Island hopping, diving, kayaking. El Nido is Palawan's jewel !!

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Day 76-77 (Wed 21^st – Thurs 22^ndNov)



Wednesday was spent moving from Puerto Princesa to El Nido on Palawan. This I had read isn’t the most enjoyable trip going but there was no way it could be as bad as my trip in Northern Luzon to Baguio from Bontoc. I was picked up around half 8, we gathered a few more guests then went to some terminal-esque area which was a dump. Loads of Filipino’s got in taking up the remaining seats. We were there around 45 mins messing about which was frustrating. We got on the road and headed off. The trip wasn’t too bad, until the last 90 mins where the road doesn’t exist. They are working on it all the ay along but most is dust road and if they work at Filipino time like everything else here it’ll be a long time before it’s done. The mini vans are also not suited to anyone over about 5 ft 5, no leg room at all. Trip took around 7 hours from start to finish.

As usual when I get somewhere I ask the nearest trike driver to take me somewhere cheap. The first place I stopped had a tour round the rooms, picked the one I liked, managed to get it cheaper by pretending not too be keen and sorted. It’s basically a hotel room, but £9 a night so happy.

I wandered the main street looking for tea. Got some food and headed back. It’s not a big place here, around 34000 people over the municipality I think or so says Wikipedia. Night time is weird, most shops are really small, like just a counter outside a house or little store room and most only used a candle for light. Electricity seems to be something they save here. The guesthouse doesn’t have the electricity until the afternoon when they need the lights. Can be a pain that.

Thurs I saw El Nido in the day time. It’s simply paradise and quiet as well. I’d heard lots of tourists come here but maybe the bus ride puts people off. Spent the afternoon swimming in the sea and attempting tanning the arms, didn’t go well, got too hot after 10 minutes and had to go swim again. Got a few large red horse beers on way back and relaxed in guesthouse with a drink.



Day 78 (Fri 23^rd Nov)



Today I island hopped. Starting at around 9am I got on a boat with 7 other tourists and we went out around El Nido’s islands. I think there’s around 90 altogether and we visited 6 different stop points. There are 4 generic tours in El Nido but this one to me looked the best visiting some lagoons instead of just beaches or caves.

We took in small, big and secret lagoons, which were all amazing to see. Even though there’s plenty of tourists and boats knocking about it’s quite peaceful there. The small lagoon was the best. Hidden in between some rocks, a figure 8 type lagoon with a cave at one end which we went in. The big lagoon was huge and very deep in places. I got very tired swimming around there and struggled back. Secret lagoon very small and only had a really small entrance. How anyone found it I have no idea, well done to them.

We also stopped at a place good for snorkelling but I don’t have a mask and snorkel so just swam about in the sun. I’ll be diving at some point so I won’t have missed anything.

The tour lasted until around half 4, from 9am and included lunch and the price came to like £12. That’s what I like to call value for money. Headed back to guesthouse to shower and then out for tea. I find myself not doing a lot in the evenings, but then it is a small place, there isn’t much nightlife and it would seem a waste of money to force drinking or what have you. I quite enjoy evenings doing nothing.



Day 79-80 (Sat 24^th – Sun 25^th Nov)



Disaster of a 2 days. Managed to get a stomach bug so leaving my room hasn’t really been an option as toilets elsewhere aren’t good in the Philippines, worse so than China in my opinion, Pretty much done nothing except watch tv and films on my laptop. I only really ventured out twice each day to get some lunch and tea but that didn’t settle my stomach unfortunately. Then Sunday night I asked my guesthouse manager where the bank is as I was running low on funds to be told there isn’t any ATM’s in El Nido. I am going from here to Coron where I also know there isn’t any so this left me in a situation. The only solution being going back by minivan for 6 hours to Puerto Princesa. Marvellous !!



Day 81 (Mon 26^th Nov)



I was picked up by minivan at 5:30am. I figured I might as well get the return trip to Puerto done today so I can enjoy my last 2 days here after it. Arrived in Puerto at 11am and came back at 2:30pm. I actually bumped into a girl on the street in Puerto who’d been on my island hopping in El Nido which is always random. I got a Jollibee for lunch and went to the terminal after buying a few necessities. Got back to El Nido around 8pm and went out for some food with an American man I’d got chatting to on the minivan back. He thought I was going to be ill as I was doing the old nodding dogs sliding down the window but once I explained I’d already done the trip once today he found it amusing as has everyone on facebook. Sat had some food and a few red horse’s on the beach front. Mike had been in El Nido 6 years ago so was pleased to see it hasn’t changed too much. It probably can’t get over touristy due to its location and lack of space to expand out due to massive limestone karsts everywhere, which is definitely a good thing. It will keep the paradise effect this way.



Day 82 (Tues 27^th Nov)



Spoke to my guesthouse manager who’d confirmed a booking on the boat for Thursday to go to Coron. This was after a bad nights sleep. It seems my bug hasn’t quite gone. I stayed in bed until lunch time which is rare with builders starting next door at 7am. Also the electric cuts off at 6am so the fan stops, meaning the room gets hotter and hotter from then onwards, but I must have been that tired from the previous few days I managed to catch up somewhat. In the afternoon I wanted to kayak around the bay but the vendors said it was too late in the day to hire one which was annoying but I can always kayak next week instead. Again not a big problem, I am on a very loose schedule. I have booked an onward flight to Manila also today giving me 3 days there after Coron before I leave the Philippines and head to Thailand.

I had my tea and grabbed a couple snacks to head to room and watch a film. I have 3 dives booked for tomorrow which I can’t wait for. Seems ages since I was diving in Panglao with the turtles when really it was only 10 days ago.



Day 83 (Wed 28^th Nov)



Went out diving today. I was the only one booked with the dive company for the day meaning I got the instructor to myself, which means I get to see more and be told what more of the underwater stuff is. If the group is large you all sort of do your own thing. The smaller it is the more personal it is. I went out for 3 dives in all with lunch in the middle at the small lagoon I’d visited on the island hopping tour. The dives got better as they went on. The first was a more sandy area with some coral where turtles are found in the mornings but nothing to be seen. The second dive was of a huge rock in the ocean where we came across barracuda and various other fish. The final dive was the best, in some amazing coral and reef. There were schools of yellow finned barracuda and other fish. It’s amazing to be just floating around with thousands of fish in formation, sometimes around you. It’s like your their ‘Sun’ for a moment as they all surround you. It was a really good days diving and I got 3 dives and lunch for pretty much the price I got 2 in Alona Beach so happy with that. Got back to guesthouse to be told there wasn’t a boat but I’d been booked for Friday. Wasn’t too unhappy with this as El Nido is stunning.



Day 84 (Thurs 29^th Nov)



Had another lie in. As I hadn’t had a chance yet due to being ill I wanted to hire a kayak and roam the seas. I hired the kayak around lunch time and hired it for the afternoon. I went out from El Nido bay towards Cabilao Island, the large one right in front of most my pictures from the bay. I went east of the island as all island hopping and diving goes west so thought I’d have a look. Found a small beach with a boat of Filipino’s enjoying a BBQ and loud disco. Was quite amusing. Then went around the island to the other side, found a secluded beach, turned the ipod on and relaxed whilst listening to some tunes. After a bit I moved beaches to another spot and did the same thing. The challenge of kayaking in the ocean was fantastic. There were some good waves knocking about and if you caught the waves right could get some great speed up. It also seems like great exercise, the arms and upper body seem to get a good work out from it. Fair play to the Olympians that do it against rapids as well. It’s mighty hard work.



Day 85 (Fri 30^th Nov)



Well today has been pretty horrible to say the least. Left my guesthouse at 7 ish to go to the pier for the ‘FERRY’ to Coron. I highlight that fact as it is not a ferry at all. It’s a container that holds 40 people max, and we had 48 meaning some had to volunteer to leave. I was considering it then put ipod in and ignored the plea’s. The boat set sail, 2 hours 15 minutes late after we’d all sat aboard it for ages. The first hour was perfect. I sat in the outdoor area which is like a 2-3 ft plank around the main body of the boat. Its a bit of wooden decking really, with the sea only a couple feet below. I took a snooze until a wave got me, then I moved indoors. Moving indoors stopped nothing as waves battered the boat constantly coming through any opening in the side of the vessel. Waves crashed in through the dodgy tarpaulin that blocked the windows. It wasn’t enjoyable, but it only lasted a mere 9 hours L Now and again it was smooth enough to venture outside then whack, a huge wave and be soaked. All in all we were on the boat for just gone 11 hours and they have no amenities bar a hole for a toilet. It was rough. At one point a staff member binned it off the side into the sea, just fell off the side. It could have happened to any one of us. There were no safety issues involved. Just do what you like pretty much. There were a couple having a titanic moment on the front, after which I all thought we were going to have one in sinking, but we got there in the end. There was however an incredible sunset over the limestone islands. I tried to take some pictures but my computer ran out of battery so hopefully I caught it. I wandered into Coron town on arrival to find somewhere cheap to stay, didn’t quite happen but I booked into a nice dive resort for 1 night and will look for somewhere cheaper tomorrow. The day doesn’t rank amongst my most enjoyable so far but it will certainly live long in the memory.

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