced tea at P160 for my 2 friends and a combo pizza for P660 plus service charge and government taxes for everybody. Well it wasn’t really the best deal in town but we just had to eat. Boracay island is divided into 3 sections called Station 1-2-3. But more or less the prices of food or meals would range from P60-P180 and above…There are also buffets from P250 and above. Here in Bora there are a variety of restaurants: German, Italian, Mediterranean, Filipino, Japanese, etc. For the whole trip we ate in Real Maris which is a resort Hotel in Station 1,another old reliable Andok’s, had pizza at Aria which is beside Hey Jude, which is one of the hang out place for night owls, we had buffet in a restaurant by the beachfront which I forgot, breakfast at Paradiso grill, O, and if you are on a tight budget, I was surprised to see a budget mart and a bakeshop just by the main road by the end of “d’mall” as well as some carinderia that have decent food as well.

There is this one resto called Smoke which serves the best deal in bulalo at P185.

Beverages

Now this aspect of the trip is very interesting. For local beers, starting price would be P45, other would price it at P66 and above. There is this one bar though called “hobbit house” which amazed me coz it offers a lot of international beers that I know since I have an exposure for international brands working on a ship. Brands like Murphy’s, Dos xx, Kilkenny’s, etc… I recommend this for other nationalities who would miss there own beer brands while in bora…although it doesn’t come as cheap…it is priced the same as in other countries if you would convert it…so it’s still a decent deal. Here’s a catch…some bars would offer a happy hour from 4pm – 9pm. This can either be a buy one take one, a beer by the bucket or a 30% off on cocktails!!! So you better check your watch.

Bars

What is the best bar to go to in Bora? I cannot really single out one since people hop from one bar to the other.

Well I may not yet be the authority but this is as far as I have seen during my stay…

If you just want a bar to chill and meet people, here are some suggested bars to check out :Hey Jude is one the first bars to check out since it is situated right in the heart of the Bora strip. Then there’s Juice bar, a corner bar with a nice R&B and house selection, then’ there’s Summer place in between station 2 and 3 and Cocomangas in station 1…both these bars are places that is mostly flocked by foreigners…I wonder why….Then if you want to let loose and party you can go to station 1 and check out Guilly’s and Club Paraw. Another bar in station 1 that you can check out is Fridays’ (not related to the international brand), which is an institution in bora.If you want to listen to solo singers and jam as well, you may try Hobbit house, Charles’ bar, and Paradiso grill.

There are still a lot of bars in bora..these are just some that made a difference in my stay.

Party in Bora starts from 5pm to 5am..but then again… who knows???

Accommodation

Okay, I almost forgot to include this but in this aspect of the trip you can book early online or do as we did and shop around. Prices may range from P500 to P5,000 per day. Some resort hotels that you can check are: Real Maris, Boracay Regency, Boracay Peninsula, Discovery, Mandarin, Patio Pacific, Red Coconut, etc, etc.

Just ask the services they offer.

Activities

Well aside from eating, drinking, and partying, one can still have options in bora. In the day you can go diving, banana, boating, jet skiing, riding the ATV island hopping, skim boarding, hiking, snorkeling, swimming, sun bathing, having a henna tattoo, or simply just lay on the sand with a beer in hand while staring at that beautiful sunset.

Shopping

I had to include this topic although I myself didn’t do any shopping myself for there might be interested people about this topic. There would be 4 places to shop for souvenirs, clothes, hats, trinkets, and other stuff that you might fancy: along the beach front, d’mall, talipapa and by the town area. Bargaining is a gift so test it in bora. Almost everything is here including load for you prepaid sim and internet café in case you need to check your mail so do not worry about it. There are also airline offices here so if in case you plan to rebook never fear….

This is one that made my boracay experience all the more interesting. Once you are in bora, you would feel a mix that you are in the Philippines but you are not…do you get my drift?? Different nationalities flock bora and some have stayed and lived there. Boracaynon is what you would call a native or a local that was born there but other migrants have stayed and worked there as well. Regardless of which …people are friendly and down to earth. Some are hustlers, but that’s part of the business although they are tamer than those I have encountered in some Caribbean countries.

And once you made friends in your first trip, you would still keep in touch with them until your next trip, and so on and so on.

Conclusion

Actually, I forgot to tell that we started our trip on Thursday morning and planned to go back Sunday. But instead of taking the ro-ro we ended up taking the plane again going back to Manila but not until Tuesday for the price of P3,900++!!!

If you wish to go to Bora for this long have a budget of around P15000 and maybe a credit card or atm in your wallet and you will be fine. It’s really worth the trip and it’s very addictive that you just want to keep coming back.