I was writing a story on what went down in Boracay the night before its closure, which led me to where all good journalists go to find additional material: Instagram. Sarcasm aside, I browsed through all the Boracay-related hashtags and geotags I could find in search of photos.
Hoping to find snapshots of discounted souvenirs, empty restaurants, and shut-down establishments, I went through hundreds of photos before realizing: (1) I wouldn’t find what I was looking for on Instagram—big shocker—and (2) that most photos fell under specific categories. Here are some of them.
The refreshing drink
With the beach as the background because you’re in paradise.
The beach bod
You can’t go to the beach with out showing off your hard-earned beach bod, right?
The look towards the horizon
A breathtaking view.
The shopping
Many stores and vendors sold their wares at discounted prices before the closure. Might as well get a good deal.
The squad photo
Getting your entire group of friends together despite everyone’s busy schedules is a feat and always deserves a photo.
The cheesy captions
There will never be a shortage of cheesy, #wanderlust-esque captions on Instagram.
The sand castles
What would Boracay be without the intricate sand sculptures scattered along the beach?
The look back at the camera
Come with me on this journey.
The food
Restaurants, food stalls, and shake places have become an integral part of the Boracay experience. Chori burgers, Jonah’s fruit shakes, Coco Mama, just to name a few—they’ll surely be missed.
The blogger/influencer pose
Find a picturesque spot to use as a background and strike a pose for your #OOTD.
The sunset
Marking the end of the day and symbolically, the closure of the island. There were quite a few photos of the sunset captioned with bittersweet goodbyes.
The back towards the camera
Candid.
The goodbye (for now)
Leaving the island with a heavy heart, many tourists wished the island a speedy recovery and promised to go back after its rehabilitation.
The selfie
My personal favorite: “Selfie muna bago magsara.”
Header and thumbnail images by @lovelizzychua and @wellabear on Instagram.
Read more:
Like many Boracay locals, our question is: what now?
The Philippines reacts to Boracay’s shutdown
What happened the day before Boracay’s shutdown