#TitaMargaTravels: El Nido, Palawan
July 11, 2017
*Disclaimer: This was an original post on my Tumblr, but now I'm transferring it here.
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| Photo via WeHeartIt |
One of the many things I will be posting here will be my travels. The ironic thing about me is that I love the idea of traveling (which is why I took up international studies) but I’ve never traveled until last March. (My previous out of town travels were only to Tagaytay, Batangas and Baguio--and we would do the same thing over and over again, so it got very tiring.) Yes, I’m 22 but I only rode my first ever plane ride last March. It was a surreal experience, to be honest. A real milestone. My boyfriend even has a video of me literally freaking out when we were taking off. So yes, my travels from then on mean so much to me, because I’m basically a late-bloomer in traveling.
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| Photo via WeHeartIt |
So going back... #TitaMargaTravels. I decided to compile my travels under that hashtag/title. I’m literally not a tita by the way, but my friends do liken me to being one. (Side note, if you’re not updated with what a Tita of Manila is, brush up on it here and here.) Anyway, that’s not the point. The point is, this is just an introduction to all my future travels.
(Disclaimer: these took place over two months ago, so I’ll try my best to remember the important details!)
El Nido, Palawan, Philippines -- March 18-21, 2017
For my first ever out-of-Luzon travel, I went to El Nido, Palawan with my boyfriend, my two older brothers and their girlfriends. It was only a short stay, but it was really, truly worth it. Our flight left Manila at around 7:30 in the morning and we took Air Asia going to Puerto Princesa. (You can also take Philippine Airlines or Cebu Pacific, as these two airlines also offer Manila-Puerto Princesa and vice-versa trips.) Like I said, since it was my first time, I got to sit by the window! The trip was roughly an hour. That was nothing. The fun begins when you land in Puerto Princesa Airport: the van ride. Here’s the thing: there are no direct commercial flights from Manila to El Nido. Only small exclusive planes can be accommodated by El Nido’s quite small airport. You can take a flight from Manila to Coron though, but the catch is, Coron is a separate island from the mainland of Palawan, whereas El Nido and Puerto Princesa are on the same mainland. However, Puerto Princesa is way down south, and El Nido is up north. If you thought the plane ride was quick, wait for the land travel.
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| Mandatory I-got-the-airplane-window-seat-so-I-should-take-a-photo-of-its-wing photo |
When you get to the airport, normally there should be vans in the area that will take you from Puerto Princesa all the way to El Nido. Guess how long the drive is? 6 hours. Yup, it’s even faster to go from Manila to Puerto Princesa, if you think about it (but of course it’s by plane!). Anyway, that 6 hour drive should include a lunch stopover at a small floating restaurant-type (they have pet rabbits and a monkey, it’s super cute!!!). (Tita tip: it’s best to already have a van booked prior to your arrival in Puerto Princesa, so you won’t have to worry about your transportation when you get there.)
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| Our view from the hotel room |
We stayed at Rainforest Beach Hotel, one of the beachside budget hotels. It was a good hotel. The rooms were clean, the bathroom was decent. They had friendly hotel staff, and television and aircondition of course. Their “suite” even has a jacuzzi and a gorgeous view of the beach. (Tita tip: make sure to make the most of your stay at El Nido, because we stayed for four days but we were only able to do island tours for two days. The other two days were just for travel alone. Yep, the travel from El Nido to Puerto Princesa and vice-versa takes up basically your entire day.) 3.5/5 for the hotel, by the way! And the locals are just amazing. They’re very warm and welcoming to tourists and Filipinos alike. Being there felt like I was in a different place, but seeing the locals, you knew that you were still in the Philippines, and you weren’t far from home.
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| Provincial life in El Nido |
We were on a package tour, which in my opinion is very convenient for those of you who are first timers like myself back then. All meals were inclusive -- breakfast was served at the hotel (which was nothing spectacular to be honest, but it was enough to energize us for the day), lunch was included in the tours (this on the other hand, was extraordinary! I’ll get to more of it later). The only thing we had to worry about was dinner. Basically, for your budget, bring at least PHP5,000 because the food at the bars are quite expensive. There isn’t much night life in El Nido, but occasionally you can catch some fire dancers by the beach.
So as I mentioned earlier, we were on a package tour. There are four different tours, but we chose Tour A and Tour C, which are the most popular ones. Tour C, which we did first, was more of white sand beaches and literal island hopping. We did some snorkeling too. Tour A, on the other hand, was more of sightseeing the different hidden lagoons and beaches. We also did a bit of snorkeling and kayaking. This one I really enjoyed. Also, as I mentioned above, lunch was already included, and the tour guides cook it on the freaking boat! Yes, there is literally a grill on the boat, so while we’re swimming at sea, we could smell the grilled squid, pork belly, fish and literally grilled anything! Imagine that right now. Paradise.
Here's more of our adventures!
For more photos, you may check out my photography page or my instagram. Basically, my first out-of-Luzon trip was definitely one for the books! I can proudly tell my kids one day, “Your mom didn’t get to ride an airplane until she was 22, but the first place she went to was paradise.”
You were lovely, El Nido! I can’t wait to go back!
♥, Murgaloo
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