Bugsay Boracay Goes To Penang, Malaysia

So Bugsay Boracay made it to Malaysia to join the Plenitude Penang International Dragon Boat Festival 2012 last June 29-July 1! 

We took a bus from KLIA straight to Red Inn at Georgetown, a backpacker's heritage guest house strategically located in the midst of Penang Island in a street called Love Lane. J'adore.

Well-preserved, colorful heritage buildings, little india, great food, random murals, quirky street art designs, not a skyscraper in sight. 

I just fell in love with Georgetown.  No wonder it's listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO!

We then sashayed ourselves to Tanjung Bungah Beach Hotel, our host for 3 nights. Yebaaa!

Teluk Bahang Dam -- the venue of the race. Massive, green and very clean!

Then off to our last pit stop, Kuala Lumpur. Petronas Twin Towers sure is a lovely sight at night. 

Tons of laughter, pseudo lazy-boy sleeping poses in the bus, hunger, sweat, tears, coffee and ciggy breaks, slapstick antics, jitters, butterflies in the stomach, jelly arms and knees, ringgit counting, impromptu jam sessions with the Jungle Boys, and everything in between -- all in the name of FUN.  

Thank you Bugsay for making it all work and for making it all happen. We paddled hard, brought home the bronze, and now we party harder!

See you at the victory party! Boom ti ya!

***Big thanks to Anais Walsdorf and Clement Demmitt for the lovely team photos. :)

Sunday by the River

We love our beach. But when summer is at its peak and the crowd grows heavy, we want nothing more than our own little piece of quiet. So off we go to the mainland, escape to one of our favorite hideaways, to dip our feet in the river and let our Sunday sweetly roll by.

Our lovely hosts Nina, Chabeli and Binggoy

It's cooking time! Vegetable curry Indonesian style... 

and our favorite Tuna Sisig!

Bahay kubo, kahit munti...

With lovely open spaces, and comfy daybeds too.

Our little pirate - check out her cool ship!

Island family ~ Nins, Chabeli & Coffee

Lounging in cool clear waters...

Sunday slowdown

We hope your Sunday was fun too!

Love and good vibes,
Isla Boheme

"Good Food... Good Feeling!"

True to their tagline, Ti Braz gave the island family happy tummies and a reason to get together when they opened their Bulabog branch last week.

Everyone was treated to free crepes and drinks while one our favorite DJ put us all in the perfect groove for a little dance, chit chat and of course drinking!

Thanks again Ti Braz for a lovely afternoon! It's definitely a good feeling to know that our favorite island crepes are now, a fewer steps away. :)

1. Chocnut crepe with vanilla ice cream and fudge 2. Djila and Whisky (the birthday dog that day!) 3. Isla Boheme girls waiting for our crepe 4. The sign says it all.

A convention of 1: Dogs and 4: Boys :)  2. Look at all the free crepes! 3. Banana Nutella yum!

How good crepes are made. :)

♥ family ♥

Oh yeah, the food trip didn't end there. We checked out the new Korean canteen called "All In" for a nice bowl of Bibimbap and Bulgogi. Yummy too!

Can you guess what song the lyrics on the wall are from? :)

Sundays are Back!

We love Sundays. It's the one day when most of our friends are free from work so it's always an occasion to get together and gather around the kitchen, dining table and in this case, the billiard table. We haven't had a Sunday like this in a long time, but since it's Habagat season and things are a bit more chill and steady, we welcomed it back with open arms and homemade cinnamon rolls! :)

1. Bacs, Pebbles and Lei 2.Yummy Onion and Squash Pasta 3. DIY Japanese Spring Rolls 4. Stacey, Lei and Baby Rio

Oh Rio, Rio, Rio! That ball is about to teach you a lesson.

But you're so cute, even when you're crying. 

Dessert!

Nomnomnom!

Melon green tea with oranges and mint <3

What's Sunday without a little play? Below: Team Aiza and Nicole vs. Team Lei & Denise

Have a happy, yummy and playful Sunday! :) 

Hello Habagat!

There are countless things we love about Habagat. The way it dramatically changes the seascape, or how the afternoon sky wraps everything in blue light. It's the time when wind breakers are boarded up along the White Beach and when the last of the summer crowd has gone. It's a special period when locals find themselves with less work and more time ~ time to get together and watch a different kind of sunset. And as we say hello to Habagat, it's also the time we say our goodbyes and see you laters to friends who've become family. There's something about the island monsoon that moves people to travel or leave the island. This season has always been about transitions... in fact we at Isla Boheme all arrived sometime during Habagat, one after the other.

Last Saturday, we had our first Habagat party at our favorite beach shack. It was a beautiful get together to welcome the change of season and to bid some friends farewell as they embark on other adventures. To Eddie, Kaz and Clara, we wish you happy trails! :)

Bringing life to the party! lovely ladies Mo Ching, Chit, Tza and Blossom

Meet the Astronauts! Alia and daddy Roldan :)

That beautiful Habagat sunset

No cries from Alia can stop us from taking her photos! 

Adorable Rio!

Enjoy Bali, Clara! 

 
Everybody loves Eddie. We'll miss you brown boy! Come home soon.  

 

Safe and happy travels Kaz and Eddie! 

 

Love and good vibes,
Isla Boheme

The Isla Boheme Guide to Boracay Postcards!

About 2 years ago, the girls and I decided to have fun and create a friendly little reminder for tourists coming to the island. We called it the Isla Boheme Guide to Boracay, which you will see in this post.

Readers, friends and family liked it so much that we decided to produce them into postcards! Of course it took us 2 years to realize this and actually produce it, but now it's here! We've also updated the trike rates, tweaked some of the illustrations and added one more tip!  :)

Instead of sand and seashells, why not take these postcards that were made-with-love as your souvenirs? It would be helpful to both tourists and island residents too!

Available at your friendly island shops and resorts... soon! :)

Boracay Island, 1983

 

Surprise! These aren't really old photos of Boracay. That's me and Arnaud, tripping with some retro clothes and taking advantage of the mustache he left after shaving his beard. 

We were inspired by the photos posted on Facebook by long-time island residents. Photos from as early as the '70s and '80s  that showed how our dear island was in those days: deserted beach, no establishments, no electricity and hardly any footprints on the sand. All you could see was a long stretch of pristine white sand, foliage and the clear blue sea, and of course the bushy hair, mustaches and short shorts of the backpackers who were lucky enough to discover this paradise at that time.

Sometimes I wish I was there to see Boracay in its purest state, sometimes, I wish it stayed that way. But decades after and boatloads of tourists later, all we can do is take care of the island as much as we can and indulge our fantasies with a old clothes, a razor and a little Photoshop.