Day 153: Paradise Delayed

So I was seconds away from buying myself a plane ticket to the Philippines today!

Summer Break is at the end of this month and I was thinking that it would be really cool to go somewhere for it.  We only get two weeks off a year so our holidays are really precious to us foreign teachers!  We only get a week off in July and a week off for Chritmas (other than a few other long weekends scattered here and there because of Korean national holidays) so you really gotta take advantage of that free time!  Pretty much all of my co-workers have booked trips for themselves and I didn't want to be left behind in Korea for a whole 9 days with all this free time and nothing to do and no one to hang out with!

Six of my coworkers are actually going to Thailand (the destination of choice for foreigners here) and a couple are going to China.  I thought that the Philippines would be really cool because unlike Thailand and China, it's not part of my Great Backpacking Trek that I have planned for myself next year when I finish my teaching contract.  I also have a few friends who've gone to the Philippines and absolutely loved it!  And hey who wouldn't want a whole nine days to lounge around on a beautiful tropical beach?  I sure would love it!!

I looked into going to Boracay which is a tiny island in the Philippines and has been voted by a number of travel magazines and experts as The World's Most Perfect Tropical Island.  It's only a few kilometres long and is virtually all white sand and palm trees, with turquoise waters and little beach huts to stay in.  No cars are allowed on the island, and there's supposed to be some great restaurants and bars there.  And the scuba diving/snorkelling is *legendary*!  God it totally sounds like paradise to me!! 

However, as cheap as travel is in Asia, it still would've cost more than I would've liked, mainly because I'd be booking it last minute.  So reason and sensibility won over adventure and wanderlust today, but I made a deal with myself.  No big trips this vacation (I have only just returned to work after being unemployed for a month) but instead I'm gonna look into going to Boracay for my Winter Break.  How awesome would it be to spend Christmas and New Year's on a spectacularly gorgeous little white-sand palm-tree aquamarine-waters tropical island!!!  Maybe I can even convince a few friends to come along with me...?

Consider this an open invite to all of my friends to come and join me this Holiday Season for a week in paradise!  Any takers???  :-)