Since I got my Ipad two years ago, I RARELY use my laptop these days so this post is long overdue. If my photos were on my Ipad I could have posted earlier but I only use my phone to take photos and it's quite difficult for me to create a post on my mobile. Anyway I finally had the time to transfer media files to my persocom (coz my 64GB is almost full!) so here we go.
I've been to Puerto Princesa and Coron but I've only been to El Nido, Palawan last month. El Nido, if you don't know, is spanish for 'The Nest'. It's named after the edible nests found on the island (made from swiftlet's saliva) and considered a prized delicacy. From memory, our tour guide mentioned it cost Php 10,000 ($250) for a gram! Jesus. I changed my mind on trying this dish out when he mentioned the price. From what I hear, it's also because the supply of bird's nest has been rapidly declining. Not to mention acquiring these nests require superb mountain climbing skills!!
It's also where some scenes on the movie, Bourne Legacy was filmed.
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| Bird's nest soup is made from swiftlet's saliva which you can find inside caves on top of sharp, mountain-like limestones. |
It's common misconception when people think travelling to El Nido, Palawan requires a lot of money. It is!! If you don't know where to look. You book hotels or resorts on private beaches then it can cost as high as Php 70,000 ($1,800) per night however booking at the local town, it can cost as low as Php 5,000 ($130) per night. As you know, I'm quite the traveller. A smart one. So we've booked at the local town in Ipil Suites. The owner of this resort is a friend of my auntie's that's why we availed here. We also got discounts since we booked our stay during Manila's travel expo. For more information, you can visit this link:
http://www.ipilsuites.com/elnido.html
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| My travel companions. |
Tour packages are also price fixed, meaning all local travel agencies in El Nido have agreed to offer the same tour at a fix price so don't bother wasting your time canvassing or haggling.
TOUR A: Php 700 *$18 per person
Big and small lagoon, Simizu island, Secret Lagoon and 7 commando.
TOUR B: Php 800 *$20 per person
Pangulusian, snake and Pinagbuotan Islands, Codognon and Cathedral caves
TOUR C: Php 900 *$23 per person
Hidden and Secret beach, Matinloc shrine and Helicopter Island
TOUR D: Php 700 *$18 per person
Caldao Lagoon and Paradise Beach
You can also arrange customized tour with them if you prefer. During our 3 day stay, we availed tour packages A and C. Here are some photos taken on my mobile so you'd have an idea what it's like. I don't have much and photography isn't exactly one of my skills.
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| The island hopping humbled boat |
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| My typical selfie. Our room is good for 6 people. |
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| Palawan is surrounded by limestones |
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| Clean beaches compared to over rated Boracay |
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| This house is on Ipil beach. It's not part of the tour but since my auntie mentioned I'm coming over, they took us here. My auntie's friend owns this house as well as Ipil Suites. |
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| I don't know which is more breath taking, myself or the view. Just kidding! |
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| Hidden beach of tour C. You'd have to swim across lagoons with huge jellies to get here. Be careful too because April is jelly season! My friend got stung here. Jellies as big as your head! |
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| You can also kayak here. There are parrot fishes underneath the corals that are quite hostile so proceed with caution. I got bitten by these bitches haha! Seriously they mistook my foot as lunch. |
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| Snorkel on crystal clear water |
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| Mandatory two piece selfie. Let's just hide my tummy fats! |
My coron blog post is here if you're interested: http://thegoddessfreya.blogspot.com/2012/05/next-stop-coron.html
I'm flying to Bali in July so I'd add it here in my blog soon. If you know any good resorts and tour packages, hit me up please!
