Paradise Found: Our trip to El Nido--last day

Day 4

After breakfast of tapsilog (beef, fried rice and egg), danggit (dried fish), and puto bungbong (a purple colored steamed rice cake), we headed for the docks for a final jackfish feeding. This was about 8:45am and our bags will be picked up from our rooms by 10:30am. There was a group of folks who, instead of feeding, were going to snorkel and swim with the jackfish. Why didn’t I think of that? After deciding that I could make a run for it and get all ready in less than two hours, I went back to our room, took out my swim wear and snorkels from our already-packed bags and headed out to swim with the jackfish. It was a decision I will never regret—not that I would have any reason to, the boat will not leave us right?!  It brought me such joy to be able to swim up close with these big black creatures (and other fish we would normally see in a marine aquarium) and snorkel one last time. I do not know when I would be able to go snorkeling again. I did not want to leave, but after I had my fill, I ran back to our room, showered and put my wet swim gear back into the luggage. By this time, hubby and the girls had gone off to a coconut hat making class where they were shown how to make beautiful hats out of coconut leaves. To make it more fun, they fashioned some dragon flies and crickets to put on top of the hats. By 11:30am we were set to ride the boat back to the main island. Before taking off, though, they had to weigh all of us again with our luggage and I was afraid to look at the scale. I am sure my weight would reflect all the food I feasted on! But I carried with me my backpack and camera on the scale just so the real number will not be revealed. Ha!

And so we went, from the small boat to the big boat, to the jeepney and the 20-seater plane back to Manila. We may have been a few pounds heavier (or maybe not, seafood is light, right?) but we will always cherish the wonderful memories we had at El Nido.

Paradise Found: Our trip to El Nido--Day 3 at Lagen, Dibuluan and sunset cruise

Day 3

We went to Lagen Island on the third day. We secured a babysitter to watch over the girls for about 3 hours while we went hiking and snorkeling. The hike itself was challenging.  Our guide, Ike, helped us through the trails, where we saw ancient trees such as the Antipolo with leaves bigger than 12-inch pies! The roots of the giant trees rose about 5 feet from the ground. The path was steep and rocky. It would have been a very tough hike for the girls. I did not see any long-tailed Macaques, which hubby and DD-2 claimed to have seen at our resort. After our 40-minute jungle hike, we reached the other end of the island--a beautiful beach with fantastic cliffs. The sight made the hike even more fulfilling! Ike radioed a boat to come pick us up and take us around the island back to where the girls were waiting. I did not think I could have managed another 40-minute hike back. I need more exercise!  Meanwhile, the girls lounged at the infinity pool while waiting for us. We swam a little in the pool before we headed to another island, Dibuluan, for more snorkeling and to have lunch. I have a feeling the islands wanted me to stay, for again, we had a crab dish they called Seafood Fantasia. I will fantasize about this for sure in the months to come.

Our babysitter stayed behind in Dibuluan while we headed off to another island, Entalula. Hubby and I took turns snorkeling while the girls enjoyed playing with sand castles, sand ice cream and whatever else their imaginations allowed. We stayed in a big Nipa hut which had chaise lounges and hammocks.

We then went back to Miniloc where we took off for our sunset cruise. We headed out close to the South China sea and waited for the sun to set. The girls were a bit bored and wanted the sun to set already. I made sure I took a couple of Gravol to counter my sea-sickness while we were drifting. When the sun finally set, it was glorious! The colors were oh so beautiful, another perfect creation. Beautiful images like those really make you count your blessings!

To end the day, we had dinner of crispy pata (fried pork legs). How can they make me leave now?! The skin was crispy and the meat tender. I kept coming back for more suka/toyo (vinegar/soy sauce) with onions, garlic and red pepper. As we were having our crepes and tea for dessert, the cultural show began. The girls really enjoyed the Pandango and Tinikling dances. We were not brave enough to try these with the dancers, though.