Dining Area at Shingley Piknikan
We left Puka Beach after a period of swimming. Turns out that our next destination is more for snorkeling. This is something I get sensitive about. The previous time I went snorkeling here in Boracay, it was near the shore. However, we were quite far from the shore this time. I suspect that this was because the coral there near the shore were already ruined. This was the result of years of dropping anchor wherever they want. I think for a hugely popular destination, Boracay should have proper docking facilities for ALL boats, not just the larger ones. Our snorkeling here was on much deeper water, but the water is so clear, the you can see all the way to the bottom. Indeed the corals here were still intact. I don’t think the boat dropped any anchor anyway so I believe that is a good thing.
Bathroom at Shingley Piknikan
The snorkeling seemed to be very fun for the kids, I couldn’t get used to the snorkel and I was breathing like I was swimming. There were a lot of fish under us because our guides were throwing bread to attract the fish. There is a smaller boat trailing us, potentially to go fetch anyone who drifted too far away. After a bit of snorkeling we headed off for our lunch. I wasn’t expecting lunch since I thought we were going to finish before lunch. Lunch was actually not on Boracay island itself but it is on the mainland in Caticlan. Shingley Piknikan is a place which caters to the tour groups like us. There is a modest structure here which has several tables for visitors. We arrived a little late so they were already done cooking lunch and you only get what they have left. There was still a lot of food left but you only get what is there.
So how was the food? It was okay, it was probably what I expected here. I don’t really expect extremely nice food in places like these. I also haven’t had this type of food for a while so it was a welcome change. There is also a basic toilet here. I thought that with all the people that pass through here, you’d think they would have improved the facilities here. Maybe they don’t really earn that much here. It was a great stop for us from the whole morning of bobbing up and down on the boat. I suspect that some of the kids weren’t too thrilled being on the boat the whole day.
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