El Nido, Palawan: Philippines’s Best-Kept Travel Secret-by Vlad- After our quick stay in Puerto Princesa, we boarded a van at 5am for the 5+ hr ride north to the town of El Nido. After being stuck in the back of a cramped van for our underground river tour, I was happy to be the first ones to be picked up so we could strategically pick our seats. Directly behind the driver seemed like there was a bit more room, but sitting there turned out to be a big mistake. We were stuck below the air conditioning vent for the entire ride. Unfortunately, Edyta got a nasty cold from it, which put a damper to the first half of our visit. El Nido is located in the northern most point of the island of Palawan. Our 'hotel', Island Front, had more of a hostel feel to it, with a few common areas for food and drinks, as well as bamboo walls, which separated the non-soundproof rooms. It was these common areas where we met a variety of travelers from, among other places, Australia, Germany, and even Poland. The town of El Nido was very different than Boracay, with a far less developed tourist industry. While the basic feel to it might turn some off, we got used to it and embraced the authentic and still fairly undeveloped atmosphere. The fire poi shows at night were replaced by local bands playing everything from Sinatra to Oasis with a touch of reggae. The island of Palawan was named 2013's #1 World's Best Island by Travel + Leisure magazine. A big part of what draws tourists to this part of the Philippines is the beautiful limestone islands that surround Palawan. We booked a tour that took us to explore these amazing structures that shot up from the ocean. One stop brought us to a secret lagoon (how secret can it be if it's advertised on the tour?) where visitors had to climb through a narrow rock opening to an undisturbed lagoon. Unfortunately the waves were too big to safely bring our camera. A fresh lunch of pork, chicken, fruit, and of course, rice, was served to us and our two other companions from Germany. One of them Tjark, was a 19 year old who we befriended and hung out with a few more times. On a day when Edyta was feeling sick and recovering from a fever, I booked a scuba tour (nice husband right?). Locals in Boracay told me the diving here was amazing, and I was not disappointed. Although the waters were a little choppy to start, the visibility was fantastic underwater. While I enjoy snorkeling very much, there's something tranquil about being weightless and deep underwater with a wide array of fish, giant turtles and vibrant coral all around you. Edyta started to feel better towards the end of our stay so we explored the area by taking long walks to different beaches, sunset kayak rides and exploring the little town. We even found a great beachfront restaurant, La Plage, owned by a French couple and dined there three times. The food was a lovely fusion of French and Filipino cuisine, with the menu changing daily depending on available local ingredients. Sadly, this marks the near end of the international portion of our world tour. We've had a lot of time to reflect on the places we've seen, people we've met, sights seen, food tasted, and culture experienced. It has been a blessing experience and I am most thankful for the opportunity to have done something like this with my wife.
Next stop, Honolulu, Hawaii.
Beach in front of the hotel.
Edyta enjoyed various shells we found on the beach. However, we could not bring any of them with us as souvenirs as their removal from the country is strictly prohibited.
We were also able to buy some Filipino beer from these guys.
Our new friend Tjark from Germany. We hang out with him few more times during our stay, exchanged travel stories and even helped him out when he got food poisoning. Tjark was only 19. It seems like we befriend the youngest travelers :-).
Comments
Vanessa(non-registered)
Vlad, your feet actually don't look disgusting in that hammock picture...I'm shocked.
Aleksandra(non-registered)
Looks great! The coconut water is kind of expensive. Was that a premium location? Jellyfish swimming sounds scary. They intimidate me and terrify me. Where they big jellyfish? El Nido looks like a great spot to travel to. Zoya went there this month and loved it. They did a camping/island hopping trip for a few days which sounded cool. Welcome back to the states!
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