It's been a little over a month since my four-day trip in El Nido and Puerto Princesa with some of my RJ friends. I had been a little too occupied ever since I got back, and the daily grind for the past month has left me yearning for the sun, sand, and sea in which I basked in abundance while in Palawan.
We had been planning for this trip since early this year, at least, and we sure as hell made the most of it. We arrived in Palawan on the evening of May 6, Wednesday, greeted by Kuya Gabs's parents and sister. He is from Palawan and we had stayed in their house in during the last days of our trip.
From the airport, we headed straight to El Nido after a six-hour drive, where we stayed for two amazing days.
It's this quaint little town and port that greeted us in the morning:
On that Thursday, we went on an island hopping tour, exploring five beaches and lagoons. These "hidden" water forms (descriptively called Hidden Beach and Secret Beach) could only be reached by docking the boat outside the rock formations and swimming through the gap.
Obviously, the long boat rides were so worth it when you get to be in the middle of such spectacular views and pristine waters.
Hidden Beach ❤
Frexy, Marifel, and me inside the Secret Beach.
My Studio Ghibli-loving heart is a little overjoyed when we reached this place, because it's so strikingly like being inside Porco Rosso's lair. :D The gap was so small we had to duck as we swam inside, and the limestone wall surrounds the gorgeous beach in a complete 360. ❤
We also had a blast snorkeling in the crystal clear waters. I think that was the only time I truly enjoyed snorkeling because El Nido is teeming with brightly-colored corals and schools of fish. I admit I got so excited like a little girl because the multitude of fish coming in various colors of the rainbow were almost always within my reach.
We were supposed to have lunch on the beach at Talisay Island, but since we ran out of place to dock, we ate on our boat. The scenery plus plus the sea breeze plus the filling meals served made for a sumptuous lunch. Island food is simply the best. Haha.
Playing in the sand while waiting for lunch.
Matinloc Island. The only no-swimming island we visited.
Can I just say that my Inay is a little too sexy for this world, kahit sa pagbaba lang ng bangka? Haha. Bakit hindi ako nagmana? :))
This blue beauty is so breathtaking.
My emo-ing friends.
Back to mainland.
On our second day, we chose to go to a beach for a whole day instead of going on another island tour. It proved to be a good decision because staying in Nacpan Beach was, honestly, the highlight of the trip for me.
