Down Southwest: Palawan II

Day 2: March 6

3AM, on our way to El Nido. Rent for the van was 10k for an 8-hour drive. Short stopover at Fort Isabel in Taytay.

El Nido. Woohoo!

Limestone cliffs as its backdrop. Ganda. Mas maganda yan sa totoong buhay. =)

Stayed at Sunset Lovers Point, a 20-minute tough walk from town proper. Beachfront, but not swimmable. Call it false advertising [those Websites]. Ok naman yung place, dini-develop. Give it a year or two. Yung owner naman masyadong mahiyain, hindi proactive (some orientation on customer service might help).

If you're into relatively long trails and literally peace and quite, you may give it a try. Otherwise, look for an accommodation closer to town.

Grabbed a quick lunch at Tubay Dos, second branch of Balay Tubay. Another artsy partsy cafe. Arvin bought a wooden boat paddle, with a nicely done tribal design, for only P200. Had some deliberation on what to do and where to go after lunch.

3PM, hired a boat to take us to nearby islands for an afternoon swim. Our guide was an hour late. Tsk. [Mukhang in demand sya sa foreigners.]

First hop was Helicopter Island. Relatively expansive beach with rugged shoreline, strong current, and sea floor that abruptly deepens. [Lifevest is vital.] Second hop was Cadlao Island (or was it the island beside Cadlao Island?). Secluded, rocky, not a good snorkling site but a good photo shoot location.

Nakakatakot na nakaka-excite yung dagat. Pa-cute na snorkling lang muna yung mga girls. Mabait yung guide na iniwan sa min nung main guide. I forgot his name. Basta sabi nya sa totoo lang daw sa kitchen sya assigned. But he's a strong swimmer anyway. =P

Returned to town at around 7PM. Weathered the taxing trek back to the cottage and the blackout due to zoning (where electic supply on a particular area or zone is generated at certain hours of the day). Lasted out our way back to town for a late dinner. Decided on Squidos. House pizza for the two of us. Shrimp for Rosch. Crab for Arvin. And a safe food choice, which I couldn't remember, for Sol. Went to Marina to inquire about island hopping package and to make a room reservation for our day three. Explored the town just a little bit. Waited until 10PM for the lights before we went back to our lodge.

[We realized two things on day two: we were not so into that kind of peace and quiet plus a demanding trail; and we had been putting our trust a little too much on Hany.]

Pero kung kami lang dalawa yon? Long walks wouldn't be an issue.=)

Day 2 was almost 3 stars.