What to buy in Puerto Princesa

Aside from the usual tshirts, you can also buy stuff unique to Palawan, like a rain stick my mom got(P150)  or buy a wooden crocodile toy for P65 that wiggles depending on how you hold it.

Where to eat in El Nido

One of the most affordable restaurants in El Nido is the Skyline Grill. Lonely Planet calls it a slightly more upscale version of the turo-turo or carinderia.  You can choose from the different dishes behind the glass counter which range from P30 up, or you can order something from the menu, which are around P100 and above.  You can also buy something from the market and have them cook it for you for a reasonable fee.

Where to stay in El Nido

I chose Marina Garden Resort not only because it came highlt recommended by a friend, but also because it had a very informative website and most of all, it was the only one I could find that had  satellite TV! I tried not having a TV last year in Coron and only brought my portable DVD player but we got bored! Plus, it was an election year and we just couldn't stand not knowing what was going on in the rest of the country.

Where to stay in Puerto Princesa

If it's within your budget, try to stay at Puerto Pension, which has gotten good reviews.. Or you can stay where we stayed, Audissie Pension , which is just beside Puerto Pension on Malvar street.

Day 5-6: Bye, El Nido ,Back To Puerto Princesa

We had to wake up early one last time to catch our 7am van to Puerto Princesa. We'll surely miss having breakfast by the beach

Day 4: Island hopping Tour C

Tour C is adventure day! We went to Hidden Beach where we saw an anemone where some clownfish live, Matinloc Shrine, a deserted beach for lunch, Secret Beach and Helicopter island where the waves were unusually strong but Pa and the family enjoyed facing the crashing waves

Day 3: Island hopping Tour A

Above: The tranquil beach of Corong-corong.

Tour A consists of a trip to Miniloc Island's Small Lagoon, Big Lagoon, Shimizu Island, Secret Lagoon and 7 Commandos beach. We paid Aling Pacing P500 per person for this group tour(Lunch and water provided). Also note that you also have to pay an environment fee(whatever that means) of P100 each, which is valid for 10 days. P200 each if you're a foreigner.

Day 2: El Nido town

I always thought El Nido was too far, too inaccessible and far too expensive for us. But I was wrong. El Nido can be affordable if you do your research. One of the most important tips I got from the net is that you can go to El Nido town by bus(P300 per person) or aircon van(P600 per person ) via the Fort Wally terminal. Get a trike to take you there (P150 for maximum 5 passengers)

Day 1: Puerto Princesa

April 22, 2010. Day one of our Puerto Princesa-El Nido adventure

coron part 2

We went to one of the wrecks and fed some fish while snorkelling...

This is a short video of me trying to feed the fish while shooting. Wait till the timer reaches the one minute mark. Fish aren't the brightest creatures in the ocean. It took a while for them to realize the shiny white thing was bread.

Then it was off to the twin lagoons where you have to swim through a small hole to get to the small, secluded lagoon which Twinx voted as her favorite place for its romantic possibilites.

This is a video of me in the lagoon and I had no idea all sorts of fish were swimming beneath me! Next stop was Kayangan Lake but before you get there, you have to climb some 10-15 minutes but the view from the top is postcard-perfect! They say this is where the soap "Dyesebel" was shot.This is a cave we chose not to explore because Kayangan Lake was beckoning.It's the country's cleanest lake and it's not hard to see why. It's crystal clear and you can see the bottom no matter how deep it is.And it is very deep! Jon accidentally dropped my snorkel here and we couldn't get it till a small Tagbanua kid dove down and got it for us.

I like the fact that there is no moss on any stone though I can't figure out why. There are tiny long-nosed fish and snails that live in the lake and also some shrimp who like to tickle my Papa's toes!

As a final treat, here's Twinx showing us Kayangan Lake while singing the theme from "Dyesebel"

Note: Kayangan Lake is open until 4 PM only so get there early to get the most of your P200!