As a peace corps volunteer in Leyte, I was often asked by Filipinos if I had ever been to Boracay. It is one of the nicest places in the Philippines and hospitable Filipinos want to make sure I visited there. I was not initially interested, I only thought of it as a place where wealthy Filipinos went on vacation. People from my community did not go there.
So a group of old 261 batch peace corps volunteers (up above) gathered in boracay for a few days in this hedonistic beach.
I had been taught that Filipinos, especially women, wear t-shirts and shorts when going to the beach - to preserve their modesty. It was what I lived with in Leyte, it was my frame of reference. So I almost had a heart attack when I stepped off the boat to Station 2 (where the boats unload in Boracay) and saw many young, beautiful Filipino girls in bikinis.
Boracay is very posh - lots of nice restaurants with good food, nice resorts for those with money and nice shopping for arts and crafts. There is a very trendy nightlife scene for the "beautiful people." As it happens, my caucasian friends are given the star treatment wherever they go. Lucky guys. I had a great time in Boracay, now I know why Filipinos like the place so much.