The Pinay Solo Backpacker

November 2009 trip

If this is not paradise..then it’s a place close to it, I murmured to myself  one early morning while I was sitting at the balcony of The Alternative facing El Nido beach and sipping a precious cup of instant coffee that cost me Php50 ( but it’s only Php5 at the sari-sari stores).

Thank God I didn’t order any other food or else it ruined my budget! But I  heard the fresh veggie foods at The Alternative are really mouth-watering! No wonder I’ve seen a couple of foreigners go there to dine. Yet for a poor traveler like me,  I try to stay away from temptations, don’t wanna end up with an empty wallet for the rest of my stay.

Palawan’s unspoilt beauty is rated by the  National Geographic Traveler magazine as  the best island destination of East and Southeast Asia in 2007 (November-December 2007 issue).  El Nido, a marine reserve municipality is located North of  Palawan and one of he main contributors in making Palawan as one of the most sought-after tourist spot because of its sublime beauty.  And what makes El Nido truly exceptional is Bacuit Bay with its many beaches and lagoons of different sizes surrounded by towering limestone cliffs, lush forest, pristine white sands and serene turquoise-green waters.  Alex Garland, the hip author of the book “The Beach” ( the movie starring Leonardo Di Caprio) ,was said to have lived in El Nido for 6 months where he wrote the book. He mentioned in an interview  that the book was based on his experiences in living in the Philippines for 6 months and the book by the way is anti-traveler, a criticism of the backpacker culture not a celebration of  it.

It’s 8am, the boat and the bangkero is already waiting for me.   The boat owner introduced me to Kuya Art ( it’s a shame but until now I can’t spell & pronounce his full name! argh! ) the boatman (bangkero), who is a dive master and Kuya Reynante, his assistant.  I availed the Tour A package as advised by the boat owner.

Tour A Package:
* Small lagoon
* Big lagoon
* The Secret Lagoon
* Payong payong
* 7 Commando island

(Simizu island is supposedly part of the tour but we weren’t able to go there so the bangkero replaced it with The Secret Lagoon).

I don’t know why but I wasn’t really feeling well that day.  I felt dizzy and my  headache attacked me again so I didn’t get to enjoy site-seeing that much but I did love snorkeling.

Our first stop is the Small Lagoon which is enclosed by towering limestone cliffs and 2 huge rocks at the entrance. You can’t really take a picture of the Small Lagoon if you don’t have an underwater camera  because you have to swim under the water to get through its small opening, unless you have a kayak.  I have done island hopping since but I haven’t tried snorkeling even once before so this is where I had my 1st snorkeling with the help of  Kuya Art.

 

Our next stop is The Secret Lagoon.

 

It’s a white beach enclosed by tall limestone cliff with 1 small kubo and you have to walk a few meters at the left end of  beach to get to the Secret Lagoon.

 

It’s called such because you can only get inside by passing through a small whole.

 

We ate our lunch here and I learned from the boatman that normally for island hopping, they would bring fresh seafood and cook it in the beach.  That must be fun but too bad I had no idea!

Then the boat docked in  Payong Payong Payong Island where I enjoyed snorkeling again. It’s a beach where you can view Miniloc nearby.

 

There I met  a group of tourists, a 40-50 something business woman from Subic and her balikbayan sister  from the US with a friend. I met them because the van owner introduced himself, offering a free ride back to Puerto Princesa.  After a chit chat about Philippine travel especially about Zambales beaches. The group asked me to join them the next day for another set of island hopping trip for free.  Although it was a tempting offer, I politely refused, because  I had to go back because of an emergency in the family.

Next we head off to The Big Lagoon then to the magnificent Seven Commando beach.  My poor camera’s battery died on me on our last destination, so I didn’t get to photograph its astounding beauty.  At first I was so worried because I thought it got broken when it hit the floor of the boat because of one huge wave.

I hope I have given more justice to Bacuit bay but surprisingly my pictures  are so few and I honestly think I haven’t caught its real beauty, perhaps because it’s my 1st time to snorkel and I was quite busy enjoying the underworld! Needless to say, my headache disappears each time I’m under the water! Too bad though I don’t have any underwater camera.

 

El Nido,Palawan captured my heart, not just because of its exceptional beauty but because of its loving people.  It’s often compared to Phuket but what makes El Nido more charming is it’s unspoilt beauty.  It’s rare to see a community nowadays that are truly conscious about protecting their environment while at the same time promoting tourism in their charming town.  While I was taking a walk around the town, I noticed everytime  I meet a kid along the street, s/he would greet me with a smile saying “Welcome to El Nido! “  instead of asking for money.  Educating the young is one  step in maintaining a well-protected marine reserve like El Nido. As for me , I have felt something magical about El Nido that’ll  linger on.

Tip: If you’re solo you can arrange with your guesthouse/inn to find you a group that you can join for island hopping or talk directly with other tourist and travelers you meet in El Nido town or talk to a bangkero. Rate normally costs Php 500 each, that’ll save you more.

Special thanks to Kuya Art & Kuya Reynante

*********************************************************************************************** About the Blogger : Gael is a Filipina solo adventurer, a dream chaser and a student of life.  Her (mis) adventures are documented in this blog. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter. For advertisement, partnerships and sponsorship, click here. or email me at thepinaysolobackpacker(at)yahoo(dot)com. **********************************************************************************************

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