Summer in August

Summer in August? Why not?!

This year I was not able to have any summer outings due to some things that needed to be done. I have no regrets about the decisions I've made because I believe everything happens for a reason and I stand by my choices.

Moving on, though I was not able to have a summer outing, I, together with my teammates, were tasked with a business trip to Palawan. In particular, these areas were in Puerto Princesa and El Nido. On this blog, I'll be sharing more about El Nido, especially about how we spent our rest day. By the way, El Nido is around 6–8 hours away from Puerto Princesa. The journey may differ depending on whether you choose to travel in a private car, a V-hire, or by bus.

Actually, this was my second time being in El Nido, but on this second visit, I stayed longer and explored the area more due to work. Our whole stay in El Nido for 5D4N was very comfortable at Devayn’s Inn. Rate was at P1,500.00 ($26.4) per night inclusive of breakfast already. The staff were really accommodating. Aside from accommodation concerns, they can assist you with transportation back to Puerto Princesa or vice versa, and they can also help you arrange for island hopping like what we had. Our entire day of island hopping with lunch costs us only P 1,400.00 per person ($24.64). The P 1,400.00 already includes the guide fee, environmental fee, boat fee, and lunch. If you have not brought your aqua shoes with you, then you need to rent them for around P150.00 ($2.64) bundled with the goggles for snorkeling.

On the other hand, ever since we arrived in El Nido, it has always been gloomy. Rainfall is always just around the corner, whether it be in the morning or in the afternoon. With that kind of weather for the past few days, we were just hopeful that the weather would cooperate with us on our rest day so we could explore the islands in El Nido.

Finally, Sunday came, and it's our rest day! On this rest day, there was a short change of weather. The sun shone brightly, so it was somewhat of a go signal for us to push through with our plans. My teammates and I made the necessary preparations and coordinated with the space owner where we stayed for our accommodation to assist us on the island hopping activity scheduled for the day.

Photos going to the Roro Port Area

On the itinerary for our island hopping, these are the islands on our list:

• 7 Commandos Beach

Our first stop was the 7 Commandos. We were given the chance to swim and explore the area. Everyone was excited to swim and scream at the same time due to the waves. It seems that you are in a wave pool due to strong waves. Despite the strong waves, people still enjoyed swimming, but, of course, with proper precautions.

• Duiklocate Twin Rock Area

The second stop was an area for snorkeling. While the others jumped into the water for snorkeling, I stayed in the boat and enjoyed the scenery of the area.

• Payong-Payong Beach

The third stop was where we had our lunch. This was the most difficult part of the journey for us since it was low tide during our visit to this island. So the boat could not go further near the shore, we had to walk in the water with a lot of stones (big and small) and there were even some corals that we came across. It's a good thing we were really required to wear aqua shoes before we started the island hopping. Upon reaching the shore, most of us had scratches already and some were really bleeding due to the sharp stones that we crossed over while walking. The boatmen helped us cleanse our scratches with fresh water, and they were really helpful, especially with the carrying of our things until we reached the area where we would have our lunch. They also helped us avoid some sea urchins along the trail we passed through on going to the shore and back to the boat. Then we set up our table for lunch in a shady area. Actually, it was not a simple lunch, it was a feast. My eyes were really twinkling to see the shrimp and crabs as part of the food prepared by the boatmen and the guide. The creativity of the plating was superb! It was done with effort. 👏 👏 👏

• Shimizu Island

At the fourth stop, it's another swimming and snorkeling session. This is also a perfect place to take photos at the tip of the boat due to the two-island opening in the sea.

• Secret Lagoon

Our "supposed to be 5th stop" but due to the strong waves which made it unsafe for us to be there, we did not push through on going to the said lagoon.

• Big/Small Lagoon

Our last stop where all the food we ate were burned out due to the kayaking activity and a little of the swimming activity. It's hard to row against the flow of the water or probably we just lack the experience of kayaking. 😆😆😆 But nevertheless, we enjoyed it.

Despite the various circumstances we encountered, such as the huge and sharp stones we had to cross in order to reach the shore of Payong-payong beach, the huge waves at 7 Commandos beach, the kayaking that caused our bodies to ache, and everything else, I consider it part of the journey. It's part of the process to fully appreciate the whole trip, and that's why I'm here sharing my stories with you. I've completed the whole process and it's time to inspire others, especially those reading my blog who are planning to visit El Nido. Enjoy the whole process of your trip and you will surely be delighted. El Nido has a lot to offer.

Thank you for dropping by on my blog. Keep safe, you all!

𝓍𝒪𝓍𝒪,


𝓣𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓪𝓷𝓪 ♥️

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