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.

ILOCOS GUIDE

Php200                   Airport Terminal Fee
Php120                   Taxi
Php 35                    breakfast
Php 150                  Trike from Laoag International Airport to Balay da Blas
Php 10(2) Php20  : Trike to and from Centro
Php 145               : Dinner
Php 170               : Lunch
Php 40                 : Meds, grocery
Php 15(2) Php30 : Laoag to Sarrat v.v.
Php 10(2) Php20 : Trike
Php 69                 : Lunch
Php 34                 : Laoag to Paoay
Php 250               : Paoay Church to Malacanang of the North to Batac
Php 50                 : ER fee
Php 20                 : Batac to Laoag
Php 111               : Dinner
Php 2000             : Balay da Blas 2N accommodation
Php 10                 : Trike
Php 100               : Laoag Sand Dunes
Php 107               : Laoag to Mawini, Pagudpud
Php 100               : Kabigan Falls Tour Guide
Php 10                 : Kabigan Falls Entrance
Php 20                 : Agua Paradiso Donation
Php 20                 : Blue Lagoon Entrance
Php 140               : Lunch
Php 80                 : Pagudpud Empanada
Php 800               : Jun and Carol overnight stay
Php 1000             : Pagudpud Tour Guide
Php 207               : Dinner
Php 495               : Vigan Hotel
Php 40                 : Pagudpud to Laoag
Php 100               : Laoag to Vigan
Php 245               : Lunch at Cafe Uno
Php 10                 : Trike
Php 50                 : Snacks
Php 706               : Vigan to Manila

Grand Total          : Php7,704

Mang Arnel : 09186890723/09265880666

Calaguas 2010: Take nothing but pictures, Leave nothing but footprints, Kill nothing but time

Doing the Bicol itinerary last April, I came across Calaguas, a group of island hidden in camarines Norte. Reading itineraries of some travel bloggers, I found out that going to a Calaguas trip would only cost php 2,000- php3, 000. Who am I to refuse?

So, we found ourselves Sunday night in Superlines Terminal in Cubao. We were surprised that there is already a direct bus to Paracale. Add to that, the fare was cheaper compared to Daet, which was our original route.

Stopover somewhere in Quezon.

Almost ten hours of butt numbing bus ride, we arrive at Paracale.

We had our breakfast, on which mine was a php13 lugaw with egg, bought our overnight food and water, called Mang Nelson and off we were to Calaguas. The boat was also a surprise for me. I was expecting a small boat with no cover, no seats and no life vests. And luckily, ours had a cover and Kuya Nelson provided us life vests. Except for the lack of seats, I think the boat was more than I expected. And that was a good thing.

Kuya Nelson at Paracale Port. Fish crates.

We did the island hopping today so we can get home early the next day. Maculabo island and Pinagkastilyuhan Buhangin were stunning.

First, Maculabo Island. From afar, I was certain that it was just another ordinary white beach. But getting off the boat and running through the shore, I was convinced it was not just another white beach. Let the pictures convince you too.

And now the Pinagkastilyuhang Buhangin. I thought the place will be like Manlawi Island in Caramoan. One kilometer stretch of white sand beach submerged during high tide. Pinagkastilyuhang Buhangin offered one long stretch of sand bar. The sandbar was not visible when we came and we waited for the sandbar to show up. It was incredible!

And finally, we arrived to the beach we came for. Mahabang Buhangin. Coming from Pinagkastilyuhang Buhangin, we see long stretches of white sand beaches. We couldn't just pinpoint where Mahabang Buhangin is. We thought if not for the mountains between the beaches, it will be like a one long stretch of white sand beach and that would be awesome.

We arrived at Mahabang Buhangin around ten in the morning, I think. We set camp, had lunch and were waiting for afternoon to come so we can swim without the sun. Waiting means sleeping, siesta time! I believe every one of us had their own siesta. And yet when we all woke up, it was just two in the afternoon. Indeed time is slow.

 

Accommodation : 0 Php/pax

And our top of the line restroom.

Finally, afternoon came. Donna and I decided to take a swim while the rest of the group went to the nearest barrio, which is a one kilometer walk, to buy some ice and booze. I think Mark was left to watch the camp and cook dinner. hehe.

We tried looking for some snorkeling sites around the area. Unfortunately, all we saw was sand underwater. I think we still need a boat to get to the snorkeling sites within the area. So Donna and I talked. I haven’t seen the girl for almost two years. With all the dealings she had for the past year, I understood. Girltalk for us!

  Sunset came.

And dinner. Because we were not able to purchase disposables in Paracale, the group who went to the barrio managed to cut some banana leaves as replacements. It’s boodle fight! Adobo, hotdog and tuna never tasted better.

Boodle Fight!

Finally, the booze was out. We played a little bit of good old pinoy henyo, on which the boys won with a lot of help from their lead player, Leah. (I can hear Leah bragging). After consuming three bottles of The Bar, we called it a night.

The next morning, we spent the rest of our time taking pictures and just having fun.

I woke up seeing Marela, Donna and Ryan sleeping outside.

Nagyaya pa naman ako sa kanila na wag na sa tent matulog.

No cook breakfast

Leah playing with hermit crab

Until our boat came, it was time to say goodbye.

We arrive at Daet past noon. Arriving at the Daet terminal was a surprise. It was an empty parking lot with just two buses and no people at all. We even have to tap the window at the ticketing booth a few times before someone can assist us. What were more surprising were the schedules. Bus trips were limited to six to seven trips, per day. The earliest we can get into is the six o’clock but it's an ordinary bus. Our best bet was to take the last trip, 8:45pm, which is an air-conditioned bus. We were in luck to see that there were only eleven seats left. We have no idea; trips were reserved ahead of time. As I said, we were lucky. We got the seats. Now, where to kill time? We asked around and learned that Bagasbas beach is just a few minutes from town and is known for its waves.

So, off we were to Bagasbas beach. 

We had dinner.

And the obligatory pasalubong buying.

And now, we face the ten hours butt numbing bus ride to Manila. And the weird part when we came to Manila, Cubao bus stop came first before Pasay. Before we realize we went passed the Cubao terminal, we were halfway to Ortigas and the sad part in that is that the bus could only drop us at Pasay terminal. Just great. Simply great.

I can’t imagine my work friends and my long time friends would get along. I was expecting, yes, they would get along, but it’s more that what I expected. It was a whole lot of fun! Leah can even attest to that.

Here’s to another off the course getaway adventure! Hell yeah!

Expenses

            Manila-Paracale via Superlines Cubao           : php485

            Daet- Manila                                                : php580

            Paracale-Daet (van)                                      : php50

            Entrance (Mahabang Buhangin)                    :php50

            Boat                                                           :php3000/7

            Food  and water for overnight stay                 :php150

           Total : php 1,815 (not included Bagasbas sidetrip)

           Boatman Nelson:  09095259821