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Published: January 20th 2008
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Continuing our journey around the Philippines, from Boracay we flew to Puerto Princess and made our way to Sabang to see the Underground River. Really lucky with the weather, we had sunshine and
hot temperatures of about 30 degrees all the way. You see me wearing a t-shirt so i don't get sun burnt!
Sabang:
Sabang, a small seaside town like village, was really quiet and not too touched by tourism. Only a handful of places to stay we found our hut for the night, over looking the crashing waves, of the idyllic palm tree lined beach. We had a very basic hut with a do it yourself flushing toilet, only a curtain for privacy, a sink with no taps, limited electricity and a bed with a mosquito net. We only had one night at Mary’s Cottages before going to El Nido, such a shame; it real was a tranquil paradise.
The Underground River was interesting (just), we sat in a small rowing boat and was taken into a very long cave. With the front people holding a torch, the guide showed us rock formations with silly names, like fruit and vegetables. It had a mystifying atmosphere with stalactites
El Nido
So beautiful. and bats upon the cave ceiling.
Our original plan was to travel by boat to El Nido, but unfortunately it wasn’t to be. The boat was out of the water in need of engine repairs. The Filipino’s had us waiting on another boat to take us, but the coastguard wouldn’t allow it to do the journey. So we sat around for 5 hours working out, talking to various people, about how to get out of Sabang back to Puerto Princess. Sabang is at the end of the road, so the only way was back again. The Filipino’s seemed to hinder our lifts back, as they all wanted a share in a back hander deal! We should’ve jumped on the local jeepney, but being a 2 hour journey we tried to get on a returning tour mini van, which we did achieve but got ripped off in the process, we were passed caring by then!
El Nido:
Our journey to El Nido, we staggered by staying at Taytay. So the first bus trip was 6 hours and one to remember! Having 3 blown out tyres, rode muddy tracks requiring 4X4 vehicles, thick dusty gravel roads, at times I really
We passed this -
on our 8 hour baot trip to El Nido. Simply gorgeous. thought we weren’t going to make it! The scenery was beautiful, luscious palm trees and unspoilt vegetation, hilly land with only a few dwellings, for miles this kept us amused, together with holding on tight. Bone shaken and filthy we arrived at Taytay and found a wonderful room to stay in. Phew.
It only took 2 hours from Taytay to El Nido. The roads were rough gravel, but nothing like the previous journey. This was easy. People rode on the roof with the luggage, plus other random goods they carried, like long bamboo poles, boxes, sacks of coal, and numerous other bags packed to bursting. Sunny weather added to this wondrous experience. We really did feel that we were travelling to an unknown destination.
El Nido was a small seaside town, a bit bigger than Sabang, overlooking islands scattered in the sea. This was the beauty of this location, the islands to explore, the private beaches and the snorkelling among tropical fish in clear warm waters.
One morning, we rose early for breakfast on the beach, no shoes required; the sea quietly lapped the shore. It was ideal weather to go on a boat trip island hopping,
calm sea with gorgeous sun shine. Snorkelling again was superb, crystal clear warm waters and a well fitting mask enabled us to see some wonderfully coloured and shapely fish but I had my first fish bite! Ouch I didn’t even think I would get bitten by a fish, only mosquitoes on land! I began to understand which white fish to avoid after that. (They have the cheek to stare at you before they bite!) Well I never!
It’s a shame that photos couldn’t be taken underwater. Some fish were just incredible, I particularly was impressed to see blue clams, moving as you approached them, blue star fish and nemos - clown fish! During one swim, we were on the edge of a coral reef wall, fish were everywhere, it was like being in a tropical fish tank! The water turned from being crystal clear to a deep inky blue colour, simply breathtaking and so pretty. Other places during the day included snorkelling in a small lagoon, having a BBQ on a private island, stepping through a small opening to a secret lagoon and chilling out on the beach. An idyllic day to remember, we’d experienced paradise and paradise again!
Coron:
From El Nido our next stop was at Coron. Our only way was an 8 hour boat trip as all flights were booked weeks in advance and over priced. A typical Filipino style boat, with sturdy outriggers took us to Coron. It was a long journey, but we passed some lovely islands with white sandy beaches and some truly amazing sights. The weather was good, and the sea wasn’t too rough. With our packed lunches, water, Mp3 players and sun cream we enjoyed the adventure.
At Coron we stayed in 2 different hotels. Phil went diving while I wrote my blog, did some sewing repairs, and sun bathed on our balcony. Phil returned with schoolboy underwater adventure stories about WWII sunken Japanese wrecks. There wasn’t much at Coron apart from diving opportunities, no beaches to my shock!
From Coron, we flew out to Manila to Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, Borneo. Our time in the Philippines had come to an end. We really enjoyed our travels here. The people were genuine, kind and hapy natured. Most people spoke English making it easy for us to travel about and eat decent food! Bus journeys were interesting, as rough terrain
and unlevelled roads added to the excitement of reaching another unknown destination. We didn’t have a Lonely Planet guide to point us in the right direction or tell us what to expect, which added to the adventurous spirit we adopted through out our travels. The Philippines was a relatively cheap country to explore and still remains a less touristy destination than the rest of Asia. The Philippines has some amazingly beautiful beaches, turquoise waters and luscious landscapes. Areas of the Philippines is still relatively undeveloped, with people living in bamboo constructed homes with only basic amenities, with always a few roosters roaming the land! Let’s hope mass tourism will never spoil their beautiful country.
We really enjoyed exploring the beautiful islands of the Philippines.
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Marco
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Palawan
Good god, you guys made it to Palawan! I'm glad you guys made it back, too.