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!