Island Adventures – El Nido in Palawan
This time the destination is El Nido in Palawan, and I don’t know why I chose this place. Presumably because it’s a little minority (compared to the places where Boracay is), and the images on the internet are really tempting. I’ve only been there for two days, three more days on the road…
The first day at noon, the plane arrived in Manila, and then transferred to Puerto Princesa, we first found an agent, from here on, there will be an agent to pick up. After getting off the plane, we take the minibus (or call it a van) to our destination. Friends who are not well or with motion sickness should pay attention, it will be an unusually difficult journey, please do good precautions against motion sickness in advance, because this journey will take you about 5-6 hours, this is in the absence of traffic congestion and the driver has high driving skills.The main thing is that the road isn’t straight, so sitting in the car you’re basically swinging around like a pendulum. It’s best to prepare car sickness pills, I’m too overestimating myself so I ended up making myself half dead. It was almost midnight when i finally reached my place of residence, and the first day was over.
The next morning after breakfast, the agent took us to the beach, here to insert a sentence, please change your swimsuit or Bikini in advance, because from the seaside began there is no place for you to change clothes, and things with the less the better, the best to buy a waterproof bag, later, you’ll know it’s useful. Because the beach is relatively shallow, the boat can not be near the shore, when we get to the beach, we’re going to go down the water and go to the boat. By this time the water was already close to the shoulder, the body will certainly be wet, waterproof bag is very important. There are 4 fixed tourist routes on the island, you can also choose your own route, but it seems like you have to rent your own boat.
We chose a fixed route, a boat of about 16-20 people, the Philippines and Europe and the United States tourists in the majority. There will be 3-4 destinations on this day, with each staying about half an hour to an hour and a half. After about half an hour at sea, we got to our first stop, it was a mess, and I forgot what its name was…. In short, it is a beautiful beach, perfect for sunbathing, swimming and taking pictures.
The second stop is small lagoon (if I remember correctly), and it’s nice to kayak on a transparent water, and it’s good to dive, or lie on a kayak and bask in the sun.
Lunch at noon on the beach, stepping on the white sand beach, facing the blue sea, facing the slight sea breeze, bathed in the warm sunshine, this lunch is also unforgettable.
Then went to secret lagoon and a small beach, these two places are very common, we took a look and came out, did not take pictures.
The first day was basically like this, very casual and very comfortable.
In the evening we had dinner at the restaurant by the sea, where there were singers, and they sang very well. The food is mainly seafood, the taste is also very good.
The next day it got a little cold, the waves got bigger, and we were at least 40 minutes at sea to get to the first stop, when I was a little seasick. A little girl from the Philippines on the same boat got seasick early, took out a plastic bag and began to vomit, and I sympathize with her. This is a beach, the water is still clear, and very shallow, suitable to stay in the water to bask in the sun.
After lunch, head off to Secret Beach, the most thrilling stop, unable to take pictures, can only be recorded in words. At that time the waves were already very big, and only a small hole to the inside, if the waves are too big, the hole will be flooded. At that time the captain pulled a rope to let everyone climb down the rope to the opposite bank, but the waves were too big, we can only give up. At this time there are a few female tourists on board but do not intend to give up, they may be very professional, determined to go in, the final captain can only compromise, if you dare to go in, go in, dare not, stay on the boat.Those girls are really brave, life jackets are not worn, they jump into the water, and then their figure disappeared into the waves, and our boat is still a long way from the hole. Several of us were wearing life jackets ready to go into the water, childish I underestimated the power of the waves, as soon as I jumped down, I took a few sips of seawater, just floated up, and then the waves washed up, and drank a few mouthfuls of sea water again. Just when I thought I was going to drown, the captain grabbed my hand and pulled the other two, let’s line up in a straight line, and he dragged us forward. I saw him like a fish in the water to explore the road, and behind him dragged three of us, at that moment my admiration for him is as strong as the waves. Specifically do not know how long, about ten minutes, we finally swam (dragged) to the hole, this time the waves one by one, the hole has been very small, people in it to be very careful, otherwise the waves rushed, head hit the rock, the consequences can not be imagined.Fortunately, there are a few people in the hole to meet us, while the waves have not come, I was pulled by others, followed by a strong throw, I miraculously appeared in the cave, it’s quiet inside the cave, it’s another scene. Considering the weather, we stayed inside for a while and went out, and the waves were bigger when we went out, thanks to the captain’s excellent swimming skills, and we finally got back to the boat safely.
This time, we have consumed all the physical strength, when we went back, the waves are bigger, the people on board, like on a pirate ship, kept screaming, some people are seasick, some people are vomiting, some people are shaking cold, it’s appalling. Nevertheless, this adventure will become a special experience, worth cherishing.
We were actually lucky. But because there was a typhoon the next day, so after that day all trips to the sea were cancelled, and some people’s travel plans were ruined.
The return trip was not described in detail, it was still a 5-6 hour drive, but, this time, I didn’t get motion sickness, basically slept all the way, and then flew from Puerto Princesa to Manila, where I spent a night.
Finally, I’ll summarize the tips for the trip for your reference:
- From Manila to El Nido can also be flown by plane, which is the kind of small aircraft that the rich can consider.
- Chang your swimsuits and Bikini at the hotel before departure, and there is no place to change clothes on the beach.
- Take as little thing as possible.
- The girls who want to take beach photos should be prepared, where you are basically wet throughout the whole process, of course, taking bikini photos is not affected.
- Unless you want to tan your skin, do a good job of taking precautions and keep wiping sunscreen.
- Go to the bathroom as far as possible before departure, there is basically no toilet on the island (everyone solves the problem in the water), even if there’s a toilet, it’s not clean. Once a Filipino girl saw the toilet and threw up.
- Both the camera and the mobile phone should be waterproofed, otherwise do not carry.
