Picturesque Palawan

We have enjoyed our time at El Nido in northern Palawan - and just as well because getting here was a long haul.

It started with getting up at 5:10am - after getting to bed at 1:00am following the NYE fireworks in Manila - to be at the airport in time to check in for our 7:25am flight to Puerto Princesa in Palawan, arriving at 8:30am. We had booked a transfer to El Nido which is about 6 hours away, only to find that our van was going to wait for the next flight (not even due to land for another 45 minutes) for more passengers before leaving. Having been on the go ourselves for about four hours already, this didn't sit well with us so we decided to go with another operator who was leaving "now". Well at least they weren't waiting for the next plane, but "now" still turned out to be a relative term. By the time the van had driven back and forth doing paper work, picked up more passengers at Dunkin Donuts in town, and the driver spent what seemed like an eternity using every known boy scouts knot tying the luggage onto the roof rack before stopping to buy petrol, it was still 10:00am before we were really under way.

With 13 people loaded into the van space was a luxury that none of us enjoyed. Still it was interesting (for possible later reference) to get an idea of what open road driving is like in The Philippines. We  had already noted the urban practice in Manila of using your car horn to warn cross traffic that you were going to run the red light so they should give way to you before they take their green light for granted. On the open road this mentality took the form of treating double lines as just an advisory suggestion.

After about two hours we had a lunch stop. However the driver's usual choice was closed for New Year's Day so we had to backtrack a couple of kilometres to another basic roadside diner (Filipino style) where, because we were evidently not expected, there was very little left in the "buffet" on offer. Still it was apparently included in the fare so what little there was at least didn't cost us anything. Fortunately it was only a little over two more hours from there to El Nido, though for about the last hour the road was intermittently gravel - some of it in poor condition - so the bum numbing leg cramping experience could not have been over a minute too soon.

Main street of El Nido

From the El Nido bus terminal - a rather grand title for a patch of gravel with a wall-less shed in the middle of it - it was only a short motor-trike ride to our lodgings at the Bulskamp Inn, which had been arranged only last night in an exchange of emails. Our hosts were nice and helpful and the room was spotless and equipped with air-con and a hot shower. All of which was pure bliss after a tiring day of travel on very little sleep. We did a little explore of down town El Nido (which isn't big) and booked a couple of boat tours for the two days we have allocated to this leg of the trip. We dined early at the Boutique Cafe (well we started it early, the pedestrian service meant the sitting still lasted over an hour). For dessert we tried the home made vanilla ice cream - and it really did taste of vanilla - delicious! With dinner over we collapsed exhausted into bed.

After a perfect night's sleep the day didn't exactly get off to a perfect start. The coast guard warned that the seas were still too rough after a recent storm cell in the area so all boat tours were cancelled - that made it the fourth day in a row. However, with the help of our hosts Eddy and Virgie, we arranged the hire of a motor-trike and driver to take us to some alternative sights.

The upper falls at Nagkalit-kalit

We set off on the road north out of town and after about 20 minutes came to the starting point of a 40 minutes walk to the Nagkalit-kalit Waterfall and swimming hole. We had to hire a local guide as the trail is unmarked but it was not a huge imposition. The walk included crossing a few shallow creeks - or maybe it was the same one multiple times. Of course with all the boat trips cancelled we were not the only ones going to the falls - we met a few groups on their way back. The walk took us only about 30 minutes and the falls were nice if not spectacular. The swimming hole was not huge so we waited until one group got out before we waded in to cool off. Afterwards we took a steep trail a bit further to see another waterfall just upstream. No big swimming hole there though there were some very slippery rocks that lead to Laura very nearly doing a face plant. Luckily Laura's reflexes were good so there was no serious damage done.

Nacpan Beach

After the hike back to the road we travelled on to Nacpan Beach which was an adventure in itself. The last half hour or so was on an access "road" that made a goat track look good by comparison. It was serious 4WD terrain and the poor little motor-trike did an outstanding job of getting us to the beach. The beach itself was nothing special really but there were lots of people who had made the same torturous journey there in motor-trikes. More sensible ones arrived by motorbike. After a walk on the beach and delicious fruit shakes from the very rustic onsite restaurant we tackled the ride back to El Nido. At one point we slid sideways into a rut on one of the muddy sections so Laura and I had to hop out while out driver managed to get the trike back on track.

Rice fields on the way back from Nacpan Beach

We were happy to put our feet up back in our room for a bit over an hour before joining our driver again for the 10 minute ride south to Cabana Beach, which is the nearest point from which you can actually see the sunset. I managed to get some nice (I hope) shots of some local children playing on a coconut trunk that had fallen into the water. Once the sunset spectacle was over we headed back to base - with high hopes that tomorrow the seas would be kinder and we'd at least get to do one of the boat trips we had planned on.

Sunset at Cabana Beach

I noticed first thing the next morning that there was no wind, which I figured was a good sign. Sure enough the coast guard had given the all clear for the first time in four days and we were able to check-in for our "Tour C" boat trip at the Boutique Cafe. Soon after 9:00am we were under way.

There were 11 of us in the motorised outrigger and we were soon treated to the sort of scenery found in Vietnam's Ha Long Bay or Thailand's Krabi coast - rocky outcrops rising almost sheer out of the sea. It was about an hour of motoring before we reached our first stop on Matinloc Island, known as Secret Beach. The trick here is that the beach can only be reached by swimming through a 2 metre wide hole in a rock wall. It was pretty clear that this was was something you'd only want to attempt when it was dead calm, and as pleasant as the swell was it was by no means dead calm, so we moved on. Next stop was at an abandoned residence that would surely have qualified as the ultimate hideaway.

Our boat a the lunch stop

A little bit further up the coast we stopped at a beach where we were able to do some snorkelling while the crew prepared lunch. The underwater topography reminded me of Santorini - where the bottom just drops away out of sight about 10-20 metres off shore. Before that happened though there was some very colourful fish and large star fish to be seen.

After the nice lunch of bar-b-q fish, chicken wings and salad we motored across the small strait to Tapiutan Island where we dropped anchor for another snorkel. No steep drop off in the ocean floor at this site and most of the coral looked the worse for wear but there was still an abundance of colourful fish life.

The headland we snorkelled around after lunch

On the way back we had another look at the entrance to Secret Beach but if anything the swell was even bigger and there was no way anyone would have wanted to attempt swimming through it. Last stop was at Paradise Beach beach on Cadlao Island for about an hour where, after a quick dip, we went for a walk to the other end and back.

Once we had made it back to El Nido our first stop was the bakery where we picked out a few delicacies to tide us over until dinner time. After a much needed shower - and before we could get to thinking about dinner - I realised that my small Canon camera was missing. Normally it would be in a pouch on my belt but today, of course, it had been in my backpack. I can only guess it fell out on the boat (but the cruise organiser said nothing had been found) or while I was fishing around for my wallet at the bakery (and of course no-one had handed it in there). It will be sadly missed. :-(

Dinner turned out to be a rather odd progression of events. We ended up in a little establishment where I ordered first because Laura had to borrow my glasses to peruse the menu. And yet once Laura had ordered, her meal arrived in pretty quick time. When mine still hadn't arrived by the time she had finished hers we asked if mine was still coming - and it transpired that they had forgotten it entirely. It seemed to take much longer to prepare as well, though not long to wolf down by the time it eventually appeared. We subsequently ordered a dessert which we shared, and just when we were about to pay and leave I was delivered a plate of hot chips - apparently they came as part of my meal!