El Nido is LOVE (Part I)

I can say that this year is my most travelled so far, so I never dreamt or wished that I could come to El Nido this "quick", meaning not during the year. I've seen quite a few of its grandeur in magazines, photos, etc., but I never knew its beauty would captivate me this much... why? Read on...

We booked our flight May this year for Puerto Princesa. I was here 10 years ago with my colleagues but never did I forget the beauty and the mystery of this side of the Philippines. Hence, I was proud enough to demand my husband and go on this adventure since he was a bit frustrated with our Easter Boracay trip. 

I was on my usual 'out on a whim' act when I popped the question if he wanted to go to El Nido instead of the usual Puerto Princesa city-Underground River-Honda Bay tour days before our flight. At first he was skeptical. Being an equally adventurous person like me, he approved of it later and tasked me to make an itinerary. Nothing would be best to have it fixed before getting there so you wouldn't have to worry. I made two! Plan A(Puerto-El Nido) and Plan B(PP city-Honda Bay-Underground River) tours. I made initial reservations via the internet at the Hibiscus Garden Inn in case Plan A won't materialized.

How to reach it:

It was generally a good early morning flight by Cebu Pacific. We were there just right on time at the Puerto Princesa airport.

Since this trip was a DIY kind (do it yourself), we asked some people around in the Tourism desk in the airport about tours in going to El Nido. 

According to the girl (forgot to ask her name) who was manning the airport's comfort room, there is a regular public transportation usually taken by the locals, for a fee of about P500. It takes about ten to twelve (10-12) hours via a non-airconditioned bus. I can't assume if they are fixed schedules and if they have another route where they pass through and have designated town stopovers.

We were lucky to talked to some kind souls like Jun, the tricycle driver, and the one who fetch us for our Hibiscus Garden airport-resort transportation. Jun suggested someone he knew who could make our El Nido trip possible. Edwin, the van owner and Emil, his brother whose a tour guide at El Nido. We were trusting because all of these persons were accredited by the Tourism Board of Palawan which has a desk at the airport. After some deliberations on the fee and whatnots, we agreed to be fetch by 3pm at a quaint cafe, Itoy's coffee haus(popular and a must-try if you're in PP). Finally, we were onboard a van that would carry us to paradise! With us were locals of El Nido, a family of six who needed to transport their Grandmother (lying in a stretcher) back to their town after being hospitalized due to cardiac arrest. I would still remember how 'Lola' would cry out for pain every time we ran smack into a big pothole. Traumatic, actually. I would later tell my husband that we don't have the right to complain regarding the butt-breaking trip. Nakakahiya naman kay Lola!

El Nido is a town six to seven (6-7) hours via an airconditioned private van north of the Capital of Palawan, Puerto Princesa. The road lattice is generally made of cemented and of a three-hour crater-moonlike roads especially in the town of Taytay. Imagine a rallye kind of competition. Rough terrain. Zigzag roads. Dust. Obviously not for the weak and faint-hearted. We even experienced a flat tire in one of the darkest part of the journey, with no cellphone signals. Yet, I was destructed and mesmerized by the rarely seen glowing fireflies in the surrounding trees! Thank goodness for flashlights, a spare tire, the "bayanihan spirit" amongst us (and some locales in the area) and of course, the power of prayers. We were back on the road and arrived safely by 11:30 pm at the town proper.

Sweet facts:

*The Spanish term "Nido" means nest, harvested by locals in the dangerous marble cliffs of the high and dark limestone caves, a seasonal industry. These nests are made out entirely of threads of saliva of swiftlets, a bird specie. It is a main ingredient for the gourmet Nido soup. According to Wikipedia, they are being sold for US $3,000 per kilogram!

*El Nido is a small town. The Calaan Beach is not a long stretch of white sand beach like that of Boracay and Panglao, though you can swim right through it. Local kids love to swim, or just simply  frolick in the sand.

*Included as one of the provinces of Region IV-B (MIMAROPA), Tagalog is the main dialect, so Manilenyo's won't be having a hard time to strike a conversation with the locals.

*Lagen Island and Miniloc Island (wherein a flight costs almost P7000 one way), are NOT the only islands in El Nido. There is a town. Resorts are not that fabulous as Boracay, but almost all of them are beachfront and cheap.

*One need not to get fancy in getting one's accomodations in this town. A place where you can sleep comfortably and take a bath should be enough. I even saw one who just rents for P250 a night!  We were supposed to stay at the Marina, a well-appointed beachfront resort, but it was fully booked by the time we got there. Fortunately, our tour guide Emil, scouted already for a replacement. He brought us to Rosanna's, a beachfront cottage-type room available for just P1200 a night. It has personal bath, airconditioning, one single and one double bed, but w/o TV. Don't you think if you're in an island as beautiful as El Nido you have to need one? You can just sit entirely by the balconahe(veranda) and enjoy the sound of splashing waves and stare at the view which is spectacular especially during sunrise and sunsets. The towering limestone cliffs' reflections by the sea are perfect. A calming and soothing must-do activity for city souls like us.

*It has a limited supply of electricity as they are still on power rationing. During our stay, electricity was made available only 5PM to 6AM. Some hotels do have their generators. At first I was a little upset since I'm the type of person who's used to a hot shower in taking a bath. But i realized quickly that I was on a town which is very remote, far from the 'glitzy' things that city life could offer. Eventually, I was able to bask in the town's nonchalant lifestyle and in fact, missing now.

*You'll be in awe on how the sea is teeming of corals and marine life. Most of the time you don't even have to step out of your boat just to have a glimpse of them. For the first time in my snorkeling life, I saw a "pawikan" (turtle), sea urchins, clown fishes (remember Nemo?), swordfishes, and shellfishes!

*Fresh food galore! During our  tour, our guides would dock our boat on one of the islands and would usually  cook and serve fresh seafoods like Inihaw na (barbecued) Tangigue, Maya-maya, squids, pork chops, and veggie salad made of lettuce, onions and tomatoes.

*Dining at the Calaan beach and from the town itself shouldn't be missed likewise. We tried out the sinigang na Lapu-lapu, sisig at Balay Tubay all for P147 pesos, good for two people! At Swiss owned Squidos, we gorged on buttered sauced shrimps and stuffed squids with their cable TV and free Wifi! Tip: You have to go there early dinnertime since the place tend to be popular among foreigners/tourists.

*Foreigners abound more than the Filipino tourists, which I think is understandable since the 'habagat' season is not the time for beach escapades.  

*Actress Katrina Halili hails from this town, a descendant of early Chinese migrants. Folks told me that the family has a farm somewhere. She was formerly Miss Palawan before getting into showbiz and that famous scandal.

*Night life is only up to 12 midnight. A bar with a live band is frequent by locales and tourists for a night of fun and music.

Watch out for Part II- Island hopping at El Nido :)