Losing my sh*t in more ways than one

Today was another busy day. We left Our Melting pot at 9:30 to head to the airport to go to Boracay. Waited in line for over an hour to check our baggage, I ended up having to pay an extra $40 USD for my oversize luggage because they only allow a max of 22lbs per bag.

I honestly felt like one of many in a giant heard of cattle from the beginning to the end of our journey to the island of Boracay. The moment you get off the plane they rush you into a motorbike or taxi to take you 3 minutes away to the ferry. You have to go to several ticket booths that are right next to each other to buy a boat ticket, pay the environmental fee, and pay the boat terminal fee. I'm not really sure why they don't cover the entire cost right off the bat. After you buy your tickets, they rush you through security, make you show your tickets multiple times in different orders, and then you get crammed onto a boat.

My jaw seriously dropped at how beautiful this place was. The water was crystal clear, not a cloud in the sky, and the temperature was about 90f.
In 2012 the island was named World's #1 island to visit. Given scenery like this I can't argue that point.

We checked into the Frendz Resort and I was very glad I booked the reservation back in Feb as we got the last room with AC. We got to the room and apparently they only have a room with a single queen size bed. Which means that Alex and I will be getting to know each other better this week. We'll be taking turns spooning.

We went to one of the restaurants nearby to grab some much needed lunch. I noticed the guy sitting next to us speaking with an American accent. This is how that conversation went.

Me: Hey I noticed you had an American accent, what part of the states are you from?

Guy: I'm originally from Minnesota, how about you?

Me: NO WAY we're from Minnesota, what part?

Guy: St. Louis Park

Me: Small world, so are we, what part of SLP?

Guy: Near Hwy 100 and Minnetonka Blvd

This totally blew my mind that this guy used to live just a few miles from where we live. His name was Daniel and has since moved to Arizona a few years back to get away from the cold, given this winter it is totally understandable as to why.He invited us to join him and 3 other guys to go cliff diving later in the afternoon. Alex and I hadn't determined our itinerary yet so we said yes.

Pictured from right to left, Evan is from Maine, Bobby is from Boston, they both are doing a study abroad program at Fudan University in Shanghai and decided to skip school for a few days to come out for a vacation. Christopher is from London and worked out of Hong Kong for a while after living in Toronto for 2 years. Daniel from MN lives in Arizona now and is on a sabbatical from work since October and has been in Asia traveling alone.

The boat driver they hired took us about 20 min off the main island to Magic Island, a tiny piece of land apparently only used to jump from the rocks to the water below.

I brought my GoPro on the excursion and strapped it to my head using the headband accessory. I went 3rd off the highest jumping point because go big or go home right?

This was my point of view from the top. We estimated it was at least 25 ft drop into the water. The moment I started feeling hesitation, I decided to go for it and jump.

I hit the water and instantly got salt water in my nose and ears. Also I felt my go pro slip off my head. I frantically started trying to catch it and unfortunately it sunk. I shouldn't have freaked out the way that I did because I grabbed onto the cliff and cut my hands and feet on the very sharp rocks. I've got about 6 deep paper cuts that I've counted so far.

I almost accepted the inevitable,  that I lost my brand new camera. Luckly one of the people that run the park had a diving mask and dove down into the water and found the gopro almost immediately. Watching the footage later on, it looks like the water was at least 15 feet deep, impossible for me to be able to retrieve on my own. I was extremely thankful but had to call it a day after my first jump :(

Alex was brave enough to jump 3 times while we were there.

We got back to the main island and watched the sun set over the ocean horizon during the ride.

We all went out for dinner as a group and I just got a weird feeling about the environment. I'm not sure if I'm just crabby now because of the stress from the traveling and almost losing my camera and now my many small stinging cuts but I'm not sure if I'm a really big fan of Boracay. It's extremely beautiful but I feel like the island itself is just too crowded and commercialized for my taste. You could walk for half an hour and there would still be restaurants completely adjacent to each other. 

I'm doing the best to stay positive but I think I would prefer an island with similar scenery and less catering to the masses. 

On my walk back to our hostel I picked up band aids and antiseptic and on my way I was able to take a nice shot of the moon overlooking the water. 

I'm going to have to stay out of the water for the next few days as ocean water can cause infections in open cuts. I hope to go scuba diving on Friday so hopefully I can take care of myself well enough by then.