fine.. i’m fine.

So, I have a couple of days left here in the island. It’s bittersweet. I want to leave but at the same time I don’t want to face the “real” life that awaits me in Denmark. I want to leave because I feel like I’ve already out grown Puerto and the people. I only have 2 people here that I’d be really sad leaving. Which is yeah.. sad. But at the same time I can finally let go of this little island and live whatever life in Denmark is going to offer me.

But secretly, I still hope my flight gets cancelled so I don’t have to come back for a looooong time.

Dos Palmas, Palawan, Philippines

pool by the beach

Since Rey and Xingy left, Helena, Michael and I have just been bumming around the house, watching DVDs and eating. So we decided to take a day trip to the closest island resort called Dos Palmas, it’s called Dos Palmas because when approaching the island you could see two palm trees sticking out among the other palm trees, so yeah. However a couple of years ago, one of the palm trees just fell.

ANYWAYS, we went to Dos Palmas with my little brother since he hasn’t been out of the house for a couple of days, he needed a little bit of sunshine. From the boat station in St. Lourdes, the boat ride took 45minutes. Slept both ways so I didn’t get to see the other islands, but yeah, Dos Palmas has changed a lot. They renovated pretty much everything, from the pool, to the bike path, to the gift shop.

my brother, me, michael

new and improved pool

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A day trip package includes round trip boat transfer, welcome drink, lunch, free use of snorkels and kayaks, boat transfer to snorkeling site, coffee and tea throughout the day, and all their entertainment stuff. Using the pool costs money, but since the beach wasn’t that exciting we opted for the pool. No people.

The people in Dos Palmas are REALLY friendly and attentive, the island is really beautiful however after seeing Boracay beach and El Nido corals nothing could compare, the beach in Dos Palmas was just bleh. If in Palawan, it’s not really a must see place, but if you’re in Puerto Princessa and have nothing else to do and want to have a little bit of luxury for a day at a pretty good price Dos Palmas will be a good time killer.

Sabang, Palawan

The Entrance

Sabang, home to Puerto Princessas Suberranean River (aka Underground River). From El Nido we drove another 6 hours to Sabang. We were suppose to spend a night there but we wanted to go back to the city the same day so we decided to just do it all in one day. We arrived around 10am, found out we were number 277, I’ve been to the Underground River 3 times before and back then the line was never that long. The most we had to wait was 15 minutes. It’s crazy the amount of people who come now since that whole New 7 Wonders of Nature voting started.

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We were told we had to wait around 2 hours, so we decided to take the Monkey trail. Lets just say, the Monkey trail is like the mini-version of the Great Wall in the forest, with all those uneven steps and the thigh burning, the panting, and an extremely painful stitch. I didn’t even make it half way, so I decided to just go back until I was cornered by a monkey and a monitor lizard.

monkey trail

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monitor lizard

We made it in the cave 12:30, right before the boat men’s lunch break, it was awesome, even though I’ve seen it a couple of times, it was still pretty cool. I can’t really describe how it is to be inside the cave. Cool lime stones, crazy dark, lots of bats..  and that doesn’t even give it any justice. Anyways, you just have to see it for yourself!

on the way out

After the underground river, we caught a boat to Sabang beach to have lunch at a palce called Taraw. Their food was awesome, all grilled, eaten off a banana leaf, and a really big coconut on the side. SO yeah, this was the last leg of out trip when we’re all together. Two days later Xingy left for Denmark.

El Nido, Palawan

El Nido

After the partying in Boracay we headed to El Nido, Palawan, a quieter and more primitive place. From Puerto Princessa we took a 6 hour car ride to El Nido city. We stayed at a place called Bayview Hotel. In the city electricity ran from 2pm-4pm and 6pm-6am and every night at 10pm really loud sirens go off telling little kids to go back home. The city is soo small but very cozy. People there were used to tourists but the place doesn’t look touristy at all.

breakfast at our hotel

Most of the time we were there we went snorkeling. We rented a boat with my aunts boyfriend there to guide us. We first went to Small Lagoon, no pictures since we had to swim to get there then we went to a couple more islands, I can’t really remember since my head was still a little hazy from waking up at 4am.

The next day we went to the Big Lagoon, we managed to get the boat in, we went snorkeling and then trekked through the forest for a bit, we got to see where they had the elimination ceremony for Survivor (French). The corals were awesome and seeing all the different fish was cool. It felt like I was in a fish tank.

entrance to the Big Lagoon

The next day we rented a kayak and kayaked into the Big Lagoon, this is something you have to do, it was surreal. Michael, Xingy, and I were the only ones there. It was really beautiful. On our way to Helicopter Island we saw dolphins, I’ve never seen dolphins in real life before so I was jumping up and down like a little girl in a candy shop.

dolphins

From all the snorkeling we’ve been doing, our backs were all sore and badly burnt but it’s all good. There wasn’t really much to do in town, so bring something to entertain you! Overall, it was nice to be in a place that wasn’t as hectic as Boracay, in El Nido you just go with the flow, no one around to stress you out, no annoying vendors.

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El Nido is a nice place, definitely worth a visit when in Palawan.

Boracay

Boracay was awesome.. it was smaller than I expected but the water IS crystal clear and the sand is soo fine.. We partied all night and sunbathed in the day and drank our mango shakes when the sun set. It was truly paradise. I met some awesome people as well… I have awesome memories in Boracay and maybe one day I’ll be back.

We were lucky that for the 5 days we were there, the sun was shinning even though just days before we got there, there was a typhoon. Nightlife was alright, good enough for low season, I was kind of expecting more places to go clubbing, but most of it were bars. One bar had awesome location, lighting, and music, the only thing missing is a dance floor. But still, we had tons of fun, a truly unforgettable experience.

Sunset

by Ray

So yeah, I don’t really have much to say  about Boracay. I loved it there and I will be back soon!

See you there!