el nido

oh yeah.. i know.. its paradise.. ^__^ we spent four days in this paradise.. exploring, swimming, snorkeling, hiking etc..



so it all started when my sister, Kathryn, called me while i was having my driving lessons with my uncle. she called asking me if its alright to rebook my ticket back to ormoc because she's taking us to el nido! i was like YEAH! obviously she doesn't have to ask such silly question.. haha..

so we just met at the airport at A. Soriano Hangar. it was a small airport.. they've got flights for amanpulo and el nido only. amanpulo is this another resort island. so there we checked in and their waiting area is cool. well maybe because of the pricey plane tickets.. its like 13k per pax for a roundtrip ticket. they serve snacks while we wait for the others. its just a 19-seater plane. the airlines' name is ITI which stands for Island Transvoyager Inc. so we hopped into that tiny plane with the other tourists. we were the only filipinos aside from the pilot and his co-pilot.

while on top i saw taal lake and laguna de bay.. manila to el nido is a 75min plane ride. as we landed we were welcomed by a grouop of locals singing folk songs about palawan. the first thing i did when i arrived was get my phone and send a txt msg but then i was greeted by empty signal bars.. tsktsk.. no signal for sun cellular.. just globe and smart. we hopped into a tricycle and looked for a place to stay. we checked out a few and then settled at island front cottages. we got the biggest bungalow coz we're 4 and its perfect.

when we arrived we asked directly for tour packages. it was still 11am so we decided to take our first tour. we changed into our swimsuits and then we took tour A. (by the way they've got like 6 or 8 tour packages) the best is tour A. its where you get to see the lagoons! first we went to small lagoon. it was the best! it was my favorite of the whole trip.. :) then we went to the big lagoon. we saw the popular photo of el nido with all the limestones. our tour guide said it was the favorite spot for photographers. that place even became a magazine cover a couple of times. then to miniloc island. we took our lunch there. went on snorkeling. then we went to another great snorkeling spot. i forgot what its called. when we got there, there were a lot of people. i can see why. the life underneath us was great! i soo don't wanna leave that place. i want to swim with the fishes. i saw all this colorful and cute fishes. i even encountered fishes that i've seen at ocean park! ^__^ then i think the last stop that we had for that day was the 7-commando beach. it took its name from a ship that sinked near that island. and yeah we caught up with all the other tourists. so then i found out that all tour packages in el nido are the same. the last stop for tour A is at 7 commando beach. and again we were the only filipinos. there were arabs, germans, russians, french, koreans, indians, americans.. etc. most tourists at that time of year are europeans. it was like we stepped into another country because we felt like we were strangers on our land and they were the locals. hahaha..

after the tour we went back to our cottage, took a shower and got ready for a stroll at the town.

so at the town we looked around. it was really nice because you get that very rural feel. everyone's nice and accommodating. we went for a lil shopping. then had our dinner at.. i forgot the resto's name.. sorry..

the ff. day we had breakfast at the place where we were staying. they serve free breakfast for guests.. i had pancakes. and they're HUGE! probably the biggest pancakes iv'e ever had (i almost used 1/4 of the maple syrup).. after that we then prepared to leave for our tour for the day which was tour B. its main attraction are the caves. by now i can't remember all the islands that we went through. all i can remember is that we went for another round of snorkeling and then we went to snake island! it was nice! it got its name from the sand formation. its because at low tide you can actually see the sand and walk in it and its formed like a snake. you can cross from one island to the other. it was super nice. :) we had our lunch there. then went to another island to explore some caves.. going into the cave was hard bcoz it has such a small opening. we saw those endangered birds (i forgot what its called) then some bats.. then we went further inside they've got this crazy spiky rock formations. our tour guide went up there and we were so jealous so we decided to climb up there too. only to realize that it was sooo hard. not only did we went caving we also had rock climbing. (if you're faint hearted don't try it. you might just trip. and its dangerous). but me and my sisters are all up to it. so yeah we all did it and the tour guide was impressed. hah! (smug face) ;) then we went to this another island. its called cathedral island(im not quite sure about this) because its rock formation looks like the interior of a cathedral. had a little swim and when we looked what's beneath us it was SCARY! you can't see the bottom! it was freaking deep! and at the sides you can see the base of the island. it was super scary. if you look at it for so long you'd feel like you're being pulled towards it and you can't get back to see the sun.. ohhh.. that was scary.. then i think our last stop was at (again, im sorry i forgot the name) its the island where you can get the bird's nest! you know those nests that are made out of a bird's saliva and it costs like 100,000 per kilo locally. and when you sell it at international market it'll sell like 300,000php.. yeah.. those nests.. then back to the mainland. took our shower and headed for town.. had dinner at this really cool restaurant. the place kinda looks like boracay.. but i don't want it to be like boracay.. i like its serenity.. it gives me peace of mind.. :) it makes me happy..

the ff day we decided to go explore the mountains. we were up so early bcoz the tour guide said we should start early. before going there though make sure that you've put on a lot of insect repellent. mosquitoes and bugs thrive in their mountains.. anyway, we hired 2 tricycles for 1whole day. we went up hiking, river trekking and visited nagkalit-kalit falls. the waterfalls looked so tempting and since we felt so hot while walking under the sun for an hour we decided to jump in and cool ourselves.. it was freezinf cold! but it was fun! the water was deep thus we jumped there a couple of times.. after the waterfalls we went to visit the hot spring. the place was not developed yet.. its still in its natural form. it was so hot you can literally cook you're food there.. when you visit it try to bring an egg and you'll see what i mean.. then we head back to island front.. i just the spent the rest of the afternoon reading, scanning books from their mini library (they've got books from all over the world), enjoying the view in front of me, relax at the hammock.. it was paradise.. i feel so content and happy... its those kind of moments wherein you just think over your life. look back at the many forgotten pages.. reflection. then you think about your goals.. you know. stuff like that.. an alone time w/ yourself and w/ paradise.. times where i usually forgive and forget. when everything seems to be in perfect place.. haaayy...

the next day was just laid back. we had our breakfast. then we packed our things. then i whispered my goodbye to the beach telling them that i will be back. :) off to the airport. and back to manila... ^__^

manila

a vacation within a vacation within a vacation.. my 3-week stay in luzon was like inception.. hahaha..

i was planning to blog about it since i got home but i was too lazy.. tsktsk.. so i think i will miss a few stories but ill try my best to remember the things i did in the big city with the help of my trusty lil planner.. :)

day1 - took the 1:40 flight from tacloban to manila. my aunt was waiting for us at NAIA3. went to sta. lucia to pick up a cousin. and then to vista verde at cainta to hang out and let the relatives know we're around.. haha.. then to my aunt azon's place.

day2 - mayee's oath taking at manila hotel. on our way there i saw some historic buildings and streets.. it was nice. :) 52nd birthday of my mom and her twin brother and 23rd for my late cousin, che-che

day3 - went to Quezon City to look for a house for my younger sister. somewhere near st. Luke's hospital. we just took a cab since no driver was available. while waiting for a cab on our way home, the rain suddenly poured. and it wasn't a normal rain. it was heavy rain. the kind of rain that could start a flash flood.. heavy rain + no ride = worst possible scenario! boy it took us hours to get a ride! i was just singing to myself "heto ako basang basa sa cubao..." from that time on i said to myself i will never live in manila with my future family. (except for a job and when im single) boy it was tough. can't live like that.. city public transportation is something i can live without.. haha.. im content with my rural lifestyle.. if its urban then id choose cebu..

day4 - my aunt, mum, and sister went back again to continue looking for a house. i stayed at home. never will i torture myself again like that. in the evening we went to eastwood to just hang out. :) friends had a few drinks at the bedroom(name of the club) i had blueberry cheesecake! went around looked for a mall that's still open. there are lots of malls in there.. bought some candies. friends left. we waited for our pick up. stayed at dairy queen. i had their cheesecake icecream. it was super yummy! love it! went home around 2am. :)

day5 - went to Mall of Asia for the first time. :) they say its the biggest mall in asia. i dont find it so huge. it was just okay. idk why. mayee and i got matching flat shoes at TOMATO. it was cute. me and my younger sister has a lot of things similar. haha.. we've got the same dress, shoes, tank top, shirt, shorts, etc. only different colors.. haha.. i saw an ice skating rink! i so wanna go skating but we're running out of time because we still have to attend a party at the club house.. it took us 3-4hours to get back home. from MOA to cainta, rizal. TRAFFIC!!! in my mind i was cursing every passing hour.. tsktsk.. really really bad traffic.. arrived at the party around 9pm. bonding with the relatives..

day6 - we visited che-che at garden of gethsemane at antipolo. then we drove mama to the airport for her 2:40 flight. me and my sister attended the cainta ward (just across robinson's at junction)

day7 - i forgot what i did. i think i just stayed at home

day8 - me and my cousins watched SALT. it was pretty neat but i was disappointed with the ending. i really hate movies that'll leave me hanging.

day9 - mayee and i decided to go to divisoria. JUST THE TWO OF US. haha.. we're crazy! we took the the LRT2 and got down on recto. then we took a jeepney going to divisoria. it was like colon 10x busier, dirtier etc. (and all the other ers u can think of) we went inside 168 mall. heaven! hahaha.. got some really good deals. good thing im kinda good at haggling even if im bisaya.. haha.. for some reason they understood me.. went home satisfied.. :) i love it there. i bought so many compared when im at SM or ayala. i could've just bought 2 or 3 dresses with that money.



day10 - we were supposed to go to Manila Bay to do some rowing using the Dragon Boat. but we lack a few willing participants thus it did not push thru. tsk. anyway, in the afternoon i just decided to get another student permit since i lost my first one at cebu supercat terminal. i got myself a new student permit at marikina LTO. i saw humongous pair of shoes! saw a shoe museum and lots and lots of shoes.. :)

day11 - driving lessons with my uncle joey. while having my driving lessons i got a call from my ate telling me to rebook my ticket because she's taking us to EL NIDO!! me and my younger sister screamed! hahaha.. so we went to Robinson's Galleria to rebook my ticket. instead of aug9 ill be leaving on the 13th. after rebookin my ticket we got hungry. we looked for a fast food that's not in cebu. so we looked for wendy's but couldn't find it. since we soo wanna have a good burger and fries we decided to transfer to another mall. we walked to SM Megamall and looked for wendys. we used this touch screen mall map to locate it. good thing it was near because we were starving! i had their bacon and cheese burger. it was yummmm!! to satisfy your stomach go biggie!! and then after that we walked around and then we saw this shop with lots of bags. the store was on sale so my sister and i decided to buy a late gift for my mum :).. we got her a cute elegant orange bag.

day12 - Mayee's 21st birthday!!! we went to ocean park! lester,(mayee's bf) came along with us. he let me pay for his entrance. what a DB.. tsk.. anyway, we had fun at the park. lots of pictures but my sister has not uploaded it yet. remember: no FLASH! we saw this really huge fishes. as in HUGE.. the tube was nice but i wished it was longer and wider.. lots of sharks but not the huge ones. i was hoping to see a really huge shark having his lunch.. haha.. after that we went to MOA to meet up with mayee's friends and have lunch there. we had our lunch at JATUJAK. its a nice thai resatuarant. really good food. you should try their beef curry.. it was heavenly. ^_^ then toured around the mall. we went to baywalk and enjoyed the sea breeze.. took pictures and then it suddenly rained. went back inside the mall and mayee went shopping for stuff.. went back home tired but happy.. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAYEE!! MWAAHH!

day13 - went to antipolo to visit my cousin again. then attended the cainta ward again. made some friends. got some chocolates from the RS. went home and packed for our 4-day getaway to el nido palawan. :) EXCITED! but i have one huge problem. i didn't pack any swim wear. i wasn't expecting that we'd go on swimming.. tsk..oh well.. i have to work with what i got.. :)

day 14-17 - vacation at el nido. another blog entry. :)

day 17 - im supposed to fly back home the following day so i watched inception with my cousin and it was great! the movie was great! rarely do i get to see a really smart, well thought of plot.. 2 thumbs up to chris nolan! i will surely wait for your next masterpiece. :)

day 18 - my scheduled flight was on 2:40. i got there an hour before my flight. i hate Cebu Pacific. they took my seat away. i already booked that flight almost a month ago. i bought my ticket july19 and then they just gave it away. i wasn't even late. so to make up for the inconvenience they've caused me they gave me a voucher for a free flight within six months.. tsk.. so much for friday the 13th.. oh well.. maybe ill just use it sometime soon.. hopefully.. idk..

day 19 - left home really early. i was at the airport 3 hours before my scheduled flight. alone. i took my lunch there. really expensive food! waited and waited and waited.. i just listened to some feel-good music.. :) and then it was announced that our flight will be delayed. great. anyway, got on the plane around 3:15 read a magazine and before i knew it we were already landing on tacloban. :) jeepney ride to vhires. arrived at ormoc around 7:30pm. i miss m my hometown. no traffic. :) the thing i missed the most is my INTERNET CONNECTION. finally! reunited. ^__^

i had a great time in manila. ^_^