Life in the Great Beyond

The randomness of the road always excites my senses…

The Return to El Nido

That same feeling of adventure hit me again, the innate wonder of the unknown whether it’s one new place or revisiting an old one. So, the same principle of hitting more birds with one stone was the strategy. The work trip in Puerto Princesa last February was a good opportunity, even with lot of work issues we were treated to island hopping at Honda Bay (Starfish Island, Luli Island, Cowrie island) which I love. It’s been almost two decades since my last cruise to this islets, it was a personal one. There has been lot of changes and I was seeing things with different eyes. There are structures now, maybe have enhanced the appearance and accommodation capacity but at the back of my mind, the waste and management disposal is always an issue. The attractions brought more people, boats though controlled are plying between islands more often. Paradise for fun seekers and socmed fanatics who need to update threads with good looking photos! My heart sunk for all the so-called developments…

Eventually my dive plans in the city was cancelled and I chose to head for El Nido, it’s been awhile and almost ten years since my last visit. It was nothing new to be all alone, and there was no definite plans for my detour. Again, randomness felt like going to the unknown and surprises are always at stake. Risk is always better than regret, so they say!

I arrived at the transport terminal of El Nido past noon, along the way changes were eminent. The roads are now paved all throughout and lot of structures have sprouted. I hailed a trike to bring me straight to my lodge, the fare was way much higher. I was thinking to just walk with my back pack but the noon sun was scorching so I gave in. My modest room at Lualhati Gardens was just perfect and very accessible to any point in town. This was our same refuge when I first visited to El Nido, it wasn’t spared of changes. The gardens were gone, grounds are cemented and only one tree left standing in between the structures. I went for a walk after I settled my stuff and after inquiring from a sari-sari store, last minute hailed a trike for Las Cabañas to catch the sunset! There were lot of people already in the area lounging perhaps waiting for the sunset like me. :) The golden sunset shone gloriously as the day came to end. When I got back, I watched the guys from my door lively wrapping up post dive tasks, a dive shop is right in the front street of my lodge!

I was picked up the next morning for an island hopping I booked last minute, the beach front was already full of tourists waiting for their boats. Our first challenge was getting into the boat, wade the waist-deep waters with the surf and hurriedly climb up the gangplank before the big waves could throw you down. Just enough adrenaline to start the adventure! :) The waters was bit rough, so sailing to the islands was not without crashing waves! The good thing was I was joined with matured people, mostly were residing or working abroad. Thankfully, not with shrieking or shouting young ones! :) I kept close to our tour guide as I used to do – they always can give lot of stories, tips, even open up their own living. John was a good-hearted fellow and he speaks Visayan, to my delight! He is a diver too and I told him also my diving trips in El Nido with the Palawan Divers, and was glad to know that some DMs I knew are still around in the town including Yoshi San. I was eyeing of the caves so I chose Tour B, it was sunny but the rough waters didn’t help. During the hopping I keep close to that friendly Ilocano couple who were Guam residents. The waves slowed down our boat, there was a need to shorten the cruise too as the winds might get fiercer in the afternoon. In the end, we only explored the Codugnon Cave which was bit challenging, swimming to the cliff and crawling trough that small entrance. That was tough especially for the oldies but it went well for all of us. We anchored at the shallows of Snake Island, the sand bar strip wasn’t there due to high tide. We waded the waters and trek the small hill getting a good view of the surroundings, in no time we waded back to the boat when the waters getting deep due to high tide. Our group settled there and had a leisure, long lunch surrounded by waters!

The next morning John picked me up, I decided a detour to Sibaltan and he offered to bring me there with his motorbike. That was a good decision, I learned from him that all water activities in El Nido for the day was cancelled by PCG due to rough waters. It was a long ride but the rural scenery was refreshing – it was all farm lands, the rice fields are all in different stages, cows & carabaos in the meadows and the greeneries. It was good to catch glimpse of the other side of El Nido, the communities thrive through agriculture. Grateful that the highways are paved, there were only bumps for the detours from the highway like when we search for QiPalawan and few road repairs along the way.

Sibaltan is a coastal barangay on the other side of El Nido town about 41 kilometers away, passing about four other barangays from the town. It was a Tuesday so the community was almost deserted, we went straight at the water front to look for Dive Sibaltan Shop. The super low tide gave us space to drive along the sandy beach. We had a good talk with Ms. Rose (diveshop manager), a group of divers who happened to be LAMAVE volunteers for manta rays research were setting out for the waters for the day’s task. The brief time with Ms. Rose gave me so much information and promised her to be back in near future. We went up to Erlittop Garden Eco Lodge for lunch, enjoying the food watching the horizons basking with nature. It was so serene! On our way back, John was strongly suggesting to detour to Duli Beach, a haven for surfing which wasn’t heard of the last time I was in El Nido. It was packed with surfers mostly foreigners, but the trash were all around was so disturbing. We still have enough time so John went straight to Nacpan Beach – there was so much changes, like many structures have sprouted. Few bars, tattoo parlor, massage parlor, restos and even some place for lodging. And again, so much trashes abound in the area. You cant go up anymore to the hill to get the view of the twin beaches – Calitang and Nacpan, the property was closed already for outsiders. The site have literally become crowded!

I arrived in my lodgings before dark which gave me enough time to walk at the water front to catch a glimpse of the sunset. The next morning, I walked to the water front again earlier before the day’s bustle. The people were just few moving around, quiet unusual for a rural community. I left El Nido with a new perception of what this little town have become after almost ten years. I had beautiful memories of the town when I first came and even the second time when both I had the opportunity to dive its diverse depths!

Anew in the Highlands

We had a quick travel to Misamis Occidental for work in March to catch up with our timelines. And I didn’t know there was something in store for us. It was a long road, as we chose not to cruise to Ozamis City from Mukas due to long queue of vehicles at the port. We visited the towns in our itinerary and spent overnihgt at Oroquieta City. Our last stop was Don Victoriano Chiongbian (aptly dubbed as Don Vic), a little town tucked at the foot of Mt. Malindang. My work brought me here more than a decade ago for a special project, and we even spent overnight once in those trips. Just like any elevated community, it had temperate weather and going to bath with freezing water was the last thing you wanted!

There was much changes too, all the road are now paved and I noticed lot of structures along the way when it used to be deserted. The town hall got even better and there was more activity, more people and more improvements. After a short meeting and our mission done, we left for the farm. The town is now a proud producer of strawberries!

Our visit turn out to be a discovery of farmlands now planted with strawberries, what was more interesting was the berries were sweet and in dark red color. The farm that we visited was less than hectare, but the harvests gave the lowly farmer a decent income twice a week. The volcanic soil was giving enough nutrients suitable for the berries. The stories we heard from the farmers was an inspiration. It was a success story for the farmers in Don Vic! That night on the road, I was still thinking about what we discovered from the little town on our way to Cagayan de Oro.

There’s a good reason to be back in the summer capital of Misamis Occidental!

Escape to San Isidro

There are still parts of eastern Visayas that have remained unexplored, while I spent a month in the south of Leyte for that marine volunteer works, the northern part was still uncharted. So, with an invitation from a retired work mate who had just built a vacation house in San Isidro we planned a summer break to this remote town hoping for a new discovery. I ended up alone, my two friends backed out for various reasons – the usual thing! :)

So one Thursday morning I flew to Cebu, went downtown and just like my previous visits in the queen city of the south, did my homage at Basilica Minore de Sto. Niño. I guess it felt like there’s something missing if I missed the visit. Fortunately, I was able to have a brief meet-up with a college friend having office nearby at the City Hall which is just a stone throw from the basilica and Magellan’s Cross! Yes, two hits with one stone. Then on, rush to port and took the ferry to Ormoc which I also look forward since I haven’t been into the city before. :) The cruise in the vast blue seas was smooth and we arrived as scheduled. It was perfect timing, my friend and family were downtown so that I had transportation for the drive to their hometown which was almost 80 kilometers away. The rural setting along the road was very welcoming! It was a long day, it was night time already when we arrived home.

It was a real vacation I guess – eat, relax, fresh air and quite neighbourhood. Just few meters away is the beach and every morning fishers bring fresh catch. We joined the locals, strolled around, watched afternoon games for their coming fiesta. There was that glorious sunset in the dusk, everyday! We drove to Biliran asking directions along the way, explored neighbouring communities and was surprised to find a Jollibee outlet in such remote town! :)

I went the same route for my return and thankfully my friend drive me off to Ormoc for my ferry ride to Cebu. An overnight stay at Cebu Century Plaza Hotel was good enough, and since it was Sunday I went for the holy mass at the basilica. I left early the next morning for the airport to catch my flight back to CdeO. I still hold on to my theory that seeing one new place is a door to a new world. The escape to this obscure remote town of San Isidro gave me fresh eyes for that side of the country. 🙂

And it always brings me joy when I came home after new discoveries, it’s empowering I guess. Travelling alone will make you stronger ready to embrace what’s ahead during the journey!