El Nido 2011: Tour E? Tour A!

I’m always intrigued by El Nido, Palawan. It has always been depicted as Palawan’s last frontier. Beaches untouched, rich marine life, etc. Besides, if someone says Palawan, El Nido comes first to anyone’s mind, not Coron or Puerto Princesa. So, I was so hyped on this trip. After seeing Coron, I’m expecting all the more.

So, you can imagine my disappointment when I finally saw the place. I didn't even remembered the names of the places we've been. Yeah, El Nido has its own charm and all. But it was nothing compared to Coron.

Pero binawi naman ni Kamahalang Joy, our beloved tour guide at ni Ate Pysche, our ever landlady sa kakulitan at sagad sa butong mga jokes. Panalo sa comedy.

So, we arrived a little late than expected. Partly, me kasalanan kami kasi late check in na kami. Dahil din sa kin. Yes, late po ako. Muntik na nga akong hindi nakaabot. Buti na lang eh meron pang mas late samin at inabot namin ang plane.

Sa Puerto Princesa na kami nagkita ni Beth, my KaVet intern. She was already in Puerto Princesa three days before. Tinuloy na lang niya gala niya at sumama samin sa El Nido.

As usual, pagkalabas namin ng airport, kanya kanya ng lapit mga van driver samin. Kuya X (Bet, nakalimutan ko name ni Kuya) offered us his van for a Php700. He said we just have to wait for the van to be filled. And we were his first passengers. Ok. Mahaba-habang antayan to. Beth had the idea of asking people around but unfortunately, no one was heading to El Nido. Before we decided to just simply go to the terminal to take the public vans, Kuya X agreed to leave even if his van is not full. Luckily, he got two Koreans a minute before we left the airport.

So, heto na nga po ang madugong almost-six-hours-butt-numbing travel. Mabuti na lang at kagandahan ang van ni Kuya at kami lang ang pasahero niya. Almost halfway along the trip goes our first El Nido joke.

Kuya X : Mam, me contact na po ba kayo sa El Nido para sa mga tour packages?

Beth: Wala pa po. Ano po ba yung mga tour dun.

Kuya X:  Yung pinakapopular po un Tour E at Tour C. Yung Tour E po, mga shimizu island, Secret Beach, etc. Yung Tour C po mga Secret Lagoon, Big Lagoon, Small lagoon

Beth: Ah ganun po ba. Eh kuya, ano nman po yung Tour A?

Kuya X: Yun nga po mam, Tour E (A) po. Tour E (A)

Beth: ----

We arrived almost 3pm in El Nido and checked in at Casa Buenavista. The rest of the afternoon, we lazily walked around town looking for the best eats and just taking in the feel of the town.  Back to our guesthouse, they said it has been two days na walang electricity. Luckily, nagkaroon na pagkadating namin. Yun pala, nung araw lang palang yun magkakaroon. We were searching the town for some seafood, specifically lobster. Unfortunately, hindi daw in season. Squids and shrimp were the only ones available. Pati crabs wala. So much for seafood.

Unlimited coffee, tea and water. View from the balcony

We ate a not-so-good dinner that night and went to bed early. Maaga call time bukas.

Weather wasn’t pleasant that morning. Si haring araw pakipot.

Our golden breakfast at The Alternative

So, our first stop was..

Take note, makipigil hiningang boat ride ang dinaanan naming bago kami nakarating sa aming unang destinasyon.

The island is a private place. It used to be a functional area. Masses and retreats were usually held on the island until it was neglected. Ang sarap sigurong magretreat dito.

We did a bit of snorkeling.

This is where I was a bit disappointed. Because the sea was a little rough, snorkeling was difficult. And there were not a single fish in sight. There were some fish, yes. But it was nothing compared to Coron. Blame it on the bad weather. Maybe next time when the weather is much better, El Nido might have been nice.

Credible name for a lifevest.

Entrance to the Small Lagoon

Lunch came..

We stayed longer than expected because of the weather. All this time, the sun was nowhere in sight. Crap.

Inenjoy na lang naming kung ano meron that day prompting us to go home early. At walang kuryente pagdating namin. Good luck sa mga batteries namin. We had dinner at a certain restaurant by the strong recommendation of some locals. We ordered the well known Nido Soup, on which the owner strongly assured was pure. But when we tasted it, we felt lumps of powder, so much for eating an authentic Nido soup.

Nido Soup

No nightlife for us that night.

We woke up early the next day to buy some fresh seafood. We plan to have whatever we bought as dinner later tonight. But due to the bad weather and the town’s fiesta last night, no one was up that early and there were not a single fish that can be bought in the market. Empty wet market, that is.

Empty market.

We went back feeling a bit disappointed, knowing we’ll be having pork for lunch. Nasa gitna kami ng dagat at baboy ang kinakain namin. Naman!

Goat fish. Notice its goatee.

We were granted a better weather on our last day of island hopping. The sea was still a bit rough but much better compared yesterday.

Somewhere between the boat trips and island hopping, Ate Joy cracked another joke.

Ate Joy:  ..pwede niyo ngang akyatin ‘yang mga bundok diyan. Nung bagong dating ako dito, umakyat ako.

Us:  Talaga ate?

Ate Joy:  Oo, rubber shoes nga lang gamit ko nun, madulas dulas pa un mga bato kasi tag-ulan nun.

Us:  Me tour guide po kayo?

Ate Joy:  Oo, hindi ka pwdeng umakyat ng walang tour guide kasi mahirap,matarik. May makukuha kang certificate pag umakyat ka ..

Us: ..certificate po?..

Ate Joy:  Oo. Certificate. Death Certificate.


At the Big Lagoon, we had fun kayaking. We took turns paddling. When it was Beth's turn to paddle, Kuya said. Mam, ayaw ko pa pong mamatay, which made us all laugh. Sense of humor, eh? He was from Navotas and when Ondoy hit Manila, he was washed away by the typhoon here in El Nido. That's his story. No edit there. The crew we were with that day had a lot sense of humor. Though the weather's not great and we were not able to go at certain places, they made it up with all their jokes and stories. Sometimes, it's not the place but it's who your with that matters more.

Entrance to Secret Lagoon

Big Lagoon

Seven Commando Beach

El Nido Town at twilight

Kamahalang Joy with the Spur Travel and Tours Gang

Back at Casa, Ate Psyche has been worried sick about us. It was already dark when we got back, which, according to her, was unusual unless something happened. We saw the relief on her face when she saw us finally set foot on the house. Nakakatouch.

We were in luck, we had electricity that night. We had dinner at Habibi Restaurant. I even got a free drink because my meal was served late. Haha.

@ Habibi Restaurant with the El Nido beach as backdrop

We talked a bit more before we heading to our place. The van will be picking us up tomorrow at seven in the morning. No reason to be late or else we will be spending another day in El Nido. We arrived at Puerto Princesa past noon. As pasalubongs, we bought some cultured pearls. Our flight got delayed for about an hour so we will be arriving in Manila later than expected. Cebu Pacific talaga. At least, we saw the Super Moon closer. The view above was incredible. We see the sun sets at our left and the Super Moon rising to our right.

Super Moon

It will be hard for me to forget El Nido because it made a mark on me. Literally. As I was swimming back to the boat from Secret Lagoon, I held on to the rope leading to our boat when a huge wave came over me, my right knee hit one of the stones nearby. I looked down and saw this huge gush of blood from my knee. Beth, who was beside me at the time, and I looked at each other shocked of what just happened. I wasn't feeling anything at the moment. When I got to the boat, everyone was shaken on what they saw. Dripping blood down to my knee. Deeper than a minor cut, I can see some tissues. I bet the fish were a having a feast. Sabi nga ni kuya, pain daw sa pating. But I was glad that it's just a minor cut. Beth said it might probably need some stitches but I convinced her it will be healed in a week, tops. Just the thought of stitches make me sick. Good thing there was a first aid kit and Beth was there. And it was the last day of the island hopping. It would be a bummer if it happened on the first day.

Me. Post accident.