Upon arriving in El Nido, Lucy and I took a trike to our hotel, Four Seasons, which was actually called All Seasons, but I think they found out Four Seasons is an American chain and so they sort of sucker you in with the name. It was a very nice hotel, not exactly what I was expecting, but nice. And it was beachfront so that was definitely a plus. But I'm getting ahead of myself. After the mixup with dates in Puerto Princesa I was looking forward to checking in, having some nice dinner, and getting some good sleep. Unfortunately, they got the dates mixed up, not my fault this time, and they had no empty rooms. So they put us up in a hotel on the other side of town, called Viva Rosa - it was the theme for our trip apparently - which was decent. It was a bit out of the way but it had hot showers and soft beds. I was very glad to be changing hotels the next morning though as we discovered it also had too many roosters and not enough quiet. Now, there are roosters all over the Philippines, and when I say all over I mean just about every family has one, cock fighting is big there, but this hotel had at least 3 and they had crowing competitions from about 4am til we left at 8:40, when the Four Seasons trike finally showed up, 40 minutes late. We caught the tail end of breakfast at the Four Seasons hotel, and then did a bit of exploring. The beach in front of our hotel wasn't nice, though the view was beautiful, but we found that if you walked down a bit and turned the corner there was a beautiful private beach just waiting to be relaxed upon. Which we promptly did. After a bit we headed into town and did a bit of exploring. The hotel was on the very outer edge of town, which was sort of a pain but at the same time nice because it meant the area wasn't swarming with tourists. It also meant that when we walked to town, we could have taken a trike but we thought it'd be nice to get a bit of exercise and we didn't think it was that far, it turned out to be an hour walk with not enough sunscreen on my back. And so I got my first burn of the vacation. It wasn't too bad though and went away within a few days.
We spent the next 5 days doing pretty much the same. Relaxing on the beach, making occasional trips into town for dinner or shopping, and basically just forgetting that the rest of the world existed. With the exception of an island hopping day trip somewhere in there - days stopped having names and numbers, there was only yesterday, today, and occasionally tomorrow - which we booked through our hotel. We left after breakfast and saw a couple of lagoons, had some fish cooked over a fire pit on the beach, and got to do some snorkeling. It wasn't exactly the highlight of the vacation but it was a nice break from the town, although there were far too many tourists at all of the locations for my taste, it was sort of a teaser for what was to come on the Tao boat. Our last day in El Nido we stocked up on sunscreen, checked in for our expedition for the next day, and went to sleep giddy and ready to start our boat trip. So after a relaxing week of beaches and small town El Nido, the first part of our vacation ended.
The next morning we woke up bright and early and headed to the Tao office for some amazing coffee and to start our expedition. This was the highlight of the vacation. We would be spending 5 days and 4 nights on a boat, sleeping on remote islands, enjoying the catch of the day - although I was in no way prepared for how delicious the food was - and getting to see the beautiful and remote parts of the Palawan islands the way they were meant to be seen. The trip is through a company called TaoPhilippines and they are the only company that does trips like this. The company was started by two guys, Jack and Eddie, from the UK - Eddie is Filipino but went to university in the UK and met Jack there. Eddie went on vacation and fell in love with the country so on his next vacation he brought Jack with him. Jack had the same sentiments as Eddie and so the two started this company to show people the hidden beauty of the remote islands of north Palawan. They also have social welfare projects and build schools for children on some of the islands. Overall it is really just a phenomenal company, aside from the most amazing experience I could have ever hoped for on a vacation, they are making it a point to give back to the community they are now part of and are making a difference in the locals lives everyday. Anyway, if you want to know more about the company you should check out their site, and if you ever go to the Philippines you should absolutely take a trip with them. You won't regret it. So, on to my trip. :] Sunday morning they loaded up our big bags onto the boat. We were supposed to be on the largest boat, Buhay which means "life" in Tagalog - the local language - but some of the people scheduled for the trip dropped out and so with our smaller numbers we ended up on a slightly smaller, but just as amazing boat named Aurora, for Eddie's late mother. We were ferried to boat with our day bags by guy named Edrian in a small motorboat, where I had my first, and only :], fall of the trip. Not really a fall as much as a slip. When I stepped into the boat I didn't think to take my flip flops off and because it was wet in the boat I slipped forward, almost going headfirst into the water. Everyone had a good laugh, myself and included, and we made it to the boat without any other complications. Which was good considering it was a 2 minute ride. Once on the boat we met the rest of the crew, DenDen, and Chance, the other two guys that would work the boat with Edrian, Johann, our expedition leader for the first day, his boat is Buhay so we were supposed to be with him but with the smaller group, and the smaller boat, we would have a different expedition leader, but she just got back from a trip and asked Johann to take the first day so she could rest. There was also Captain Lito, Mharjo, the chef, and the engine mechanic whose name I could not, and still can't, remember. Oh, and of course, Tiger. She is an island dog that lives on the boat. After everyone was aboard the boys pulled up the anchors and we set sail. The first night we stayed in Bacuit Bay at Tao Village - about 10 minutes from El Nido, though we took a bit of a longer way to get in some snorkeling. The island where we stopped for the night was absolutely amazing. We pulled up in the boat to a beautiful white beach, the clearest water I've ever seen, huts hiding in the trees, and a hammock swaying in the wind. A couple of the guys got a fire going while people started showering. I went for a swim in the ocean and could not get over how clear the water was. Even when it was 10-12 feet deep, I could still see the bottom like it was only a few feet below me. After a nice swim I took a nice shower with a bucket. Running water is nice but I don't mind the bucket, I think Korea has sort of transitioned me into that. And it was fresh spring water from a well in the jungle so it washed away the sweat and salt of the day and left me refreshed. Then we all got a free massage from some of the women who lived nearby. Tao pays them to take care of the village and to give one massage to each guest when they come through. For us it was the first night, but if we had done the reverse trip from Coron to El Nido it would be the last. Regardless it was amazing and everyone agreed that they did such a good job they deserved tips. Then it was time for more food. Mharjo (pronounced Mar-jee-oh) was the chef and he makes the most amazing food I have ever had in my life. No questions asked. Everyday we had something different for breakfast, be it eggs and vegetables, fried eggplant, porridge and fruit, or pancakes it was delicious. Lunch and dinner were always some sort of fresh fish cooked over a low fire or coals by one of the guys, usually Edrian, and an assortment of vegetables by Mharjo. I mean really, I can not even express to you all how good this food was. So after an amazing dinner, we cleared the table and sat around sharing stories with the other guests on the boat and Jack and drinking rhum and coke or rhum and pineapple juice til late into the night. Now back home I don't like rum and thought that it would be the same anywhere but rhum in the Philippines is delicious. It doesn't even taste like rum. The rhum in the Philippines is called Tanduay and it is dangerous. So, after much drinking, laughing, and debauchery, we called it a night and made our way to bed. We stayed in huts built up off the ground on mattresses the boys set out for everyone. They even gave us sheets and hung our mosquito nets for us, though I didn't find them necessary.
I woke early the next morning and caught the sunrise, spent some time talking to Eddie and indulged in amazing coffee that Eddie's grandmother sends to him from north Philippines that she grows and sells. It was the best coffee I've ever had. You can see now why this trip was so good. Aside from being in the Philippines and all of the amazing sights, every time I turned around there was incredible food and coffee waiting for me. And, with being active everyday I even toned up and didn't gain any weight. I wish I could live like that everyday. So, after everyone was up, fed, packed, and ready to go we just had to wait on Zaza to get there and then we were off for the day. Once Zaza came the trip took on a bit of a different feel. When I met Johann he immediately made me think of Jack Sparrow. As our expedition leader, you can see how this would be good for the trip. Zaza was a different story. She's nice and everything, but she's not much of a people person. Johann took the time to get to know, or at least appear to get to know, the guests whereas Zaza sort of acted as though she had better things to do. At least that was the way I felt. She was really nice and not necessarily antisocial or rude, it just gave the trip a different vibe. Anyway, once Zaza got there we were on our way. We spent the rest of the trip doing pretty much the same. Stopping to snorkel and for lunch, amazing dinner and breakfast on the islands, beautiful reefs and days spent lounging in the sun or swimming. It was absolutely paradise. If heaven is different for everyone there is no doubt in my mind that mine will be a beach. With the sun warming my face, waves crashing on the shore or lapping at the boat as music drifts with the wind, soft sand between my toes, and good friends for conversation. Life just doesn't get better than that.
More in the next post. :]
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