I was entranced, awed. The huge disc dipping into the horizon with sailboats becoming silhouettes in the foreground. It wasn’t just any kind of sunset. It was a postcard pretty sunset enough to make beach revelers stop and stare or take photos.

The year 2011 is coming to a close and it’s time to look back and assess how my travels went during the year. Below are my top 10 reasons why I can proudly say that this year is MY YEAR OF TRAVEL!

Do it slow. Don’t rush. Don’t mind the sand getting into your feet, thighs and hair. Just let people stare and look. The important thing is, you enjoy it very much.

I admit it. I was wrong about Boracay and first impressions don’t always last. You see, my first time visit almost three years ago left a bad taste in my mouth. Now that I spent three days and three nights in this beach mecca, I take back what I said!

Langyaw #03, the latest FREE downloadable PDF photo e-magazine is now out focusing on windsurfing and kiteboarding in Boracay.

The next time you go to Boracay? Head to Bulabog Beach and just learn to ride and master the wind through windsurfing and kite boarding in one of the best places to do these stuff here in the country and around the region.

I’ve always looked at Boracay with suspicion, being one huge tourist trap that I don’t always like. However, having written an article in CNN Go last year, I might need to change my mindset as I travel to this (in)famous island in the Visayas. First, a really nice accommodation.

This leg of the trip cost me much time that later affected my plans of reaching Cebu on the night of the second day. Just imagine, four hours of waiting for the bus to finally go, as promised by the driver but then, even promises are made to be broken.

It’s too crowded. It’s overhyped. It’s too commercialized. It’s just one huge tourist trap.

With the 1000H roro that I was to take from Caticlan to Roxas in Mindoro having engine trouble and the schedule postponed, I found myself paying the EXORBITANT environmental and terminal fees imposed on travelers in order to have a glimpse of the supposed charms of paradise that is Boracay. With just less than a few hours for the 1400H roro, I made a lightning sidetrip to this fabled island.

Aklanons surely know how to party! And they do it nightly around the streets bounding this Visayan capital’s plaza fronting the church in the run up to the festivities of the Ati-atihan that is celebrated every third Sunday of January. And yes, I was witness to this enjoyable and exuberant revelry as I made a mad dash from Cebu to Makati via Mindoro while finding time to spend a night in Kalibo, Aklan*.