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Published: August 2nd 2010
Repairs
A man repairs his boat on Manila Bay. It certainly wasn't in my top 5 places to see... hell it wasn't even in my top 15 but let me tell you the Philippines just kicked Lake Louise, Alberta right out of the top spot as my favourite place on earth!
About 5 months ago my aunt and uncle informed me that they'd be in the Philippines for 3 weeks and one of those weeks just happened to be my long overdue vacation. Did I wish they were in another country... a bit. I've been dreaming of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos for sometime now but low and behold family business called them in the Philippines. So putting the desire to see family well ahead of my desire to travel to places on my top 5 list I booked a flight to Manila and just hoped that it would be worth it!
Landing in Manila was an interesting experience. It was pure chaos! It was how I imagine an airport in India would be. When I walked out into the arrivals area there were no family members calling out or hugging weary travelers and I stood there for a few minutes a bit confused. Then I saw a sign
Flippers
After snorkeling off Entalula Island across the road that read "Extended Arrivals Hall" and I figured I may as well pop over to see if that was where I should be! It was and I'm lucky my aunt sticks out like a radiant sore thumb amongst all the Filipino's, otherwise I may still be standing there amongst the hot and sweaty crowd searching for family and friends! I haven't seen any family since Christmas 2008 so I was pretty excited to finally see my aunt and uncle!
We jumped into a hired car and headed to our hotel which my aunt informed me was very cool. She was definitely right! My room had an aquarium running down the one wall. Let me tell you, waking up to the fish is like waking up to nothing else! I highly recommend booking a room at the Manila H20 Hotel if you ever find yourself in town and able to splurge! For someone very used to staying in hostels it was a big treat!
The first day in Manila was nice, we drove out to Taal Volcano to take pictures and have lunch. I ate a delicious Blue Marlin Steak and drank a fantastic green mango
shake as I looked out upon the island volcano. The following day we traveled across the city to Green Hills Mall and did some shopping that allowed us to work on our bargaining skills! I must say I've improved since Beijing and Kuala Lumpur! After Green Hills we headed over to Greenbelt which is like a whole other world! It's to say the very least an upscale mall. Think Louis Vuitton, Kate Spade, Marc Jacobs etc etc. Shocking that you have to drive past the most deplorable living conditions to get to it.
Manila is definitely a mix of very poor and very rich. Every time we went back to which ever hotel we were staying at I felt guilty that I'd be lying my head down on high thread count sheets while those outside were lucky to have a soggy piece of cardboard to snuggle into. It really makes the big things seem not so big and the little things that much more important. Surprisingly though we encountered very few people asking for money. It was more common for someone to try and sell something rather than just ask for money. One of the most beautiful scenes I
Island
An island from the plane. saw while in Manila was a bunch of young boys splashing and swimming around near the banks of Manila Bay. It would have been amazing to see them in a proper hygienic pool but the smiles on their faces and their laughter made up for where they were. If that doesn't prove you don't need lots of money to be happy I don't know what does.
Early on Tuesday morning we headed off to a small private airport to catch a flight to El Nido. We sat in a cute waiting area and were served coffee and tuna sandwiches which wouldn't be my first choice at 6am but hit the spot! I had never flown on a propellor plane before and was a little nervous but the flight was really enjoyable. That probably had something to do with the view. We flew over Taal Volcano and several islands surrounded by emerald, turquoise and sapphire water crashing into white beaches.
After landing we were greeted by a group of singers welcoming us to El Nido Town. We were also met by a few of Miniloc Resorts Activity people. On our trip across the smooth bay, Noki told us the
El Nido Welcome
Our welcome to El Nido history of the area and we all soaked up the view like children. When we entered the cove at Miniloc Island I actually had to remind myself to breathe. The water was a bright sapphire blue and gradually got lighter the closer we got to the beach. If Miniloc Island isn't paradise than I don't know what is! As we walked up the dock to the outdoor reception and dining area a staff member held out ice cold glasses of papaya juice as other staff members welcomed us with a song. We settled all the important stuff and then headed to our room. We were housed in one of the beach view rooms with a vaulted ceiling and french doors that opened to a beautiful view of the cove. We got settled in and then headed to the dining area for some lunch. Now there are 2 resorts in El Nido on different islands. The other is way more expensive and less rustic. Personally I'd rather have a meal or a drink amid my surroundings with the risk of being robbed by a monkey rather than behind walls and windows... but that's just me!
Our lunch was delicious and
Miniloc
The water cottages. set us up nicely to head out island hoping. Our first stop was Snake Island, which is a sand bar created by 2 opposing currents meeting. At the right time of day you can walk from one end to the other without touching the water. About half the bar was submerged when we arrived but by the time we left it was almost all visible above the water. On the way over Noki had given us a "Dangerous Creatures" booklet to flip through and let me tell you, I was a bit nervous about snorkeling before he handed that out... it did nothing to improve my confidence! Almost all those dangerous sea creatures featured on Animal Planet can be found in the waters around El Nido! My fear of what's in the water has gradually gotten worse as I've gotten older for no reason at all! Needless to say the next couple days were going to pose as a difficult personal challenge.
Following Snake Island we headed off to 2 different caves. We entered the first cave through a rather small crevice... a crevice that would have frightened off anyone with an inkling of claustrophobia! The 6-year old brilliant
Korean boy that was with our group said "I would never want to do this!" before heading through the crevice and dropping into knee deep sea water left over from the tide. He was afraid for about 2 minutes but as soon as we saw the bats and swallows he was mesmerized! He said "I wonder why they are called swallows?" I was a bit surprised that he didn't already know!
When we got back we decided to have a relaxing evening as we'd been up since 4am and traveled a fair bit throughout the day. My aunt and I decided to take one of the kayaks out and explore a bit which was fun. I now want a kayak! Later that night we had dinner and polished off a couple more mango shakes each before calling it a night rather early.
Wednesday turned out to be a glorious day. The weather was spectacular and just made the area we were in more beautiful. We began the day with a good breakfast and then joined a Spanish couple and a guide on a kayak tour to the Large Lagoon. Whatever I was expecting didn't even compare with what
YUM!
Mango shake! we discovered. The water was like nothing I'd ever seen, so crystal clear surrounded by jagged limestone cliffs and unknown animal calls. It was like being in a dream, a wonderful, wonderful dream! Before heading back to the resort we pulled up onto a beach got into our snorkels and flippers and headed out to the reef. While I was timid at first I soon put my fears aside and just did it! I was stupidly happy when I found a large white anemone with several clown fish swimming in and out! I dove down deeper to get a better look then shot to the surface to exclaim that I had done it... I had found Nemo! I know lame but how often does one get to say that! The fish were incredible and much to my relief we were not met by any of the dangerous creatures we were warned about! I was disappointed that we didn't see any black tip shark pups though because the previous day there had been several around the lagoon!
Later that day we took a boat over to another island for some more fun in the sun and sea. The nice thing
Lounging
Lounge area about Miniloc Resort is that once you've been fitted for flippers and have picked goggles and a snorkel they bag them with your room number and they remain yours for the remainder of your stay. So all we had to do was grab the bag on the way to the boat. My uncle went off to windsurf while my aunt and I fastened our goggles and slipped into our flippers. The sea life off of Entalula Island was even better than the previous snorkel place. The fish were very abundant and incredibly friendly/curious. After swimming a few metres away from the beach I looked behind me and there was a huge school of fish following me! The best was nearing the edge of the reef where the ocean floor dropped away! It was so dramatic! Near the end of our swim my aunt told me she thought she'd found a moray eel... one of the dangerous creatures from the book! While I had watched countless hours of various undersea videos on TV and new that moray's looked scary but rarely acted scary towards humans I was a bit nervous to swim to the opening in the rock that my aunt
pointed to. After several minutes of observation I concluded that it was not actually a moray eel but a large and very shy octopus. After so much swimming and time in the sun we were all pretty waterlogged and headed back to the resort ready for dinner and perhaps a mango shake... or several!
That evening we befriended a young Welsh couple that were over the moon about having someone to talk to and hang out with past 8pm! If traveling isn't made special by the places you travel to then it's made special by the people you meet! We had a great time sitting under the shelter at the bar while the rain lashed all around us as we laughed and talked about our lives back home and abroad. It's always good to know you're not the only one playing the "where are they from" game! We spent quite a bit of time playing that game! They had assumed we were American... a very common mistake and I had assumed they were South African. I had only heard one of them say a couple words earlier that day otherwise I would have gone with Welsh... the Welsh accent
Fishing Shack
On the way to Snake Island is quite distinctive!
Thursday was our last day at the resort so we ate breakfast and then snorkeled-up for a swim with the awesome and huge Jack Fish that arrive every morning to be fed. If they looked big from the dock they were gigantic when you actually got into the water with them. Totally harmless though! Getting to swim with them was definitely a highlight of the trip.
When it was time to go the staff sang us away as we boarded the large banca boat bound for El Nido Airport. I've been to a lot of great places but I have never felt the urge to burst into tears while leaving somewhere, yet I had to really fight them off as we drifted across the bay. We arrived at the airport and jumped into tricycles that took us into El Nido Town where we would be spending the night before our flight back to Manila the following day. The town itself is a must visit. The beach is lined with inns full of character and characters! The people are very friendly and say hello as they pass making you feel incredibly welcome in their small town.
Hungry Jack
Jack fish jumping for food That evening we witnessed a beautiful sunset that turned the sky and the sea various shades of orange and red before we headed to a small beach bar for a drink and dinner. My aunt asked what the catch of the day was and the guy brought out a red snapper and a sweet lips on a plate to show us. The catch of the day was 2 fish that had come from the sea that gently eroded the beach 10 feet away from where we were sitting... there was no need to check if they were fresh! That fish was the best I have ever had! It's a pity to think how far I'll have to travel to taste something like it again! The 3 of us had about 6 San Miguel's, a rum and coke, a pineapple shake, 3 bowls of garlic rice and 2 freshly stuffed and grilled fish for under $50. While it was still early we had to be back at the airport for out flight at 930 in the morning so we wanted to be up with time for breakfast and a bit more exploring so we headed back to our hotel where I
crawled into bed and drifted off to sleep under the safety of my mosquito net and praying the lizards would stay on the other side of the door!
While sitting at the El Nido airport we met a mother and daughter from Holland. The mother runs programs for UNHCR so I grilled her on all things UN! We also bonded over our confusion over a Chinese family that wasn't quite down with the peaceful atmosphere at the resort and insisted on screaming at each other from across the property. It would have been easier if there had not been about 12 of them! While the staff at the Miniloc were extraordinary you could see the cracks in their smiles whenever one of the family members raised their voice!
Our flight home was about the same as the one to El Nido. I was at the front of the plane again and could see out the windows of the cockpit. There was a young pilot sitting beside me and upon landing my uncle asked him if he was in training. He said he was and then asked where we were from. Upon hearing we were Canadian his face lit
up and he told us he was from Vancouver. Apparently he couldn't find a job during the recession and headed to his parents native land to attend flight school. We were the first Canadians he'd met since arriving back in December. While Canada seems very popular with Filipinos it seems the Philippines isn't as popular with Canadians! I hope that changes though because it's a fantastic place to visit! We bid adieu to the pilot and wished him luck before meeting our driver and heading to the Diamond Hotel (where we had spent 2 nights prior to departing for El Nido) to collect our bags before heading to the H20 where my aunt and uncle would be spending their last couple nights in the Philippines.
I had a very late or early flight depending on how you want to look at it so I hugged my aunt goodbye at 1230am and jumped into a cab bound for the airport. I got my boarding pass easily enough but when I went through the doors to customs I was greeted by a sign that said "Terminal Fee 750 pesos". I opened my wallet and all I had was 640 pesos and
10,000 Korean Won. It was 1am and nothing was open. I couldn't leave the airport now that I'd gone through security and I stood there wondering how the hell I was going to get out of this one! Lucky for me a very nice Korean lady came up to me and offered me her left over change and I was able to get through to the next step. While the customs officer upon my arrival had been your typical grouch the one that greeted me before departure was perhaps one of the nicest people I've ever met! He asked where'd I'd gone and if I had enjoyed my trip and told me to come back soon! I assured him I would before grabbing my passport and quickly finding a seat, trying my best to stay awake!
I was back in my apartment by 1030 am and already wished that I were still in El Nido. When I told the customs officer I'd be back I meant it because even if I have to kayak there I will snorkel the reefs of El Nido again!
What I learned in the Philippines:
- Everything there is an adventure.
- Every
store/restaurant not matter how big or small has a security guard carrying a gun (banks have 3-4 guards with large shot guns)
- Seeing a sign requesting that patrons leave their fire arms at the door is very common (although not in El Nido!)
- Filipino's are very warm people.
- They do global cuisine very well!
- The Mall of Asia is damn big!
- Security is a big deal, hotels have guard dogs, metal detectors and cars are checked before allowed to enter the premises.
- A lot of traffic yet respect for the other cars on the road.
- Poverty is a huge problem.
- El Nido is the most beautiful place on the planet and if you don't go you're doing yourself a huge disservice.
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lovely stories and kids~