While progress on the island is inevitable and the financial windfall that comes with mass tourism is appreciated by the Boracay community, it’s always nice to remember the simple tranquility of the good old days.



What was Boracay like back in the year 1986? I inevitably get this question from a visitor every night while working at Cocomangas Shooter Bar in beautiful Philippines. Boracay in 1986 was paradise to perfection with the whitest sand of any beach I’d ever seen on the planet. The quality of the white sand along White Beach had a perfect powdery feel to it like no other beach in Asia or quite possibly the world. The island was a special place in 1986 with no cars, no roads, no telephones, no internet, no daily newspapers, and hardly any tourists – just friendly locals.



I recently returned to Canada to visit my sick mom and to help with cleaning out her apartment as she was moving into an independent living facility in Vancouver. While at home, my mom gave away all her photos which she had accumulated over the years; that’s where I found the old photos of Boracay, circa 1986. When I saw the photos, I remembered how unbelievably beautiful Boracay was and I reminded myself why I have stayed here all these years. Just imagine an island with no roads, just white sand trails passing through the villages. It really was a paradise-island like you see only in pictures or in a Hollywood movie.
One day in the early 90s, I awoke to trucks dumping dirt over the top of the beautiful white sand trail which ran in front of Cocomangas. It was a sad day for me as I knew what the future was going to bring: a cement road with loads of traffic. The paradise-island of Boracay really started to change when electric power was connected in 1992. Electricity enabled developers to build faster with power tools, and resorts offered better rooms with air conditioning and swimming pools. Commercial tourism arrived in the mid ‘90s and Boracay has never looked back.



To the newcomer, Boracay remains a beautiful paradise-island in the Philippines – but to the old timers, there’s nothing like the good old days. (Photos courtesy of cocomangas.com)




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