El Nido pt. I

This is a photo-heavy post. Photos were captured using my phone, instax, half-frame film camera (Kodak H35), and DSLR (from APE Tours) // phone and dslr photos were post-processed by moi

November 23 – 26, 2022

At long last, Asis and I finally visited El Nido, Palawan. The whole family was initially supposed to go there in 2018. We already had our tickets, but due to budget constraints and other unknown reasons, we, siblings, and our partners decided not to go. My parents were the only ones who get to travel at that time. Another time was in 2020, when the pandemic upended everything. And finally, after two years, we were finally in El Nido! All thanks to my sister, who booked and gifted us these promo round-trip tickets. ( ´ ▽ ` ).｡ｏ♡

Technically, we stayed in El Nido for only two days. The other two days were meant for travel time, to and fro. It was honestly exhausting to have to spend a day just to get to your destination. So time-consuming, but what can mere peasants do? We’re not wealthy enough to fly directly to El Nido.

Nov 23, Wednesday – We left home around 9 am, and arrived in Puerto Princesa around 3 pm. Thank heavens, the flight was smooth. No delays. But damn, we were overwhelmed when we got to NAIA Terminal 4 airport. It was extremely crowded. Tons of delayed flights. One of the worst airports in the world. Buuuut yea, it was really nice to ride an airplane again. We don’t always get to air travel, so being up in the sky is somewhat special to me. Truly amazed at how vast and beautiful the world is from a birds-eye view. Being up in the sky always makes me feel tiny, like a speck of dust. Such a strange and amazing feeling.

Anyhoo, we rode a shared van when we arrived in Puerto that would transfer us to El Nido. The ride usually took 5 – 6 hours, but since we had to wait for quite a while for other passengers, it took us 8 hours more or less. There was also a stopover where we had our dinner. We were also surprised at how nice the roads were in Palawan—much better than the roads and highways here in the metro. Must be nice to actually see proper outcomes to where our taxes go. (」°ロ°)」 So yup, arrived at our Airbnb at almost 11 pm.

Anyway, the Airbnb I found was nice and cozy. It was just a room with a co-shared kitchenette and bathroom. It was close to everything, but at the same time, it was far from the noise and crowd. Jhustine, our host, was accommodating and responsive as well.

Nov 24, Thursday – We booked a shared island tour A with APE Tours; there were other tour packages (B, C, and D), but we opted for the most popular one. It was also the one Jhustine recommended. A tad more expensive compared to the other agencies, but it was surely worth it. I highly recommend them.

We arrived just in time at the meeting place. We were 17 on the group tour, and the boat we rode was nice and pretty big. It had an upper deck. The tour inclusions were:

Light breakfast, lunch, light snacks, and beverages // The lunch they cooked onboard were delicious!!
Free photos captured during our island-hopping experience are shared via Google Drive.
Use of life vests, masks, and snorkel
Environmental and entrance fees to the sites
Fun and professional crews

I was grateful the weather was nice that day. There were a few showers and drizzles, but they were brief. We also got to see a rainbow near the rock formations, and it was magical! I also learned how to properly use a snorkel. I was panicking every now and then because there were plenty of fish near us. Even drank a few gulps of salt water. Meh. I’m honestly scared of sea creatures, being out in the sea, and the unknown. I just made sure Asis was near me or the other tourists while snorkeling. They also played beach volleyball on our last island stopover. The tour ended around 5 pm. Such a wonderful experience. Grateful to be basked in the beauty of El Nido. ‿︵‿︵‿︵‿♡ヽ(°□° )ノ♡︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

After our tour, we returned to our Airbnb and freshened up. We were hungry again after all the activity. We browsed through Jhustine’s clear book of rules and recommendations and picked Gibu’s Bulalo Plaza since we were both craving for broth and seafood. Their food was cheap and delish! We walked around the area afterward and found these streets that were full of busy restaurants, pubs, and shops. It was as if we were in a foreign country. Foreigners everywhere! We only spotted a few local tourists. Soooo, we came upon this Ukrainian brewery where they served craft beers—IPA and stout. We stayed there for a bit while Asis finished off his beers. We also got to momentarily watch a FIFA game between Uruguay and South Korea. It was fun to watch because there were Uruguayans in the pub cheering loudly for their team. And yea, went back to our temporary home and called it a day. ♡