When you live by the sea, wind behavior matters. A lot. The type of wind can dictate which side of the island you’re going to enter, the kind of activities or livelihood you can do for the season, or, in my mother’s case, which side of the house her plant babies should be on for the moment.
Hence, in Boracay (and the rest of the Philippine islands for that matter), there are basically two recognized seasons: Habagat (southwest monsoon) and Amihan (northeast monsoon). Monsoon refers to a seasonal rain and wind pattern.
Habagat, also known as the rainy season, runs loosely from June to October. This is also called the low season in Boracay, which means fewer tourists, lower room rates, and longer happy hours. Personally, despite the rain, or maybe because of it, I prefer going to Boracay during this season as the vibe is more relaxed and less crowded.
Amihan, on the other hand, which runs loosely from October/November to May, is characterized by better weather conditions, which means less rain, calm seas, and clear skies. So usually, the island is jampacked during this time. Since the wind is coming from the northeast (think China or Siberia), the onset of amihan brings in cooler weather in the November to January months. But then this also coincides with the hot months of March, April, and May. So even with the cooler wind, it still burns towards the end of this season (are you feeling it yet? Lol).
I have written the Bottoms Up Boracay duology in ode to these two seasons. Just like the weather, we go through seasons in our lives that ultimately shape and transform us. And while some of our issues, just like a wind pattern, keep coming back to us (have you ever noticed that?), how we respond to them at the moment may differ depending on how we’ve transformed season by season. That’s what I love about the wind — It reminds us that we’re never stuck in a moment. Like that popular Filipino saying, “Ang buhay ay weather-weather lang.”
In Book 2, as befits the amihan season, I just love how our main character Alana transformed into this “Girl on Fire,” stronger and no longer afraid to embrace her darker self to find the light. I hope you enjoy her story (in either season) just as much as I loved writing her.
❤️Ayin
P.S. Today’s featured song is Girl on Fire. For all the feels, check out the book’s Music Playlist on Spotify.
P.P.S. Like Book 1, you can get your ebook, Bottoms Up Boracay (Season 2 Amihan), at our usual stores: my Ko-fi Shop, Amazon, and Google Play Store. Happy reading!
Ayin Quijano 
Leave a comment