Hey All!
We said goodbye to the Philippines on Wednesday after almost 6 weeks of touring. We loved every minute of it! Can't say we were too sad to leave though, as we had Thailand to look forward to!
Our last stop in Phili was the island of Palawan. Surrounded by limestone cliffs and crystal clear water, this was the most beautiful island we have ever been to. After picking Danni up in Manila, we took a plane to Puerto Princesa. It didn't take long for us to introduce Danni right into the life of a traveler, as we jumped right onto a Jeepney to Sabang. No better way to do as a Philippino does then to ride atop a Jeepney! For three hours the three of us huddled among bags of rice, bananas, and an array of other foods, clothes, and luggage. We arrived in Sabang slightly sun-burnt but happy to be there. We stayed in a little hut just off the beach for two nights. The main reason for stopping in Sabang was to see the Underground River (apparently one of the new natural wonders of the world..). You gear up with a helmet and lifejacket, jump on a little boat and tour through the caves for about 45 minutes. It was really neat to see, but I think we could have done without all the "this rock is called Sharon Stone" "this rock looks like a mushroom!" "oh look, it's a turtle rock" "what does this rock look like?!" I've also never seen so many bats in my life!
Sabang was nice, but the place we really wanted to be was El Nido! We took a 6 hour van there(we met a Philippino man from Grande Prairie! His name is Dave and he works at the Den! Such a small world) and arrives to sunshine and backpackers!
El Nido is a little nook of paradise. Great people, great food, and even better beaches. We met up with a few people we had previously met in other areas of the country, which was really cool! Walking into our hostel the day we got there, I almost ran right into Val coming from the beach, and before that we walked right by Chris, the Kiwi we met in Sagada! Later that day, we also met up with 2 Aussies we were in Sagada with. Our first full day there we went on an island hop. We spent the day snorkeling, swimming, and sitting on the beach! The lunch our guides made for us was amazing! We stopped on an island, and they hauled their baskets out, chopped up a bunch a fresh fruits and veggies, cooked up rice, fish, and pork, and we sat on the beach and filled our bellies. So tasty. We ended the day burying Val in the sand, and watching the sunset. Unreal.
A couple days were definitely lazy days, where we literally just read our books, wrote in our journals, and relaxed in the sun. It was so nice not making any plans. Just wake up, eat breakfast, sip a coffee, and..sit. Sit, eat, go for a swim, repeat.
One of the highlights was an overnight camping trip on a little island. 15 of us met up, and with 11 bottles of rum lined up on the beach, we set up tents, started a fire, and ate another delicious fish fry thanks to our guides. My favorite part was when we went for a midnight swim and seen how the water lights up when you move. It was as if my fingers and toes were sparking in the water! A couple of us that had never seen it before were swimming around like little kids, yelling and laughing, splashing the water. Andy loved getting to know our Philippine guides, and falling asleep under the stars(no way was he sleeping in a tent! The only downfall was him not having his hammock!). I won't go in to detail on the fact that all 11 bottles of rum were very empty in the morning...
One of our last days on the island we rented Kayaks(although I think Andrew underestimated Dan and my strength..getting back against the current was NOT an easy task!). We kayaked to another little island, swam and hung out on the beach. Worked up an appetite on the way back, so we stopped for a yummy falafel burger at Blue Azul.
Another highlight of El Nido was renting motorbikes with our Swiss friend Nico, and driving 45 minutes to a totally remote beach. There was NO ONE on the entire beach all day! This Beach was long and wide, with warm, clear water! The boys played frisbee while Dan and I did some sand writing. We spent most of the day here, none of us could get over the fact that we were the only people on this beach(check out Facebook for pics!) Another amazing day.
Food was awesome in El Nido as well! Yummy muesli for breakfast, curries and squid, pizza and falafel. A super good variety(although being in Thailand now, the food is is waaay better!).
The last 11 days are so hard to put in to words, I can sit here and describe what we did, but it just doesn't do the island, people, ocean, any justice. The friends we left behind are people we really hope to run into again! Judging by the way people travel in southeast Asia, I have a feeling we will do just that! Danish, Swiss, American, Finish, the list goes on for the countries we are now welcome to visit a friend in.
Leaving the Philippines also meant sending Danni off, back to Canada. It felt strange having her go home, and us to another country! It's still a little crazy that we have until July to travel. But, we are loving every minute of it, although we think of everyone at home everyday!
Ps I wasn't joking when I asked who was coming to visit next!!
Today we are off to southern Thailand. First stop is Koh Tao for some diving, then off to Koh Phangan. Actually, our bus leaves in ten minutes, so I better run!
Love to all, and I promise I won't wait so long to write the next post!
xx A&C
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