To get to paradise, we had to take a 16 hour trip to Hong Kong, a 3 hour layover, a 2 hour trip to Manila, an hour and a half ride on a 20-seater plane, a jeepney ride, a big boat ride and finally, a transfer to a smaller boat.
Day 1
Getting to Miniloc Island in El Nido, Palawan took many months of planning. We had to do the booking and payments remotely but it was definitely worth all the trouble. A few days after Christmas last year, we headed off to El Nido. We arrived early at the terminal. The lounge of Island Transvoyager was nice and muffins and coffee were served. Because we were riding a small aircraft, there was a very strict luggage allowance policy. They weighed all of us and luggage for each passenger could not exceed 10kg. Riding a 20-seater was not as scary as I thought it would be. I actually got some nice aerial shots of the islands, the seats were not cramped and there was enough space with one person per row on each side of the plane.
At LIO airport, we were greeted by locals singing beside a carabao-pulled cart. The kids have never seen a carabao up close. Snacks of kutchinta (rice cake) and coffee were served and the girls relaxed on the “duyan” (hammock) while waiting for our jeepney ride. The jeepneys were slightly bigger than the usual, to fit the taller resort guests, we were told. Upon reaching the pier, we got into our lifejackets and our boat. Our guide, Raymond, promptly handed us towels to make sure that we were prepared in case we got wet. We then transferred to a smaller boat so that we could get closer to the island. We were really amazed at the conservation efforts of the El Nido resorts. They did not use anchors so as not to damage the corals.
We were again greeted by song, welcome drinks and coconut leaf leis. The girls were very excited about the other activities to come. We then got to go to our cottage which was on stilts above the waters of Bacuit Bay. It was lovely. Nicely decorated with indigenous materials, it had a loft which would be the girls’ room for the next three days. Outside, there was a lounging area on the porch where I would later enjoy drinking my coffee or tea while looking out into the waters.
We promptly arranged our activities with our coordinators. While this was to be a relaxing trip, we had to have some sort of a schedule to make the most out of our vacation. And to have somebody prepare this for us was absolutely liberating! All we had to do was show up! I wondered if I could bring them home.
After our lunch of crispy crablets, adobo (a local chicken dish), and garlic rice (among other buffet delights), we had our dessert of halo-halo (made of shaved ice, milk, and mixed sweets and fruits). Then, we were off to check out the Big lagoon and Small lagoon. These had been the settings of a few Survivor episodes and Amazing Race ones as well. At the Big Lagoon, we saw limestone cliffs up close and our guide explained to us how El Nido got its name. El Nido is Spanish for “the nest.” Swifts make nests inside these limestone cliffs which gatherers are able to sell for about US$5,000.00 per kilo! These are often used in Chinese soups. It has been quite a while since I had Nido soup but I wouldn’t say I particularly liked it.
We fell in love with the Small lagoon. Our guide managed to find a big enough kayak for all of us to fit in. Darling Daughter #2 (DD-2) sat in front of me and Darling Daughter #1 (DD-1) sat behind me. Our guide handed hubby the oar and when I asked if I would paddle, he said, no, I needed my hands free to take pictures. Love this guide! Hubby kept saying how strong and masculine he was, paddling for all four of us that DD-1 had to say, ok already! To get to the Small lagoon, we had to pass an opening just big enough to fit our kayak. The waters were emerald and very serene. We felt we had to whisper or else we would ruin that beautiful calm. The cliffs were majestic and there were sprinkles of lush trees on them. We were in awe. It felt like we were in a movie. How can such beautiful places exist in real life? The feeling was surreal and I couldn’t help but be thankful that we were able to see and experience this magical place. I hope I took enough pictures to remind the girls of this trip when they are older. Better yet, I hope that image is etched in their memories like it is forever etched in mine.
The girls just played on the beach when we got back to the resort and then we enjoyed a buffet dinner of grilled white snapper, tuna steak and mango crepe for dessert. Our waiter, Arnel, advised us that they had some soy milk shipped just for us since we advised them that DD-1 was lactose intolerant. Now, that is what I call service!
Back in our room, the cleaning staff left us a print out of a local legend, which we read to the kids before sending them to bed. Amazing attention to detail!
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