I followed Annie to Manila, where she had some business meetings, and then hopped down to the island of Boracay. It’s a small island with a beautiful beach on one side and a prime spot for learning kite boarding on the other.<\/p>\n
I had some trepidation about kite boarding. I pictured myself being dragged helplessly along the beach,\u00a0apologizing\u00a0to tourists and sunbathers as they dove for cover. But sometimes it’s better to not over-think things and, shortly after checking into the Lazy Dog B&B<\/a>, I signed up for four days of lessons with Timog Kite Boarding Center<\/a>.<\/p>\n There were probably close to a dozen kite boarding centers along Bulabog Beach\u00a0that all offered lessons. They charged similar prices and, as it turned out, often used the same instructors who acted like free-agents. So the kite boarding centers pretty much just provide the equipment and a place to chill along the beach.<\/p>\n I was afraid that kite boarding instructors would just be another incarnation of snow boarding\u00a0instructors – apathetic and put out by the fact they had to spend their day teaching a noobie. But the instructor that Timog set me up with, Sarkon, was great. He’s got quite the life, splitting his time between instructing in Turkey and Boracay.<\/p>\n First, he had me get comfortable controlling a small kite. Then, after I was flying a normal sized kite, I practiced getting out of “bad” situations. A few times, I\u00a0involuntarily\u00a0took off like superman, flying through the air when the kite yanked me like a retracting lawnmower cord. Each time it happened, it was a little shocking. I mean, come on, I was flying through the air. But, in then end, I really wouldn’t travel that far and my reunion with the water wasn’t painful – more like jumping back into a pool.<\/p>\n Finally, with a board strapped to my feet, I focused on getting up and going. Here’s proof that, on day 4, I was ready to add “kite boarder” to\u00a0my LinkedIn profile: yes, it's me in the video.<\/a>