Blogs from Palawan, Philippines, Asia - page 8

We were up by 6:15 to eat breakfast and catch our van to Honda Bay. Named for the Spanish name “Hondo Agua” (Deep Water), it’s apparently a popular tourist destination for snorkeling, fish-feeding, swimming, and eating. Our first stop was a floating dock in the middle of the bay where you could swim or snorkel. We didn’t stay there long before heading on to Snake Island (named for the shape, not the inhabitants) where I read and wrote, everyone else tanned, and we ate lunch (more grilled tuna and cucumber salad!) After lunch we headed to one last island before heading back to town with the other tourists on the 5:00 flight back to Manila. We learned that if you pronounced Palawan “PAH-lah-wan”, it means someone from Palawan. “pah-LAH-wan” means the island. When we got back, ... read more

We were up by 6:15 to eat breakfast and catch our van to Honda Bay. Named for the Spanish name “Hondo Agua” (Deep Water), it’s apparently a popular tourist destination for snorkeling, fish-feeding, swimming, and eating. Our first stop was a floating dock in the middle of the bay where you could swim or snorkel. We didn’t stay there long before heading on to Snake Island (named for the shape, not the inhabitants) where I read and wrote, everyone else tanned, and we ate lunch (more grilled tuna and cucumber salad!) After lunch we headed to one last island before heading back to town with the other tourists on the 5:00 flight back to Manila. We learned that if you pronounced Palawan “PAH-lah-wan”, it means someone from Palawan. “pah-LAH-wan” means the island. When we got back, ... read more

Die Philippinen – ein Inselparadies Oh die Philippinen! Sie sind soooo schöööön. Es ist hier genauso wie man es sich vorstellt: Paradiesische Strände, Palmen mit leckeren Kokusnüssen, tolles Meer und wunderschöne Landschaft. Die Philippinen bestehen aus 7.107 Inseln , man muß sich also erstmal entscheiden auf welche Inseln man will und wie man dann dort hinkommt – entweder mit dem Boot oder per Flugzeug. Der Plan war drei verschiedene Inseln in 2,5 Wochen zu besuchen. Die einzige Flug-Option von Brunei aus war der besagte „gesegnete“ Flieger abends um 22:30 Uhr. Kurz nach Mitternacht landeten wir sicher in Manila und weil wir hartgesottene Reisende sind, wollten wir am Flughafen übernachten, da es schon um 6 Uhr morgens weitergehen sollte. Irgendwie kriegt man schon seinen Schlaf…..Naja, leider gab es dort im Flughafen nur einen wunderschönen, kalte... read more

if theres a picture of a beach in heaven, i am certain it would look something like this. http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh14/pinoydaysleeper/el%20nido/IMG_0174.jpg after the unwavering bouts of bickering with ken(Palawan Part 1) over to continue backpacking up north of Palawan or stop and head back to Manila, he finally did throw in the towel. us being hard-headed, coming to an agreement was never easy. he’s return flight to manila was scheduled the next day so he can no longer tag along with us. so only me and the fat guy continued to head up north. our gracious host ken, still a little upset, drove us in his orange wrangler to the bus terminal. it was a 6-hour bus ride to El Nido. 280pesos for students. i am no longer a student but i still have my student id =) ... read more

Was awakened around 3 am by the disappearance of cold breeze in my room. Still half asleep I began to wonder why our AC unit had stopped. Took me a while to realize that the night before, the inn's owner had told me that the town's power goes out around this time as the power plant could only provide electricity from 5:30 pm to 3 am. So I had to open the window to let some fresh air in and went back to sleep. Today's itinerary included Tour A of the island hopping tour. Tomorrow's would be Tour C. There are a total of 4 different tours offered all around the town by over 30 different retailers but I went to the one that was recommended by the inn's owner. All retailers offer the exact same ... read more

The drive to Port Barton was long, uncomfortable, wet and smelly. The 4 hour ride turned into 6 because all the rain turned the road into a slippery mess. The jeepny was packed with little to no room to stretch, and the helpers smelled really bad. When we finally reached Port Barton our boat transport to Coconut Garden Resort on the island of Cacnipa was waiting for us. 30 minutes later we were settled in and having a bite to eat. The resort itself was beautiful with manicured lawns, colorful gardens, stone pathways and a magnificent view of the South China Sea. The food served in the restaurant was always really good and served with a smile. On our first night Tris enjoyed beef tenderloin in red wine sauce and potatoes, while I enjoyed a cheesy ... read more

I know we’ve been back from vacation for a week, but now I’ve finally gotten around to writing a blog about it. So here’s a run-down of what we did over the break ☺ Oct 28, Friday: We got done with school at like 12:15, so Brandon, Marissa and I immediately left for the Victory Liner terminal so we could catch the 1:15 bus down to Manila. We took the deluxe bus, so it actually was quite nice. Similar to first class seats on a plane. However, Manila is only about 150 miles away, but it took us about 7 hours to get there. The first two hours are just winding down the mountains, which can be a little scary at times. Then it’s through all these little towns then it’s Manila. Manila has pretty much ... read more