Date: March 30-April 3, 2010
Buddies: Mariecel, An, Bagsy and Carmela
Day 1 - March 30 (Tue)
My friend An and I walk up early for the 9:30 AM Manila-Puerto Princesa flight. To avoid the rush hour, we thought of going there early. We ended up getting a cab around EDSA crossing. Carmela, who was coming from Laguna, was first to arrive in Terminal 3. Bagsy and Mariecel already had the earliest flight from Cebu to Manila and booked the same flight with us from Manila to Palawan. After checking in, Carms, Ann & I went to the boarding area wherein we created a rowdy scene when we saw Bagsy and Mariecel. Meeting long-time friends have this effect in us. Getting on the plane, I sent my last text to our guide, Kuya Marlon. After less than an hour, we arrived at Puerto Princesa airport. Kuya Marlon was already there waiting for us and as soon as we get in the van, excitement was all over us. We then proceeded for a buffet lunch at Leslie’s restaurant which was around 30 minutes from the airport. Having been to Puerto Princesa myself three times, it was refreshing to know restaurants so refreshing that it offered not just great food but such good ambiance. After the refreshing lunch, we headed for a 2-3 hour long drive to Sabang. At past 4pm, we arrived at Sabang bay, headed to Taraw Lodge and took advantage of the beautiful sun and beach. It was a good thing that Kuya Marlon was a good photographer. He got us beautiful shots with unique views and positions. We continued frolicking on the beach until the sunset. Such beautiful view! Around 7pm, we had our first dinner at Palawan with of course the all-time favorite --- seafoods. Come 9pm and it was bonding time. It was Bagsy's turn. Being on the hotseat, it was never easy but he handled it well!!! Kudos Bagsy for putting up a brave front...... It was one hell of an evening!!! Bonding time ended around midnight as we had to wake up early for yet another long drive.
Day 2 - March 31 (Wed)
Kuya Marlon woke us up for an early drive to El Nido. He already told us that it will really be a long drive, longer than what we had from Puerto Princesa to Sabang. We left Sabang at around 5AM. Half of the way towards El Nido was paved and the rest was well --- an exciting ride!!! I think I now know why El Nido was really expensive because a lot of people prefer to take a chartered plane from PP to El Nido or Manila to El Nido. The drive was really long!!!! We had to stop for a couple of times for some peepee and stretching. After a seemingly rough but exciting ride, we arrived at El Nido at around 8AM. Having to see docked boats, we felt excited on the thought of us already on El Nido, a place we only dreamt of going. After a simple breakfast, we then headed to our beautiful rooms to prepare for our first island hopping adventure in El Nido. And yes, we loved our room at El Nido Beach Hotel, the best so far along the shores of El Nido albeit more expensive than its neighboring accommodation. It was simple yet clean and cozy. At around 9AM, we took a small walk towards the center of the shore and boarded the boat. With us onboard were tourists from Czech Republic and Sweden. We instantly bonded with one of the girls – My(that’s her real name) who was with her boyfriend and were all the way from Sweden. We took Tour B on our first day which scoured around the southern part of Bacuit Bay, a combination of white sand beaches and lagoons. We first went to a white sand beach which some called Pangalusian and enjoyed the crystal clear waters. Refreshing feeling and a good start for a tour! We then headed to Snake Island which at first glance was just a long strip of white sand connecting a mangrove and another island. When we got off the boat, we headed for some trees serving as shade from a scorching sun that greeted us. We decided to explore the “snaky” island towards the mangroves. When we reached the middle, and looking back where we docked, the sand was blindingly white and oh-so-amazing! Even when we reached the farthest area towards the mangrove, one can tell the place are well-protected by the locales. And you can’t just stop being amazed. El Nido is so captivating you can’t close your mouth in great awe. And in retrospect, we’re proud that we have these beaches in our country where we can be proud of. After more than an hour of exploring, we headed towards the shore for a hearty lunch of seafood, veggies and fruits. After a little rest, we then headed to the caves. First stop was Cathedral Cave where a small cave opening greeted us. One has to get past a big rock and crawl towards the opening to enter the cave. Inside was why it was coined the Cathedral Cave – its magnificence a striking resemblance to the church. After a couple of minutes of touring around, we then headed to another cave – Cudugnun Cave. After entering the cave, we got a sudden rush of adventure and the reason was obvious. Sitting on the middle of the cave is a tall structure with a flat surface on top – a good place to take pictures with. We climbed through the rocks to reach the middle and voila, a fantastic view! It was worth the pain of climbing it! After taking numerous shots from above and below, we then headed back to town arriving at El Nido bay before sunset, enough for us to take a well-deserved bath. The first night at El Nido was enchanting, not that we felt that kind of magical feeling but because strolling the beach shore with less people was for me enchanting enough. We had our first hearty dinner beside the beach on a serene environment, a far cry from the famed Boracay where the noise will kill the night’s serene atmosphere. We ended the night with light stroll before heading back to the hotel.
Day 3 - April 1 (Thu)
We woke up early for a well-deserved breakfast. It was a quiet and lazy morning but the sun beamed brightly you can’t resist its temptation for adventure. After the prep for the tour, we headed to the shore and boarded the banca along with some foreign tourists and a couple of local ones. We took Tour A which spans Miniloc Island, among its most popular resort being Lagen Island, venue for Amazing Race. The tour of course does not cover landing on the Lagen Island and Miniloc Resort because non-guests are not allowed to tour around it. We passed through the hotel and it was just enticing – really something to look forward to in a special vacation. We started off with Simizu Island, one of the white sand beaches along the Miniloc area. We then headed towards the 3 lagoons – the Small, Big and Secret Lagoon. First off was a small lagoon, which is not accessible by the boat. The only way to enter is through kayak or swimming through the small entrance. In high tides, you have to dive in to enter inside as the entrance would have been blocked by the water, We decided to swim towards the entrance and again, another wow experience! It’s actually akin to the Twin Lagoon in Coron Island which I loved so dearly. We swam towards the center and an inviting secret place drew us nearer. Our guide told us there’s a hidden place only seen when you crawl towards the small hole where you see a mini cave enough to fit in 10 people. Secret indeed! After spending roughly an hour in the Small Lagoon, we past through what they call the Big Lagoon where its so open you can just jump in and swim your hearts out. We decided to just enjoy the view, be amazed on the corals and wonders of the water and took numerous pics as we crossed past the Big Lagoon. After lavishing through the crystal clear waters in the Big Lagoon, we headed to the “real” Secret Lagoon. Greeted by a white sand beach, you can never tell what lies behind the limestone rock formations. We were told there’s a secret small lagoon once you unlock the secret entrance. It was indeed a view to behold, much like the movie “The Beach” where you never know there’s still some hidden beauty behind rocks and enchanting islands. After beholding the beauty, we’re now off to a small island where we spent our lunch. The island has no entrance fee and the beauty is comparable to the other white sand beaches that require some fee. We snorkeled our way towards the small rock around 5 meters from the shore while waiting for our foods. I think that’s the comfort of being on the tour. Instead of spending time cooking and preparing, all we need is just enjoy the sun and the beach. And that’s exactly what we did!!!! Minutes later, we had our sumptous meal of veggies, seafoods and fresh fish with of course fresh fruits to complete the feast. After spending half an hour, we then headed to our last destination – 7 Commando beach. From afar, its looked like another white sand beach with other tourists frolicking on the sand. Setting it apart from the other beaches we’ve explored for two days was the fact that there’s a mini store that sells fresh buko --- which is heaven on a sun-drenched afternoon. We ordered buko and spent our afternoon lazily lying on hammocks hanging on trees – a welcome treat for a tired but enjoyable tour we had so far. While Che, Mike and Carms enjoy the hammock, Cel and I gun for another last ditch of snorkelling adventure. And again, this paradise we call Palawan never ceased to amaze us. Revelling to another set of aquatic meetups, I was astonished to find not only Nemo but a black version of his kind, quite unique as our guide said it only appears seldom on this beach. I must be too lucky Black Nemo let me show he too is beautiful. Just when we are about to return, we saw 2 sets of Nemo friends playing around their porose abode. Pahabol , ika nga. We spent almost the rest of the afternoon in the beach and it was time to go back to town. Before sundown, we reached the town and prepared ourselves for some shopping before heading to the restaurant where we’ll spend our last dinner in El Nido. Dinner was one of the best we had – crabs and shrimps are simply heaven! After dinner, we thought of visiting some of the bars sprawling around town and we ended up in one of those local bars where singers sang original songs (Balay Tubay) – the ones we never heard of in the city. It was so enticing you want to dance along with it. Some reggae songs are also played. And we are told the audience can sing along with them – not on the tables but ON STAGE. And what a way to celebrate a good experience in El Nido than to sing our hearts out! No question on who should represent the group -- Mike (Bagsy) being the singer of the group. He agreed only if he’s with some company and so Cel and Carms went along. Che and I shouted like crazy as we cheered with them, Bagsy singing the classic favorite “Bakit Ngayon Ka Lang”. It was one helluva of a night – one of the most memorable night we truly enjoyed, a good mark to leave for the night. After a few drinks, we decided it was time to go back to the hotel, time to pack and rest for an early trip the next morning.
Day 4 – April 2 (Friday)
It was around 4AM that Kuya Marlon knocked on our rooms. Its time to go. Carrying our backpacks, it was goodbye to a beautiful island that was worth the experience. Once we get in, we we’re shocked that the driver was on the passenger seat and Kuya Marlon on the driver side. My initial thought was that this might have been the plan, a switch so as not to stress the driver. But there is something wrong and we can feel it from there. Our instinct says this is not supposed to be the setup. Too tired and too sleepy, we just accepted what it is at that moment. We’re going the same way we treaded 2 days ago, the same unpaved road halfway. Full moon was up and the roads are visible from our seats. Half-awake, half-asleep. Rocky road down would temporarily wake me up. Then the struggle to go up on rocky & tricky terrain somehow created some stress on the van. I was awaken by a smell of burnt clutch. Cel and Bagsy were wide awake, Cel being scared that things aren’t going well. And she told us later when we were at Puerto that she deliberately did not sleep because she’s scared we might fall off on some ravine or some accident might happen. At that time, anything can happen. We can be stopped by a group of robbers or kidnappers, or be trapped in a rocky road or van died out. At that moment, fear enveloped me. All of us are silent. Mike volunteered to take a sub for Kuya but he said he can still drive. Silence again. God, please let us be safe. I knew at that moment all we could do was pray. Things are getting difficult as we continue to pass on difficult roadpaths, some with a small bridge, some requires expert maneuvering. After a couple of hours of difficult terrain, the sun started to shine brightly ready to shake our dampening spirit. We were still not comfortable until we get into the paved road. We heaved a long sigh after the early morning ordeal was seemingly over when we stopped on a gasoline station. There, the driver seemed to be past his “wastedness” and we knew he will receive some word from Kuya Marlon. After roughly 30 minutes, we arrived at Liberty Inn at past 9AM. After settling in, we then proceeded to the Honda Bay adventure which was originally a Dolphin Watching adventure (we we’re too late for the dolphin watch). We were already familiar with the tour as we had it the other year, except for Carmela who had this as his first time. Cruising past Luli island, we arrived first at Star Island and spent little time as there were a lot of tourists already on the island. We proceeded to Snake Island and planned to spend our lunch there but there were too many people also that nipa huts are running out. So we decided to stay and spend the rest of the day on Pandan Island, which was the best idea as the people are quite manageable, plus the island is bigger. It was seafood time again and it was worth the second trip for the group, a third for me. Bagsy, Carms and Che decided to try the massage while Cel and I were still reeling from the sunburn we decided to just enjoy the view and snorkel some more. At past 4pm, we left the island and headed to the port and off to the hotel. We spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning up and getting ready for the last night at Palawan. We had our sumptous dinner at Balinsasayaw restaurant where Kuya Marlon thanked us for the patience despite what happened earlier. The bond was instant as we consider Kuya Marlon as part of the group and not as our guide anymore. The food was a celebration for the trip that was all adventure and fun. We ended the night with a little chat in the hotel and prepared for tomorrow’s departure.
Day 5 – April 3 (Saturday)
We woke up with a hearty breakfast provided by the hotel and prepared for the trip to the market and stores to buy pasalubong before heading to the airport. It will certainly be not the last time I will set foot on the beautiful island of El Nido. Palawan is a paradise worth visiting! Thank you Palawan and see you again!!!!
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