GALA (gălă): August 2015

Bird's Eyeview of El Nido

Day 4
April 24, 2015
El Nido

We spent the morning of our fourth day rock climbing Mt. Taraw - a towering limestone cliff. The climb took an hour of body strength, sheer courage, and unwavering faith that each rock we firmly held or stepped on was steady. The view from top was absolutely worth the hold-on-for-dear-life climb.

Vhy, Ryan, and Anjo before the climb

The view at Taraw cliff

Vhy at Taraw cliff

At noon, we rented a van to bring us to the twin beaches of Nacpan and Calitang, which were about an hour away from town proper. It was scorching hot when we got to Nacpan beach. While plenty of tourists sun-bathed, I stayed on the cottage and did not even bother to go to Calitang beach.

Tourists at Nacpan beach

At around 3 PM, we headed back to town to try the 750-meter zipline which connects Snake island to Las Cabanas beach resort. We then stayed for a while at the beach resort, which has a very cool and relaxing vibe. A lot of tourists (mostly couples) were just sitting at the shore, staring into the horizon, waiting for the sun to set.

Susanne at the zipline

Estimated expenses:

3151 PHP - Round trip air fare
3000 PHP - Biolina Guesthouse - 4 nights ( 1500 PHP /night/double room)
1200 PHP - Round trip van to El Nido
1400 PHP - Tour C
1200 PHP - Tour A
200 PHP - EcoTourism Development Fee
250 PHP - Cliff climbing guide fee (500 PHP/2 pax)
500 PHP - Van to Nacpan and Calitang (3000 PHP/van)
500 PHP - Zipline - one-way
2500 PHP - Food
=======
13,901 PHP

Kayaking and Snorkeling at El Nido

Day 3
April 23, 2015
El Nido

We took island hopping tour A the next day. The tour included Big Lagoon, Small Lagoon, Secret Lagoon, 7 Commandos Beach, and Simizu Island, which we seemed to have skipped.

Our first stop was at the small lagoon where we rented some kayaks. From where our boat docked, we had to travel a short distance to reach a small pathway leading to the small lagoon. The place was serenely beautiful - but only until a large crowd of tourists poured in. It was a great thing that we started the tour really early - it got really crowded and noisy by the time we left.

Small Lagoon

Kayaking at Small Lagoon

After the small lagoon, we got to the big lagoon. No kayaks here - our boat, like the others, just quickly passed through (as if we were running after something) and went on to the next destination which was at the shore where one can found the Secret Lagoon - an even smaller lagoon compared to small lagoon. This one has a very narrow opening - only one person can fit at a time. It was not impressive at all and most of the people just swam and snorkeled near the shore. This was where everyone stopped-over to rest and ate lunch.

Big Lagoon

Secret Lagoon

Afte lunch, we spent an hour in the middle of the sea to snorkel. Then, we proceeded to the last stop of the day at 7 Commandos Beach.

Island Hopping at El Nido

Day 1 & 2
April 21-22, 2015
El Nido

I have always imagined that when I go to El Nido, I will be staying at one of those fancy resorts in Lagen or Miniloc. This, of course, means that I have to live frugally for at least a year. Hence, I never got to visit El Nido - I have been to Palawan thrice before but never in El Nido - until recently. But instead of a 5-star accommodation, we stayed at one of those guesthouses - Biolina Guesthouse, which, come to think of it, was a practical choice, considering we were out most of the time we were in El Nido.

We arrived in Puerto Princesa at 9 AM, after one and a half flight. Then, it was time for the long van ride to actually get to El Nido. We were all seated comfortably at first, until the driver picked additional 2 passengers along the way. I felt bad for the co-driver who had to sit in makeshift wooden seat and for the four foreigners crammed in the backseat (while we, the 'little' Pinoys, were on the more spacious seats!).

It was already late in the afternoon when we checked-in at the guesthouse. After a brief rest, we rode a tricycle to get to Corong Corong beach to catch the sunset.

The next morning, we took tour C which included the following islands: Helicopter Island, Hidden Beach, Matinloc Shrine, Star Beach, and Secret Beach, which I think we missed.