Day 352 - Tour C: Snorkelling, Island Hopping, and Kayaking

Monday, June 24th, 2019

Today we set up the alarm for 7:00am because they are coming to pick us up at 8:30 for the tour. It is not fun to wake up and have to hunt for your breakfast, and it's even less fun when you have a budget. We walked around a little bit and all the breakfast seemed expensive and far more of what we were paying in Port Barton. Luckily the night before we had found a little stand where they told us they would make egg sandwiches for a dollar! We went there and brought our sandwiches to a restaurant where we bought the coffee for 35 pesos. After that, we went back to our hotel to wait for our ride who was 15 minutes late.

The trike came to pick us up to take us to the tour office. I honestly thought that we were going to walk mostly because I had seen many boats from the house balcony, just behind our rooms where we are staying. I was wrong, the tour agency was like 15 minutes away. When we got there, we actually met Ryan, the guy who sold us the tour in Puerto Princesa and here in El Nido. He was really funny and said that he was -----, the actor. We rented shoes for the water because we were told that we were going to walk in the rocky surface in the lagoon. I didn’t want to risk it with my toenail so I rented the shoes, Daniel did too and then Gregory did too. Sunshine wore my Merrell sandals which I highly recommend, they lasted me the whole year for all kinds of weather and they were super comfortable!

We had to go to another stand to get Gregory's shoes because they didn’t have his size. By then it was past 9:00am and everyone was waiting for us. The boat was a traditional 16 passenger boat with outriggers. The other passengers were all Filipino and I wondered if we had gotten the local tour. The truth is that no one could match Ryan’s price.

The tour was really nice except that it was cloudy to start with, and after leaving 7 Commandos Beach, we got caught in a storm! I was a little worried when the boat was rocking a lot, plus the rain was cold. The choppy water meant we couldn't visit the Secret Lagoon so Instead we stopped at another island where we got to snorkel more and had lunch. I got very excited because I got to see a sea turtle, not as close as would have liked. I tried to get Gregory’s attention [Gregory's note: yes, by screaming, kicking, and splashing, and probably scaring off the turtle] and then we both saw it swim away! It was awesome.

Lunch was really good and if you like fish, well, you can say that it was a nice lunch of fish, crab, mussels, white rice, eggplant, cucumber salad, chicken, pork, yellow watermelon, pineapple, and bananas! It was really tasty and we enjoyed it but I have to say, I do not like to eat in the rain or outside in cloudy weather. It was actually warmer in the water than outside, plus I didn’t want to be on the sand because of the very aggressive mosquitos and the sand fleas.

The highlight, and the reason we came to El Nido, was the Big Lagoon. The only way to get there is by kayak. We arrived at the island and we rented a big kayak for the four of us. I was a little bit nervous but then I was happy that I didn’t have to row, only Gregory and Daniel who were sitting in the edges [Gregory's note: I asked the guy to give Lili and Sunshine a paddle. He just laughed. He called it a big spoon. Should have asked for a big ice cream to go with it.] Sunshine and I got to enjoy the view. It was stunning and so peaceful. It did remind us of Ha Long Bay in Vietnam. The water was turquoise and clear and we could see coral and fishes underneath us. We also paddled through a small cave. It was really fun. [Gregory's note: yeah, once Lili stopped screaming.] The boys paddled out of the lagoon, to the ocean, reach our boat, the Jam Jam 2.

By then, I was tired but we still had one more beach to cover. I was almost dry and didn’t want to get wet again so I grabbed a hammock and relaxed. The kids were having fun swinging in a tire swing and Gregory snorkeled then found a small stand that sold coconuts filled with rum! Oh boy, he was happy! [Gregory's note: I was happy to find the "bar" and thrilled to find the buko-rum was only $1.50! That was a lot of rum.] We finally left and then were dropped at our final destination by 4:00 where we had to wade back to shore. It was a full day of beauty and fun but happy to be done with it. 

At the store, we took pictures with Ryan, the owner, who called himself the Filipino Vin Diesel [Gregory's note: I'm not sure why, maybe it's the haircut] and then he told a trike to drive us back to our hotel. I thought that was very nice of him because he really didn’t have to. Everyone in the Philippines has been super friendly. We made it back to our "hotel" between the main street and the beach. There are only 4 rooms and because it's low season, he gave us a good price (1,200 pesos a night). You get what you pay for: the bathroom is small, there's no shower curtain and the water pressure was not great. When you take showers in places like this, you get the whole bathroom wet. Good thing I hid the toilet paper! [Gregory's note: not good for me, though.]

After a shower and a rest, we went out for dinner. There are not many options in this little town. Definitely more than in Port Barton but because it's so touristy, it's also pricey. We settle for chicken shwarma and ice cream. After dinner, we went for a walk around town and to browse in some stores. It's not fun when the streets are dirt and full of puddles after the rain. Plus my sandals were soaking wet because Sunshine wore them in the water all day. Gregory found a dry goods store that had everything, even souvenirs and beer. We walked back to our hotel and decided to go back to Puerto Princesa tomorrow morning. Daniel was the only one who wanted to stay (because there is fast internet) but we are all ready to leave El Nido. I don’t know what it is but we all agree that the place seems and feels dirty. Sunshine even said, “it's like I don’t want to touch anything”.

Good thing that at any time and anywhere you can buy transportation to Puerto Princesa. A trike is coming to pick us up to take us to the bus station to leave at 11:00am. That will be 4 or 6 hour drive but then we really plan to enjoy 6 peaceful days of doing nothing and preparing to go back home after a year of being away!

For pictures please click here

https://photos.app.goo.gl/A6pBWVTqN5U6q4JG6