Island vibe

I just spent eleven days in Boracay. I'm not sure if I went there to escape my normal life or if working while on vacation is already my normal. I did not like losing half of my day at the beach to sleeping in (so as not to disrupt my sleep cycle) and I did not like partying at night either. Although the island becomes a big watering hole at night and people go there for that trap, that is not really my kind of vibe. What I did like though was my brush with local people living their everyday lives. When I travel, I gain new perspectives from their reality and reinforce old and forgotten, but necessary principles in mine. 

I was fascinated with their brand of hospitality and service. When you are competing with a hundred other hotels or leveling with Manila-based chain and specialty restaurants, you have to find your niche and up your game. When there is an endless pool of potential customers, you have to do your thing well and fast every time. When the market is diverse in age, quirks, and status, you have to know your customers, and attract them and milk them for as much money as possible. Ah, free enterprise! It brings out everyone's ingenuity, productivity, enthusiasm, and greed. The customer either receives the best services or gets scammed. 

I was amazed by their pride of place and work. I was glad that I did not visit Boracay during pre-island lockdown. I cannot imagine what it must have been like back then -- without restrictions on beach activities, means of transportation, garbage disposal, business ownership, etc. It must have been pandemonium. Locals themselves are thankful for the intervention. They said that it stopped the "every man for himself" mentality. It made them think collectively as a community, as stakeholders, as island dwellers, and as Filipinos. They know the words "sustainable," "zero waste," and "zoning plan." I learned that some ramen places, Vietnamese cuisine restos, and Mexican-themed bars are owned by Filipinos. They have this interesting practice of synergizing businesses -- they have inter-business discounts; you can eat your lunch in one resto and order your dessert or coffee from another; individual tour guides and jetty porters operate in informal, honor system rotation or relyebo fashion. What a delight to see them uplift each other and their industry succeed because of collective effort.

These are what I look for and appreciate when I travel. My outlook in life changes a little bit each time I return from a trip. I am thankful that I have the opportunity, money, and time to see other realities, experience moments of learning and discomfort, and have these realizations and thoughts as a takeaway. So where to next?