El Nido, Palawan

The sweet smiles and the waving of hands of the El Nido Resorts' staff are still very vivid. I could hardly say goodbye to El Nido, Palawan. My 3-day stay in that place has drawn me close to nature and myself as well.

I am glad that I spent my holidays at El Nido with my sister. Prior to this trip, I was looking forward to seeing the awesome landscapes, tropical fishes, corals, birds, and mammals. However, I had fear of taking a chartered flight.

The Island Transvoyager, a 19-seater plane, took us an hour and 15 minutes to El Nido Airport. It was not as scary as I imagined. It was like any other flights I have taken except for the lower altitude...giving me a closer view of different places.

While we bordered off the plane and waiting for our boat transfer, the locals welcomed us with songs and served us with native rice cakes with a choice of iced tea or coffee.

The 50-minute boat ride was very relaxing and cool. I saw the wonderful landscapes, mangrove areas, and clear waters.

The Activity Coordinator took time to discuss with us the activities that we would want to have on a daily basis-- from island-hopping, hiking, snorkelling, diving, sunset cruise, bottom-fishing, to animal origami and hat making. It was hard for me and my sister to decide which ones to avail of since we had limited time. We wanted to relax but we also wanted to explore things that we have never done before.

Upon arrival at the Lagen Resort, again we were greeted with native songs, one of which was the Palawan March. We were treated to a thirst-quenching calamansi (a small rounded lime-fruit) juice and yummy mixed nuts.

In the afternoon, we went island-hopping for two hours. We started off with the Vigan Island or more commonly known as "Snake Island". The place got its name for the natural s-shaped sandbar. I had a better appreciation of the place when I climbed the cliff. Too bad, I did not bring any swim wear. The place is famous for shallow swimming.

Next stop was Cudugnon Cave which is believed to be a burial site before. One by one, we had to lie down to get through a small opening of the cave that was slippery and rough. It was not as difficult as I thought although there are waters below. Inside the cave, we found some fruit bats...Afraid of staying long with the bats, we quickly got out of the same opening and went back to the big motorized boat.

We were then asked to transfer to the small speed boat and headed off to Pinasil Island. It looks like a cathedral chamber. From its interior, the sunlight would pass through an opening at its peak. One would appreciate the sunlight in such a cool, dark place.

On our second day, we went to Miniloc Island where the Big and Small Lagoons are. There was this small space between two cliffs leading to the small lagoon. So small that only one kayak at a time could pass through. We even had to bend ourselves in order not to hit the cliffs and hurt ourselves. I have never seen such a lovely place! The lagoons provided me a sense of serenity and drama. It was as if I were a star in the movie. If I had a choice, I would have stayed longer with Mina, a new found friend who I met during the travels. Both of us enjoyed kayaking. Regrets, we left our cameras in the boat.

Since the waters were so pristine, we could not help but were drawn to join the fishes down there with our snorkeling gear. What was amazing is that the corals were naturally placed in such a way that they look like an expanded deep well.

When it was about lunch time, the guide reminded us that we have to hurry up. Nevertheless, all of us seemed not to mind the time at all. We had lunch at Pangulasian Island. Of course, all of us had a big appetite for the buffet.

At Pangulasian, I tried riding the hobbycat. It was a new experience for me and my sister. I wanted to go hiking but the rest of the travelers went to diving. So I had to spend the rest of the afternoon at the beachfront watching people learn windsailing. I wanted to explore it but was afraid and physically tired to do so.

On my third day, I decided to stay in my room...enjoyed being in bed while the doors at the veranda were opened..just to ensure that I would not miss out seeing the actions outside-- birds flying, people swimming in the pool.

I had a hard time pulling my legs to the boat area where other people had been waiting for the transfer to the airport.