bacuit

june 2010's highlight was my return to el nido. in 2007, the trip was with mark, det, varbs and greg. this time, i went with elke, mylene, kr and joey. apart from the 6-hour van ride and regular brownouts, this town has all the plus factors. not as expensive as people might imagine, el nido boasts of bacuit archipelago, hidden beaches/ lagoons, breathtaking limestone formations, relaxing atmosphere and the overall sense of being away from manila's daily grind. budget food and accommodations are easily available and most of the resorts are now offering free wi-fi.

i'm still not sure if we'll be able to salvage our pics in pambato reef (from izhi's camera), but here are some of nice shots from el nido. (",)

we got an air philippines flight (PHP 734) to puerto princesa back in february. upon arrival at the airport, our van (660) from fort wally (contact number: 0917-2762875) was already waiting for us. we went back to puerto princesa's north terminal to fetch the rest of the passengers. after almost 2.5 hours of traveling we had a very late lunch at fort wally's resto in taytay. at almost 5:30 pm, we arrived at el nido. we checked in at Marina's, had 'budget' dinner at one of the carinderia's in calle real and booked our island hopping at kuya nath's (0926-4531106). we chose tour c (650 per head), but opted to have the small lagoon included in our trip. next day was all about islands, white sands, limestone cliffs, snorkeling, boat ride and that very nice lunch in an island all to ourselves. we headed back to el nido poblacion, just in time to refresh and get ready to travel back to puerto princesa. yes, we rented the van (kuya bert: 0919-7444286) for 1,000 per head, so that we can maximize the whole day in puerto princesa's honda bay.

next trip to el nido should include a day without anything to do but to lounge around the poblacion beach. also, tour d will be the main activity and to also include some quick visits to some of el nido's waterfalls. i don't know if i'll be able to negotiate my way atop el nido's limestone cliffs overlooking the entire town. it'll really be a huge challenge, especially without the proper climbing shoes.

i'll definitely come back! (",)