Monday, March 28, 2011

San Vicente - Longest White San Beach

We woke up at around 05:30AM  because we had to pack all our stuff as we'll be heading back to Puerto Princesa. I took a cup of hot coffee and snap a last picture of the El Nido's sunrise. I can't  believe we had enough of the sun and the beaches these past few days. Sad to say there was not enough time to explore all of El Nido for 3Days and 2Nights, probably we have to come back again. And off we go to San Vicente.


 San Vicente's endless stretch of white sand beach

The road to San Vicente was very long and bumpy compare to the road we had to take from Taytay to El Nido. Nevertheless it was a pleasant journey as we passed by countryside scenery - from array of lush forest vegetation to hillside rice fields, it was nothing short of beautiful. So we reached Brgy. Agutaya in San Vicente before 1000 AM and welcome by the sight of a long stretch of white sand beach.  




   photos from Red
  
The place has an unlimited potential to be the next big thing, it has pristine waters, captivating islands and of course the longest white sand beach in the country (14km according to some articles I've read).  Just a bit of  observation, the sand is not that white and powdery compare to that of Apo Reef or Calaguas, still the place offers vast opportunity for San Vicente's tourism.


We were told that Shangrila and other well known resorts has already purchased properties in San Vicente. Roads and an international airport constructions are on the way.  The good thing is that even with the ongoing development in the region, strict environmental compliance will be implemented.  A 25-m easement from high tide will be observed as not to damage the beach shore. We didn't stay that long in Brgy. Agutaya as after taking pictures  we went to San Vicente Port for our early lunch. 

 San Vicente Port

Friday, March 25, 2011

Another Day In Paradise

I wasn’t feeling well for the Tour C due to the sprain, cuts and bruises I  got from climbing the Taraw Cliff earlier. The climb consumed almost half of our day, good thing Kuya Jun assured as that the Tour C will be short and there's no need to rush.  After few realizations that this will be our last day in El Nido we hopped on our boat without hesitation.

 Helicopter Island 

Dilumacad Island was the first destination. It is commonly known as  Helicopter Island because its limestone cliff looks like a  helicopter when viewed  from a certain distance. The island has a beautiful wide stretch of white sand surrounded by a turquoise shade of the water and rocky shores on the southern end. The place could have been spectacular if it wasn't for the big waves that swung back and forth.  Unfortunately one of our companion lost her underwater camera as it was taken away by the current of the big waves. It's always fun eating lunch under a shade of an isolated island it gives you a certain feeling of appreciation for simple things you usually ignore in the city life. 



While having our lunch Tommy an Israeli guy approached us asking for a lighter and from there a conversation started. We asked him what he actually like about the Philippines and told us that it's the entire place - he was amazed that there are 7,107 islands in our country compare to his hometown. Another thing he admire are our people - this man has been all around the world for their 6 months vacation and had a hard time talking to the locals of the places he visited but not here in our country as Pinoys are more friendly and accommodating. He told us that the only thing that sucks here are the airports which we simply agreed.


After the lunch we sailed to the Secret Beach and by this time the sky turns gloomy. The said beach is enclosed with towering limestone cliffs magnificently guarding Matinloc's hidden gem. To get to the Secret Beach one will snorkel  into a small opening through a limestone wall and at the corner  of the sinkhole you will be rewarded with a pocket white sand beach. Unfortunately we weren't able to visit the place because  of the strong waves, our boat wasn't able to get closer to the sinkhole. After a few attempts to haul our boat in the entrance we finally gave up - the current is just too strong. This could have been the highlight of the entire El Nido trip. As our boat leave the island, the sun hid and took away the sunny charm and wonders of the islands when it started to drizzle.

Entrance to the Secret Beach

The supposedly Tour C wasn't complete but Kuya Jun assured us that he will change our itinerary so that we won't go back to Rovics' disappointed. We went next to Cadlao Island - the biggest island in Bacuit Bay. Cadlao Lagoon pretty much resembles that of the lagoons found in Coron and El Nido's Big 'n Small lagoon One of the lagoon's distinct characteristic you'll find is the large well-defined jagged limestone. The place is ideal for kayaking as you will see beautiful limestone formations and garden of corals that serve as a magnificent setting for snorkeling or just simply wading in. The others swam  while I just rested and took a few pictures of the place.

Cadlao Lagoon


After Cadlao we visited other island which names I can't recall (probably Balinaod, Natnat and Paradise Beach). Sadly the golden sunset in Bacuit Bay signals our last day in El Nido. The group were thankful for having the opportunity to visit El Nido and appreciate nature at its best. Going to El Nido is really a pain in the ass but the sights are truly rewarding.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Closer to the Edge - Climbing the Taraw Cliff of El Nido






Besides the usual island hopping and beach bumming in El Nido another activity would be climbing "Taraw Cliff", taraw is actually a local term for the towering limestone cliffs. According to the locals we've asked the climb will take an hour to see the stunning view of El Nido town and Bacuit Bay. Our group were already worried that the climb might not push through because it's been raining the whole night. Early Sunday, morning the supposedly 16 participants trimmed down to 4 as most of our the group were pretty sleepy from the drinking session we had last night.




Good thing the sun finally showed up when we arrived in the jump off point but we were warned by our guide to take extra precaution since the rocky trails are still slippery. The presumed 1 hour turned to 3 hours as we scramble through some jagged, sharp rock edges of the cliff. Seriously this activity involves a lot of energy and nerves - because you literally have to cling on for your dear life (no ropes and harnesses) as you ascend.  At the top (around 200MASL) - we were mesmerized at the view of El Nido town, the gorgeous island of Bacuit Bay and its cove - the climb was well worth it.  With a sprained right hand, bruised thigh and leg wound this is one of the most memorable climb I had in my life. I also want to share this post about Taraw, cleverly written  by my friend and travel buddy Red.



Surviving Taraw



Food for thought.
Taraw cliff is situated on the left side of the El Nido town shore. It is a limestone rock formation that from previous centuries, maybe a home for thousands of sea creatures but today it holds nests for swiftlets also known locally as balinsasayaw. These are birds that can only be found in El Nido, Palawan and they only build their nests in mountain cliffs such as Taraw. As many would know, these birds probably have the most expensive saliva in the whole world, for each kilogram costs around 120,000 Pesos (3,000 USD). Their saliva is the main ingredient in the famous Nido Soup. After reading this blog, you would probably know why they have the most expensive saliva in the world.


The climb to Taraw Cliff.
Before our trip, we have read many stories about this cliff and how hard it was to climb and it really got us curious so we decided to take a look at it ourselves. To be honest, I did not really believe most of them until we reach our first assault; here goes the story of our climb in Taraw.


The Jump-off.
We started by riding a tricycle to the jump-off. A small wooden bridge surrounded by houses that leads to the foot of the cliff. A few steps away from the jump-off, a muddy lake was lying beside the trail, giving a feeling that it will be a nature-y journey to the top. It was raining the night before and it wasn't sunny that morning so it gave us a soft breeze to start.




Assault. Assault. Assault.
I could not find any words that would describe the next few events of this climb so i just wrote the only word I could think of three times for the chapter title. Mountaineering experience won't prepare you for climbing Taraw. It was serious rock climbing from the first assault. And when I say serious, I meant serious like 80-degree-5-storey-high-limestone-piercing-death-drop serious. I wrote many climb stories and talk about death cliffs all the time and I want to take that back for if death cliffs have a picture in the dictionary, the cliffs in Taraw should be it. There were times you will need to pull yourself up with the strength of your arms just to get to the next stepping stone and I am not the leanest person you've seen, so go figure.




Jokingly Serious.
We were four in the group (excluding two guides) and I had problems during the first assault so I came in last. The second guide was right behind me and there is this place in where we have to come around to go to the next assault. It is what others would call a fork road, or in this case, a fork cliff. At that time, I didn't know it was a fork cliff so I hastily moved up the longer path. Mang Jun, the guide, told me to pause a while and asked me if I can climb the other cliff; which, at the time, looked like a 5-storey wall of limestone to me. I asked him if he was serious and he laughed, so it gave me a brief relief. He was not moving from where he was standing which was far from where I was at that time so I asked him again if indeed he was serious; he laughed again and said yes. He said we would make up for the lost time we had during the first few assaults.


A little push.
I went down to foot of the wall, which ironically, is the fastest and safest way up according to Mang Jun. I looked up and it still looked like a wall to me. The guide was trying to build my confidence and was always telling me it was easy and I could do it. He did a pretty good job of convincing me so I took the shorter, much dangerous cliff. Right after I set off both my feet to the wall I was describing earlier, he gave another encouraging phrase, "it is easy, just don't look down and fall down." I told myself, "nice one, the first words were better. way to go Mang Jun!"


Going forward and thinking backward.
Halfway through the climb, I was thinking really hard if I made the right decision, knowing I'll come down the same way I went up. I paused a while in the middle of a long reach and looked back in every painful step to a sharp limestone, every reach I did to go to the next stone, every muscle I stretched to pull myself up and every little sweat I shed while climbing. And then I remembered the stories we've read, how beautiful it was at the top and it gave me further strength to continue. After a short daydream, I looked down at my feet and I swear there were around 15 fat mosquitoes sucking my leg. I tried to shake them away with my hands but they didn't want to let go. After a few seconds they all went away, the alcohol intake I had the previous night probably helped me for the mosquitoes flew away after tasting my blood.


Life changing jump.
I caught up with the group at a place we call "life changing." One way to describe it is if you look at the movie poster 127 hours, it is the closest thing I could think of to picture the place. We have to lean back and take a little jump to get to the next part of the climb. I did a mistake of not following the first parts of Mang Jun's instructions earlier, I looked down. And I was hoping, praying, calling all angels for me to follow the next part of his advise, which is not to fall down. It was a long way down and there were spikes. Like an obstacle in an Indiana Jones movie. We all made it through and we laughed about it after wards.




The summit.
After a few bumps on the way to top, we all reached the summit two and a half hours after jump-off. The pictures in the internet would not match the view from where we were standing. El Nido's medium-sized cove, covered by mountains, fronting a clear blue beach and sand, surrounded by ant-like creatures roaming around which were townspeople and foreigners, torn-up rooftops and a sunny sky. The view was breathtaking. The feeling was rewarding. Suddenly all the pain went away after a deep breath from the summit breeze.










Crashing back.
Time stopped for a short period and like the waves we saw crashing to the cove; anything that went up will slowly go back to where it came from. After taking our conquered photos, we went down the same way we went up. Contrary to what I thought earlier, it was easier to get down. Maybe because gravity worked with me half of the time. Climbing down a wall is probably easier than pulling yourself up a wall. Terrible thing here is, you have to look down so you'll know where you'll step down next.


The pleasant smell of burnt rubber.
After a few ups and downs to the cliffs of Taraw. A smoke was seen a few meters from where we were. And frankly speaking, burning rubber is not the most pleasant smell you could inhale specially when you are gasping for air. But the smell of this burnt rubber never felt so comforting for we know that we are near the town proper. And yes, after two more minor assaults, we have reached the source of the smoke, a bunch of kids making trumpo (tops). We made it down. After 3 and half hours, 7 battle wounds, 2 major contusions, ripped shorts and shoes we finally conquered the cliffs of Taraw.


Keys in surviving Taraw.
There are numerous tips to survive Taraw, two of the most important are: don't look down and don't fall down or simply just don't be nervous and don't die hehe. Kidding aside, this is a different ballgame from mountain hiking, so wear proper shoes and don't bring much with you. If you can't help bringing your SLR, at least be ready for a few dents after the climb. I brought a Lumix and still found it hard not to bump it along the way. If your halfway there and you're about to give up, remember that the summit is worth it. And the story you will bring down with you is the kind of story you can tell your grand kids over and over. 
  
This post is also featured in our friends site http://leavethecube.blogspot.com/

Monday, March 21, 2011

This is My Idea of Heaven - El Nido





Rovic's Pension House location was just perfect as it was only a hop and jump away from the beach. At around 7AM everybody was already up  and done with taking a bath while some were eating breakfast . I decided not to take bath since we are going to swim the entire day anyway.




Simply put it this way El Nido has the best scenery you won't see anywhere -- from towering ageless limestone cliffs , serene lagoons and  pristine white sand beaches that is consistent throughout of all the islands.  El Nido is a top destination for island hopping  There are many booking agencies which offered various island hopping tours but since we stayed  in  Rovic we just booked our tour with them. El Nido is composed of more than 45 islands/islets so it's daunting which islands to hopped on to or which cave or lagoon to explore first.These tour packages are grouped based on the islands proximity to each other. Anyway here are some of the tours offered by various El Nido booking agencies:




Tour A: Big Lagoon, Small Lagoon, Secret Lagoon, Simizu Island, Seven Commando - 500
Tour B: Pangalusian Island, Snake Island, Cadugnon Cave, Pinagbuyutan Island,
              Cathedral  Cave -600
Tour C: Hidden Beach, Matinloc Shrine, Secret Beach, Star Beach, Tapiutan Strait -700
Tour D: Cadlao Lagoon, Helicopter Island, Paradise Beach, Natnat Beach, Bucal Island-600

Prices are per person that includes packed lunch (pork bbq/chicken,grilled fish/squid,fruit and veggies). Almost all of the tours are the generally the same across all booking agencies which can be modified as well, as for our group we opted to combine Tour A and B for 700.



                                                       The rocky side of Pinagbuyutan Island  


Pinagbuyutan Island
The first island is Pinagbuyutan,never mind the name because  the beach is awesome although its hard to swim because it's a bit rocky . The stretch of soft,white powdery sand makes it great for a place to just stay in a hammock.From what I've heard this island was featured in the 1997 cover of Lonely Planet.
 Lagen Island
Lagen Island
We weren't able to actually hopped on this island because this is a private resort - one of the luxurious resorts in the area. Maybe next time. This place serve as a pit stop of Amazing Race during it's 5th season.





  Cudognon Cave


Cudognon

Next on our list is Cudugnon Island. You will crawl through a tight opening of the cave to get inside. The shining light through the cave's give me an impression that is actually a shrine. 
There is a higher area for some scenic perspective that requires a little bit of rock climbing.  We ate our lunch here and after a bit of lazing out in the small hut we moved on to the next island.


                                                     The not so visible S-shaped sandspit



                                                       view on the other side of Snake island



 
Vigan Island
Just when we thought it was all sunny that day - rain fell down while we're on our way to this island. It is commonly referred to as "Snake Island" because of the distinguished trailing s-shaped sandbar that snakes off its shores. There's a hill in the island where you can climb that provides an excellent view of the neighboring island.We weren't able to clearly view the sand spit because of the rain. After some leisurely swimming across the shallow water, the rain stopped and we head off to our next destination for some fish feeding frenzy.




 Snorkeling in Pangulasian's coral reef cluster

Pangulasian Island
The long stretch of white sand beach is promising view from our boat but that's the closest thing we can get according to Kuya Jun our guide as this is a private resort According to Kuya Jun, the original resort was put on fire around 1990's due to some electrical malfunction, it is only now that the resort has been on the verge of restoration. True enough there were a lot of fish - which we feed to our delight. The Turtle Island is can also viewed from here - home to Bacuit Bay's pawikan and butanding.




Big and Small Lagoon of Miniloc Island




 Cruising through the mystic Big Lagoon
 
It rained again when we cruised along the towering limestone cliffs of Miniloc Island. If you watched Lord of the Rings and remember the River Anduin scene with towering statues, this is the feeling you'll get as you wade throughout the shrouded labyrinth of the Big Lagoon. Towards the end of lagoon we see a small platform, according to Kuya Jun the platform serve a spot for a wedding ceremony. After all the kulitan we then head to the lagoon's mini-me version called Small Lagoon.


 Small Lagoon

We had to swim a little to get to the other side and getting through a small hole opening in the karst. Inside is a beautiful lagoon, surrounded by giant limestones. The water gets deeper and deeper as you wade your way through the lagoon. This is a perfect spot for kayaking. After spending some time inside the lagoon we were greeted by monkeys as we go back to our banca. Perhaps two of the most revered  treasures and  the most dazzling of the gems of El Nido.


  


7Commandos Beach




 7Commandos Beach


The last stop of the tour and the spot of our sunset dinnerHere, the water is a amazing baby blue, with lush greeneries in the background. Kuya Jun dropped us off to this island as they head back to the resort to get the food for our dinner.  While waiting we pretend like we're Derek Ramsay (patay tayo dyan) and played Frisbee the whole time. It was a little bit dark when our food arrived and hungry so we just helped them dinner set up (tables, monobloc chairs, light up the sulo). As Kuya Jun was about to strummed the guitar for a perfect sunset dinner it rained again, oh well we then just rushed finishing our dinner. The food served was delicious indeed- there's the liempo, grilled fish, veggies, fruits  and for the longest time I was able to eat suso (snail with coconut milk).
  Frisbee Time
 
Time well spent for the first day in paradise. But the day wouldn't be complete without the inuman hanggang madaling araw with the rest of the gang in the resort.


Thursday, March 17, 2011

Balay Tubay

Having so much  adventure for our first day in El Nido - the 5 hour van ride, side-trip in Taytay and sunset walk at Corong Corong, one might think we call it a day - nah!  we search for a nightlife in El Nido .

There are a few bars tucked in along the beach but  the nicest place to hang-out after dinner would be Balay Tubay. It's an artsy restaurant that offers live band music  and serving appetizers, pizzas & various dishes the made the place became a popular  El Nido night spot for local and foreign tourists.

 Balay Tubay

Just a bit of history of the place, Balay Tubay is actually a Cuyunin word for "My Fathers House". Built 1931 at Barangay Sibaltan  El Nido, Palawan it became a safehouse  for the guerilla resistance  during the Japanese occupancy in 1943 . It is also known as one of the oldest house during the last decade until its demolition in 2004. Local musicians gather here nightly until the wee hours of the morning to perform  type of music thats perfect for an  "in an island-setting"  mode whether if its Bob Marley, Beatles, Jack Johnson or 311, the local bands will not disappoint with their own version. 

 Local Artist perfoming a Jack Johnson song
 
The indigenous setup and artwork of the place made me feel that I'm actually in Saguijo. Around 9PM the place began to fill pretty quickly as the band started to perform reggae songs. Prices here are affordable considering that this place is labeled "high-end" in this side of town. With rockin' live bands, cold beer in your hand,  and surrounded by friendly  locals this is the perfect way to end a day in El Nido.

 Ice-cold San Mig Light, Sam Pinto where are you?

It would have been perfect if the place is located along the  beach  as the place can get pretty hot at night. The place is not as easy  to find, but any local will happily point you in the right direction. Walking along Calle Real  from town hall  if you happen  to see a small shack on the right side with some dreamcatchers  this is the place.

 Local band performing Eraserhead's Maling Akala

Look for the dreamcatcher.

Calle Real St,
Bgy. Buena Suerte,
El Nido, Palawan
Tel: +63 09167307266

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Come Around Sundown - Corong Corong Beach

 Around 4:20 PM after a very tiring 5 hour van ride we finally arrive at the town of El Nido. We immediately check our rooms at Rovic's Pension House and met Ate Sarah who helped us deal with our concerns and made us feel very welcome in El Nido. The place should have been an ideal place for sunset but the limestone cliff formations facing the Bacuit Bay blocks the magnificent  sunset views. We were told that Corong-Corong beach is a good place for sunset viewing.

Corong Corong Beach



     We become silhouettes

Not to waste time we took a 10 minute tricycle ride around the corner of El Nido town to Corong-Corong, known for it's impressive sunset views. Corong-Corong is a very long beach which offers a really nice afternoon walk or should I say sunset walk. We finally stopped walking after finding a good spot to capture
El Nido's sunset just in time for its golden hour. And just like that Corong-Corong won me over.

                                    
If you're planning to go to El Nido include Corong-Corong in the place to visit, truly an idyllic beach known for its magnificent and impressive sunset. Just a 3km distance from the centre of El Nido town it can  easily reached by walking up the road  or just get a local tricycle to drop you off.

Friday, March 4, 2011

The Long Road to El Nido and Fuerza de Santa Isabel

There are 2 ways to get to El Nido. Either you travel by land via Puerto Princesa  or straight to El Nido via ITI plane.Since the latter is an expensive option for us and we're composed of a big group we opted to hire a private van instead  (good thing the van we contacted allowed 14 of us with our baggage). At first we're a bit hessitant on getting to El Nido since travel time requires  us to endure a gruelling 6-8 hours of travel time through rough road according to some articles we've read in the web.  Good thing we were told by Kuya Atong our driver that roads going to El Nido has improved through the years as  travel time  is now reduced to 5-6 hours. Our van departed at  around 10:00AM  from the airport and stopped at Fort Wally, Roxas for our lunch. The ride was smooth from Puerto Princesa all the way to Roxas since it was all paved.
Fort Wally, Roxas 

After our lunch we had our stopover at Fuerza de Santa Isabel in Poblacion, Taytay.   The Taytay Fort, the Fuerza de Santa Isabel stone fortress was built in 1667 under the Augustinian Recollect Fathers and named in honor of Spain's Queen Isabela II in the 1800s, It is composed of four bastions - named after the following saints San Toribio, San Miguel, San Juan and 
Sta. Isabel. A chapel was also built  inside the fortress named Justification for Outstanding Universal Value Satements of authenticity and/or integrity.
 Facade of the Fuerza de Santa Isabel
 Entrance to the Fortress
Chapel erected inside the fortress
Here is the complete history of the stone fortress:
The fort was first built as a wood palisade in 1667 under the Augustinian Recollect Fathers. After 71 years of forced labor (Polo) and material contributionsby the subject Taytayanos, it was completed as s stone fort in December 17,1738 by Tomas Castro, the Spanish military engineer, under the command of Capt. Josef Tierra de Salcedo in 1700, the first batch of exiles or DISTIREROS from Luzon and Visayas were recruited to help in the construction of the fort.
 
It was constructed to protect the inhabitants from the attacks of the Moro pirates from Sulu who hide from the mask of piracy to fight the spread of Spanish colonization and growth of Christianity. The Spanish occupation was also a threat to the standing trade relationship among the Moros, Chinese, Malaysians and the local inhabitants. From 1730 to 1739, Datu Bigotillo and 3,800 Moro pirates were sent by Maulana-Diafar Sabiesa, the Sultan of Jolo to take over the Fortress of Taytay. The fort was a collosal obstacle in their piratical forrays.
A view from the Fortress

Don Geronimo Sundillon as the first hero of Taytay. During the 21 days siege posted by the Moro pirates in 1739, Sundillon was captured. The pirates asked him to point the secret passage of the fort. But instead,exposed the pirates to the fort sentries, thus curtailing the plan of a surprised attack. Bigotillo thinking he was betrayed by Sundillon commanded his men to torture him. He died as a martyr and saved the local inhabitants  and the Spanish people from further aggression.
 Another view from the fortress facing the Taytay Hills

During the siege of the Moro pirates, the legend of Sta. Monica, the patron sainrt dress in white garment, her identity unknown, advised them to boil water and fats extracted from the slaughtered cows and carabaos.It was poured down on the scaling pirates causing the walls to be slippery and scalding the marauders as well. It sent the attackers to their surrender. They re-emabarkd and sail back to Jolo, never to bother the Taytayanos. 
*words were taken from a brochure in the Fuerza de Sta. Isabel Information Center.

The caretaker of the place were friendly and accomodating that we obliged to do drop cash donations for the preservation of the fortress. After that we embarked again on a grueling ride to our target destination - El Nido.

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