Palawan: Enchanting El Nido

I read somewhere that whenever you’re in the dentist’s chair for a procedure it is best to think of your feel good picture. To make the whole experience as painless as possible, they say.  Back then, I always think of the sunset at the beach of my hometown. But ever since I visited the town of El Nido in Palawan and caught a glimpse of the breathtaking Bacuit bay, every place has been upstaged. El Nido is the “one” for me. 

When people hear of El Nido they immediately think that it’s expensive and getting there is too complicated. But for me it’s actually the ideal backpacking trip where you get to see experience Philippines countryside at its best. Yes, it can be daunting at first, but with enough travel gusto you can make it happen.  Like what Aimee and I did three years ago on her birthday.

We took a morning flight to Puerto Princesa and spent one night at a hostel for 400php/night.  The room was relatively okay except for our ghost experience. I wasn’t able to sleep because of what happened. And boy was I glad when it was finally 4am so we can finally leave. Earlier that afternoon, I made arrangements with the tricycle driver that we hired when we went to the Vietnamese Village to bring us to San Jose terminal the following morning. I read lots of reviews that you have to be there real early to ensure that you get seats on the bus hence the 4am pick up time.  We figured that will be enough time for us to get good seats on the first trip at 5am. We did manage to get seats but that was the only bright spot for that 8 hour bus ride from hell. The non aircon bus was filled to the rafters and there were sacks of rice under the seats. The seats not firmly in place because of this and imagine what happens every time the bus swerves. Then factor in the very rough roads leading to El Nido and you are in for the ride of your life. But this is three years ago and I heard that the roads are much improved now. And for those who put comfort first, you can always take the van. Of course the van fare costs twice as much at 600php compared to 350php for the bus. There are two van companies plying the El Nido- Puerto Princesa route, Eulen Joy Shuttle and Fortwally travel and tours . For a big group, you can rent the van for 7000-8000php.

The bus that we took had two scheduled stops but it turned into four because we had to change tires twice. Yes, because of the very rough roads. Halfway thru the trip Aimee and I were ready to strangle Ivy, our college sis who convinced us that El Nido is a must visit place. She never mentioned anything about the road and bus condition. But all the stress faded away when we had our first glimpse of the emerald waters of Bacuit bay. It felt like I have found my own version of Shangri-La. 

Of course our choice of accommodation was also a big factor for that almost perfect vacation.  Ivy recommended that we stay at Island Front Cottages. It is 10 minutes away from the town centre so perfect for people who crave for quiet while on vacation. The owner, Kuya Onie is a very gracious and accommodating host. They also offer island hopping tours which you can share with other guests. In our case, we wanted to spend the day at our leisure so we opted for a private tour. It was 2500php for the lagoon tour. Check their website for updated information of tours and packages.

 

It was not easy leaving after spending a day in paradise. We loved the lagoon tour experience so much that we decided to extend our stay for one more day. So while having breakfast at 4:30am we called Philippine Airlines to rebook our flight to the following day then called Ivy to send us some money. (We didn’t bring a lot of cash expecting an ATM and for them to accept credit cards. I know not enough research. )

Big lagoon, El Nido, Palawan

Secret Beach

El Nido Sunset

 

Here’s a sample itinerary:

Day 1

4:30am    Go to San Jose terminal for El Nido bus

5am         Leave Puerto Princesa

2pm         Arrive in El Nido

2:30pm    Check in @ Island Front Cottages/Late Lunch

4pm         Check out El Nido town proper

Day 2

8am      Lagoon Tour

12nn     Lunch

1pm      Beach tour

5pm     Sunset alert

6pm      Bonfire Dinner

Day 3

5am     Leave El Nido

2pm    Arrive in Puerto Princesa

Memories of Macau

Less than a month before our Korea trip and I’m getting the jitters. Glenn specifically told me not to make any itinerary and leave everything to him. I knew he wanted to do one of his little surprises so I said yes. That was months ago, when it was supposed to be just the two of us. But our little getaway has turned into a family vacation and the OC in me is dying to know every little detail. Just to make sure that we get to iron out all the details before we leave. That’s what I told him but he just laughed and remains unconvinced. I will try harder to reign myself and let him take charge. Haist! This give and take part of the relationship is hard when it comes to travel.

Since I find myself with nothing to do I’ll take a trip down memory lane to one of my first out of the country trips. Last November 2009, Aimee, her sister and I had a hectic day visit to Macau, the Vegas of the East. We left Manila a day late than our scheduled flight because a typhoon cancelled all flights.  We flew to Hongkong on November 1 and after spending a day in HK Disneyland, we craved for some quiet and culture. Taking the ferry to Macau was the best antidote to the hustle and bustle of HK. Armed with the map that we got at the HK International Airport we were ready for a walking tour of the city. 

We left our hostel located in the Mong Kok area at around 8am and took the MTR to Tsim Sha Tsui station. From there we walked until we reached the China ferry terminal. A ferry leaves for Macau every 30 minutes and the trip takes 60-70 minutes. Check First Ferry’s website for details.  

 

An important habit that Aimee has picked up from her travels abroad is to always look for a free map at the airport. It is always helpful especially if you want to roam around the city without a tour guide. So after getting a free copy of a map of Macau from their tourism office at the ferry terminal (and mistaken for Indonesian tourists by fellow Filipinos) we hailed a cab for Guia Hill. We planned to follow the walking tour to the letter but we got lost in the city’s delightful ruas. Fortunately, we did get to visit at least half of the places listed and the ultimate reason for the Macau excursion – St. Paul’s Ruins. 

Guia Chapel & lighthouse

Macau skyline

Old building maintained by UNESCO

Receiving hall of Dr. Sun Yat Sen's Memorial House

Macau's rua

UNESCO Heritage site: St. Paul's Ruins

St. Dominic's Church

 

Macau walking tour directions

Starting point: Guia hill
A. Guia fort & lighthouse
B. Our Lady of Guia church
  * turn right to Estrada do Engenhero Trigo
C. Guia cable car
D. Flora garden
* cross Avenida de Sidonia Pais, walk 2 blocks
E. Memorial house of Dr. Sun Yat Sen
* turn right to Estrada Loureiro
F. Lou Lim Leoc garden
* return a few paces to Avenida de Conselheiro de Almeida & turn right
G. Calcada de S. Lazaro
*branch right to Rua Pedro Nolasco da Silva to Rua de S. Domingo 
leading to Largo Senado
H. Plaza Cultural
*pass Rua Dr. Soares & branch left on Calcada Tronco Velho
I. Largo S. Agostinho ( wave-patterned pavements )
* to the left
J. St. Augustine's church
*to the right
K. Sir Robert Ho Tung library & Chapel of St. Joseph Seminary
L. Dom Pedro v theatre
*go to Rua central , go right to Rua S. Lourencia
M. St. Lawrence church
*go back to Rua central & go to Travessa Padre Naraso to the Rua de 
Praia Grande
N. Headquarters of Macau SAR
*turn right to stroll along the Praia
O. Macau tower ( Lunch )
*go to A-Ma temple
P. A-Ma temple
* cross Largo de Pagode de Barra to Pier no. 2
Q. Maritime Museum
* go to Leal Senado
R. St. Domini's church
*to the right of the church is Pua de S. Domingos, take it to Rua de 
Palha & turn left to Rua de S. Paulo
S. St. Paul's ruins
*cross the road to Monte Fort
T. Museum of Macau
*go back down the staircase & turn right to Rua de S. Antonio at the 
end of the road is
U. St. Anthony's church & Camoes garden
*leave across Camoes garden square by Rua de Botelho & turn left onto 
Rua de Faitioes to Rua Tercena then turn into Rua dos Mercadores
V. San Ma Lo
W. Cybernetic fountain

Thailand: Best of Bangkok

On our third day in Cambodia, we left Siem Reap early to cross the border at Aranyaprathet to go back to Thailand. After clearing immigration at around 10am, we bought food at a 711 store then boarded the bus for the 5 hour trip. The tourist bus, which was parked right across the street from the store, will take you to Bangkok for 200 Baht. We arrived in Bangkok at 3pm and went straight to Siam Paragon. We deposited our things at the mall then had our uber late lunch. We had several hours to explore Bangkok so we hailed a cab to take us to Wat Pho. The driver didn’t use the meter but charged us 200 Baht for a short trip. I wanted to get out but Rodel pacified me and said that he will pay for it just so we can go. That was our first mistake. We paid the 50 Baht entrance fee, explored the temple grounds and checked out the Reclining Buddha.

Reclining Buddha

Wat Pho

Golden Buddha

Lavishly designed door

 

Wats

After checking almost every nook and cranny, we took the exit and surprise! The cab driver was waiting for us and offering to take us to a place that sells bus tickets to Sukhothai. It turned out to be a travel agency that charges exorbitant prices for a Sukhothai tour. We left the place immediately and decided to go back to Siam Paragon by taking the BTS train.  Rodel and Glenn were so confident that the GPS tracker on their phones and the Bangkok map that we got at the airport will lead us back to the mall. You put four people used to reading maps and doing fieldworks at God-knows-where and you will get one long discussion on the right way.  We crossed one of Bangkok’s overpass and walked several blocks until we reached one of the train stations.  Another discussion ensued on what line to take until a fellow Filipino approached us and gave us directions. We had dinner then checked out the boutiques before leaving for Mochit bus station for Sukhothai.

After an overnight stay at Sukhothai, we left early to catch the Wintour bus going back to Bangkok. We reached the city past three pm and hurriedly checked in at Rambuttri Village Hotel. The hotel is located at Soi Ram Buttri , along Chakkra Phong road near  Khaosan  road. Their deluxe double room is 1050 Baht and they require a 1000 Baht deposit.  Aimee was adamant that we visit one of the largest weekend markets in Asia, Chatuchak market. It was already 4 in the afternoon but the market was still abuzz with locals and tourists. Chatuchak is paradise for cheapskate shoppers. Aimee and I immersed ourselves with the cheap market goods while the guys had no choice but to suffer silently.  Until Glenn couldn’t take it anymore and suggested we head back to Khaosan road to have dinner. We were so tired from the 8 hour trip and the market madness that we decided to dine at the restaurant right beside the hotel. After a sumptuous dinner of Thai food, we were treated to a free performance of a Michael Jackson wannabe. 

We were supposed to go to Ayutthaya, another UNESCO heritage site on our last day in Thailand. But after visiting Angkor Wat and Sukhothai, we had a temple overload. We were not keen on travelling for two hours just to see wats again so we opted to stay within the city. The Grand Palace was just walking distance from our hotel so it was a logical choice. There is a 350 Baht fee to enter the palace grounds. Once inside, you can join the guided tours to get an abridged version of the palace’s history. 

Thailand's Grand Invitation

Grand Palace

Golden Chedi

One of the magnificient buildings of the Grand Palace

Dusit Maha Prasat Hall

This is where the heads of state are received

It was way past lunchtime when we finished with the tour. We headed to MBK mall which is very similar to Greenhills mall. You can find a lot of stalls selling all kinds of stuff. One section is even dedicated to jewellery and diamonds. A whole floor consists of stalls selling electronic equipment like mobile phones and computers. 

Lastly, one of my favourite parts of the Bangkok experience is eating pad thai at a street stall in Khaosan road. Their 15 Baht pad thai was more delicious than what was served at a restaurant in Siam Paragon. The lively atmosphere at Khaosan road added an element of excitement to the entire thing as well.

Thailand: Serene Sukothai

Our trip to Sukhothai is special to Glenn and me. As I have mentioned on our first entry, this is where I realized that he is the one for me. Nothing extraordinary happened when that moment came. We were at the historical park, taking advantage of the shade while staring at one of the ruins. Under the sweltering heat of the midday sun, we talked about history and geology --- when it dawned on me that he is the only one that knows and understands me completely. That we can talk about anything for hours and still have something left to say till the next conversation. And in that moment I knew, that this is the guy I would like to spend the rest of my life with.

And to think that we almost didn’t pushed through with the trip. Because when we arrived at Mochit Bus Station, the bus bound for Old Sukhothai was already fully booked.  The only available trip was to New Sukhothai, which were several kilometres away from the historical park. We were at a lost on what to do, so Glenn took charge and purchased our bus tickets to New Sukhothai for 329 Baht. He then called the owner of the guesthouse that we will be staying to arrange for someone to pick us up at the bus station in New Sukhothai. 

After 8 hours of travel, we arrived to a deserted bus station at 6am. The owner of Mountain View Guesthouse, named Meao, was already there. It was a 15 minute drive to the guesthouse which offers a fan room for 450 Baht. After taking advantage of their complimentary breakfast, we took a nap to prepare ourselves for the historical park tour.

New Sukhothai Bus Station

Meao drove us to Ramkhamaeng National Museum and made arrangements with the tuktuk driver. We paid 500 Baht for the whole tour, excluding the entrance fees for the temple sites. There is a fee of 100 Baht for visiting Wat Chang Lam, Wat Phra Phai Luang, Wat Sri Chum and Wat Chetupon. We didn’t enter the grounds of Wat Sa Si since it had a separate entrance fee. Plus the scorching heat of the sun and our hunger won over the thought of exploring another Wat. 

Wat Chang Lam

Pillars of Wat Chang Lam

Wat Phra Phai Luang

Sukhothai Historical Park: A UNESCO Heritage Site

Wat Sri Chum

Wat Chetuphon

Tuktuk shot