By Dyan Castillejo-Garcia

FYI. When you go to the island of Boracay and land at the Caticlan Airport, you are officially in the municipality of Malay.

The mayor there personally invited "Sports Unlimited" to go deep in the heart of Malay.

To be honest, we have never been around Malay. All these years, all we did was arrive at Caticlan airport and the extent of what we have seen of mainland Malay is the short trip from the airport to the port where we catch the banca that takes us to the island.

So understandably we were surprised when we got to the Nabaoy River in Baranggay Nabaoy in Malay.

We were met by a massive welcoming committee complete with refreshments, snacks and some of the most talented local musicians in the island of Boracay.

We really felt special and flattered that the residents here in the municipality of Malay are Sports Unlimited fans.

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It was super to see Geoff again.

After a long while, he has spent a number of months in different parts of Asia doing modeling stints and commercials.

I must say don’t know exactly what it is but Geoff looks extra attractive.

Maybe it’s the hair. Now you know what it means when Geoff is on the program: he is so unpredictable. You just have to be prepared for anything and everything.

Ang also, to have the stunning former Miss Earth from Brazil, Priscilla, was just great.

It was her first time in Boracay and she felt very privileged to be one of the very first visitors to get to the tour of mainland Malay and the island fell in love with her.

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Who knew you could enjoy a nice visit to a river such as Nabaoy for a fresh water swim as an alternative to the saltwater dips on the island?

First, a river and now, a trek to a cave. No longer are you limited to sun, sea and sand on your trip to Boracay.

The great part about the Pangihan Cave which is in Barangay Poblacion in Malay is that give or take, it’s only about half an hour from the Caticlan airport.

So now you have the option upon arrival in Caticlan to trek and explore this cave before proceeding to the island.

The first thing that caught our eye when we entered the cave is how enormous the stalactites were projecting downwards from the ceiling. The same thing went for the stalagmites that projected upward from the ground. Our guide Venus said they could be millions of years old.

We enjoyed exploring the cave. It was an adventure we hardly expected we could do on a trip to Boracay. Pay the cave a visit next time you come.

It was the mayor who thought of also including Malay in the tourism program of Boracay especially since it has its own uniqueness and pretty places.

Malay or “the mainland” as the locals who live on Boracay island call it, has a lot to offer visitors. Mayor Ciceron Cawaling was enthusiastic and proud to tell us that the whole mainland has prepared for our first tour here and they have planned an active itinerary for our whole group.

The mayor’s goal is to introduce visitors not just to the island but also to the municipality of Malay.

Biking on the island is a little difficult and a little tedious since roads are narrow and shared with motorcycles, tricycles and shuttles.

So now if you enjoy going on a nice bike ride as part of your work out routine, you can do it in mainland Malay.

Just proceed to the municipal tourism office from the port area and they can hook you up with the Cyclone Mountain Bikers Club like they did for us.

One of the very best ways that we suggest to cut yourself loose on the island is a paraw boat ride.

You can go sailing all around the island or if you have the luxury of time you can hire a paraw and sail from Boracay to Malay.

Depending on wind conditions, it will take you an hour or two. There is something so calming and liberating not to mention relaxing sailing on a paraw.

Now, just because you leave the island and spend your day on the mainland, that does not mean you cannoy have a nice meal on the beach.

To our surprise our hosts told us we were having lunch at Bongbongan Beach in Baranggay Naasug in Malay.

Malay has beaches too and lunch can always be arranged.

We have to say the Baranggay officials here really went out of their way to welcome us. When we arrived at Bongbongan Beach, a band playing and singing met us at the steps. We had fun with them. They sure were singing their hearts out.

After singing and dancing, the hula of all dances, we were lead to a cozy shed that was fully decorated with that native tropical feel and were offered to eat from the long buffet. After lunch, our stomachs were filled to the brim.

It’s common knowledge that Fairways and Bluewater is the home of the most beautiful golf courses of the Philippines. But on this trip we found out that its now also home of more than 150 beautiful butterflies.

All of us were quite amazed with the butterfly farm here at Fairways and blue water. Priscilla was obviously in awe with the butterflies.

Geoff was obsessed with getting as many butterflies on his hand as possible.

Marc Nelson as usual wanted as many pictures as possible of the butterflies and him. I was enjoying this different experience all together.

What a unique close encounter with butterflies this was.

A small trick that they do here so the butterflies get really up close and personal with you is they put a mixture of sugar and water in your hands that tastes similar to the sap that butterflies get from flowers. So if they taste it on your hand, chances are they will stay on longer.

This was just great, a very cool experience.

We highly recommend a trip to this butterfly farm here in Fairways and Bluewater the next time you come to Boracay.

We could not have asked for a more perfect setting to end this wonderful trip planned for us by Mayor Cawaling.

We got first-class treatment everywhere we went on Boracay and in Malay and a sunset pica-pica at Baling Hai we just cannot recommend enough.

We were so impressed with the way they set up the cove they had lit candles everywhere we looked.

They even started a bon fire on top of a huge rock.

Everything they served us at Baling Hai was delicious. You can’t go wrong in Baling Hai if you are looking to propose. It's so, so romantic!

We can just imagine how many ladies said yes to marriage in this precious part of the island.

Explore Malay and never stop visiting Boracay and when you do come tell the mayor Sports Unlimited sent you.