El Nido...so this is paradise

Traveling in Palawan is not as straightforward as one might think. The locals don't seem to move much within the region, the roads (where existent) are horrible, and flights are the fatal combination of expensive and and scarce. That left me with nautical transportation as the one option for getting out of El Nido. A boat trip meant dealing with the local boat mafia, which, as I learned, has bribed the cargo ship companies into not allowing tourists as passengers on their vessels. Thus forcing tourists to pay $50 US for a 7 hour boat ride (to put things in perspective, that's about 1/2 the monthly salary of the average Palawanian). I'm not for supporting boat mafias, but I didn't have a whole lot of other options to work with, so James and I went for the boat ride (our friend Bastian got the last seat on the flight to El Nido, Mark returned to Manila and Jesus stayed in Coron). For all of the hassle surrounding the organization of our transfer to El Nido, it actually turned out to be a very scenic and relaxing journey. I suppose that every cloud has its silver lining.

El Nido is one of the most beautiful places I've ever visited, definitely one of the highlights of my trip. It's a picturesque fishing village, tucked into a limestone karst surrounded bay. The town only has electricity at night, but what it lacks in modern amenities, it makes up for in charm and personality.

James, Bastian and I made several "island hopping" snorkel excursions (each one found us on a number of secluded beaches surrounded by pretty reefs). We also rented kayaks and found our own secret beach (not that those are a rare commodity around El Nido). James and I took on the challenge of hiking one of the cliffs right outside of town. What we thought would be a 30-minute hike, turned out to be a 3-hour climbing expedition. A bit of an unexpected surprise, but we had a fantastic time, just the same.

El Nido had surprisingly good food. Maybe not what you would expect from a sleepy little village, but perhaps the relative isolation of the town means that the area's population has to rely on locally harvested supplies (which would mean lots of fresh fish and fruit). Courtesy of one, slightly loopy, local Swedish ex-pat, we found a fantastic little food stall owned and operated by a woman known as "mami". I don't know what her secret is, but her pork adobo was superb. This was also an important find because James has the metabolism of a small horse, and the food was not only tasty, but cheap too.

El Nido is truly a hidden gem. To date, it is one of my favorite destinations on this trip. A place I shall definitely visit again.

Julia


En route to El Nido


Could live here, please?


Relaxing on the way to El Nido


Dolphin-spotting on the way to El Nido


Snorkel lagoon


Jungle-covered lagoon walls


James, standing beside the fire which the boatmen used to cook lunch


So it wasn't totally perfect...we did have a few hours of rain


Bastian and Julia, hiding from the rain


Art cafe, perfect for putting your feet up with a good book and a cup of coffee


Mami


Kayaking to the our own little beach


Self-portrait on the secluded beach


Ahhhhhh....


Snorkeling in 7 commando's beach (Bastian wanted to ask that boat pull our kayaks back to El Nido, but James and I were too tough for that)


El Nido village kids


Yes, I climbed that


Not the best picture, but you get the idea that this wasn't just a "hike"


Look ma, no hands


El Nido


Why did the turkey cross the road?


Tricycles


Snorkel trip #2


More perfection

Coron

When James and I arrived in Coron, I knew that I had made the right choice in going to Palawan. The place was truly breathtaking: blue sky, crystal-clear water, hundreds of uninhabited islands, friendly locals...the Philippines was beginning to feel like a well-kept travel secret.

James and I made a b-line for the dive shop/guesthouse, got settled and started arranging some activities. We connected with several other travelers: Jesus (from Spain), Bastian (from Germany) and Mark(from Australia/England). Together, with our new found partners in crime, we did a little snorkeling, some hiking and scuba diving.

The diving was especially cool. The Busuanga archipelago, surrounding Coron, was the site of several American/Japanese WWII battles and there are some amazingly preserved sunken Japanese warships in the area. Needless to say, wreck diving is a big draw here. Normally, you need a special PADI certification to go inside of a sunken wreck but hey, we're in the Philippines, and things are a little "different" here. So, I got to swim around inside and explore two sunken ships, which was simultaneously scary and cool (in the words of Bastian, I was just "happy not to get entangled inside the ship and die").

The snorkeling in Coron was also quite nice. The coral wasn't perfect (the area has had some trouble with dynamite fishing in the recent past), but the turquoise water was amazingly clear, the limestone karst islands were breathtaking, and there were some freshwater springs which created thermoclines in the lagoons.

In addition to Bastian, Jesus and Mark, I also met a group of fun-loving Canadian firefighters and a nice Dutch couple. James and his fellow Canuks jumped on the chance to inform me that the Canadian loonie is currently stronger than the US dollar. I responded that such a thing defies he laws of reality, but alas, it seems as though they were right. Naturally, they were pretty excited about this and took every available opportunity to remind me of their currency's superior status. I have one response to this, guys: enjoy it while it lasts. I swear, somewhere, pigs must be flying.

-Julia


Snorkel trip #1 begins


Relaxing on the boat


Entrance to Twin Lagoon


Limestone karst formations


Clear water


Jesus and James at one of the thermocline lagoons


More beautiful lagoons


Talking with the divemaster before the wreck dive


Preparing for the dive


Getting stuck in my wetsuit, classic Julia move


Bastian, Mark and I get a briefing before our dive


Looking a bit perplexed my my dive equipment (I promise, I've dived before)


Bastian, Mark and Julia in the water


Perfect Coron sunset


A James and Jesus sing-a-long


Coron town


View of Coron at the end of our hike


Dinner after the hike


The Dutch and Canadian contingent


Snorkel trip #2 boat


Dinner


Jesus attacks my dinner


Tricycles outside the Coron market

Excursion #1 Filipino style

The hostel in Manila was an absolute goldmine of travel information. Not only was the owner a Philippines travel expert, but the country is subject to a hub-and-spoke travel infrastructure, so there were plenty of travelers returning from trips to various locations. Everyone seemed to be buzzing about Palawan, so I connected with another traveler at the hostel, James, who also wanted to go to Palawan, and we started hatching our plan.

We took the ferry from Manila to Coron. This 12-hour ferry ride was quite and experience and in its own way, a bit of a crash course in Filipino culture. We were two of four foreigners on a boat with several hundred passengers, so we got some inquisitive looks. I guess that most of the tourists opt for the airplane to Palawan.

One family in the bunks next to ours was very curious about us and with in seconds of dropping our bags, we were besieged by the kids, who seemed to be endlessly amused by, and insisted upon touching, my blond hair. Then, the mother requested several photo ops with the strange, tall, pale foreigners. I felt a bit like a circus attraction, but you know, it was all in good fun (sticking out has become a way of life for me since I started traveling, so it's not so shocking anymore).

Curious kids weren't our only companions on the ferry, we also had a small army of roosters on board. It only took me a couple of days in the Philippines to register that roosters (aka fighting cocks) are an integral part of life here (great if you like cockfights, bad if you are a light sleeper). The status of roosters was confirmed by the fact that they are the only animals allowed on ferries (before seeing eye dogs, mind you), and doubly confirmed by the number of proud owners milling about on the ferry's top deck, stroking and showing off their prized fighters. Quite a sight indeed.

Second only to roosters, is the importance of videoke (Filipino world for karaoke) in Filipino entertainment. No establishment is complete without a videoke machine, and you are guaranteed that it will be fired up once a few beers are consumed. Naturally, our ferry's cafeteria was equipped with its own videoke machine, disco lights and plenty of beer. I fell asleep in my bunk before the action got started, but fear not, I'm sure that I will be getting a healthy dose of videoke before I leave the Philippines.

-Julia


Leaving Manila


My bunk...I actually slept the whole night


Manila's port


Curious neighbors


Roosters in transit


First glimpses of Palawan


Arrival in Coron

Manila...welcome to the Philippines

When travel to Burma became out of the question, I had to re-arrange my plans. Billy and I had met two dive masters and a handful of others along the way who highly recommended the Philippines. I did some research, booked a ticket to Manila and decided to check out the place for myself.

I took a 3 hour "overnight" flight from Bangkok, which was pretty horrible as I was in one of those exit row seats which does not recline. True to form, I didn't sleep a wink and arrived in Manila a complete sleep-deprived zombie (I really need to put a stop to this overnight travel stuff because it tends to mess up my sleep pattern for a few days and induce general grouchiness).

My first impression of the Manila was of your typical big, dirty, SE Asian capital city, but after a few hours of wandering around (and consuming approximately one liter of coffee), I started to sense that Manila had a very different feel. What really set the city apart in my mind, were the people. Everyone, and I mean everyone, is friendly. Not that fake I-want-to-sell-you-a-tour-so-I'll-pretend-to-be-your-friend crap, but genuinely kind and eager to help you out or just strike up a conversation. As an added bonus, almost everyone speaks English or a blend of Tagalog and English, so you can actually connect with people and there is no more of this point-and-gesture food ordering business.

The Philippines isn't a typical backpacker destination and, in general, there aren't too many tourists, which means that the locals aren't yet jaded about the negative effects of the tourism industry and actually kind of curious about visitors. What a refreshing change from Bangkok and the backpacker trail. Of course, this comes at a price. While the Philippines doesn't seem to attract a lot of budget travelers, for some reason (which I have not yet entirely figured out), it does attract more than its fare share of sex tourists. Fortunately for me, I don't frequent the same establishments as these creeps, so I don't have to interact much with them.

Upon arrival in Manila, I checked into Friendly's Guesthouse, which I would highly recommend. This guesthouse is one of these special places that is owned and run by an enthusiastic local backpacker and just exudes a welcoming traveler vibe (a bit like my friend Laura's hostel in Panama). The owner is a human travel encyclopedia for the Philippines and has really fostered a fun atmosphere at his place.

One of my favorite things about arriving in Manila was having access to a kitchen. Yes, you heard me right, I was excited about a kitchen (for those who don't know, I'm not exactly wonderchef). I'd been missing western food since Bangkok, so I was looking forward to a grocery story and preparing some of my own meals. I almost did cartwheels down the supermarket aisle when I discovered that there was an entire section devoted to cheese. I returned to the hostel laden with two bags of dairy products and enjoyed them all to the last morsel. I think that finally took care of my western food cravings, at least for now.

-Julia


A little pandemonium at the Bangkok airport


Manila


Interesting public message


Intramuros, Manila's old Spanish Colonial town center


The "jeepney", a cross between a jeep and a small bus...definitely the most colorful way to get around town


World War II Memorial (Central Manila was almost completely destroyed during the war)


Intramuros church


More jeepneys, I really liked these things


Manila skyline from Friendly's guesthouse