Every time summer draws near, I can’t help but feel nostalgic about the past trips I took. With 7,107 islands to boast of, it will certainly take you years to explore the whole Philippine archipelago. This country, poor, battered and chaotic as it may appear, is certainly not lacking in natural resources and riches. I realized this during a trip to Sentosa Island in Singapore, the first time I saw a man-made beach. Looking at bikini-clad girls and boys in skimpy trunks frolicking in the water, I actually felt pity for them – wallowing in fake sand and fake seawater. They looked as if they were reveling in the best beach in the world when where I come from, people in the provinces have the luxury of making a choice between plunging in a majestic waterfall or taking a dip in the cerulean sea.
If you want a good mix of sun (with a beautiful sunset to boot), powdery white sand (that never gets too hot like most beach sands do), clear waters teeming with fishes, fun activities (in the water and in the island – snorkeling, island hopping, diving, jet skiing, horseback riding, golf, biking, spelunking, sandcastle viewing, beach parties are just some that comes to mind), and amenities (from backpacker budgets to first class requirements), then Boracay Island is for you.
But if you want to enjoy snorkeling in peace, head off to what is known as the last frontier – Palawan. Here, you have tons of choices..you can go to limestone laden El Nido islands, or Honda bay island, or Coco Loco Island. I can’t seem to find the exact words to describe these places right now, but will surely write my experiences in the future, including how we were able to spend only P10,000 (including airfare and photo developing expenses) for the whole one-week explore-Palawan-on-a-budget trip with my friends. The above photos were the ones I took during our 2001 trip-- 1) Lagen Island -- one of the two exclusive resorts in El Nido. Obviously, we did not stay here, I just took a photo, he-he 2) Limestone island formations while onboard the boat, still in El Nido 3) Sunset on luli (lulubog lilitaw) island, one of the many that can be found in Honda Bay...that's Armi striking a wrestler pose while carrying the bag of garbage we patiently picked up 4) Still on luli island 5) El Nido again....(the Boracay Pic links were taken from the Phil tourism site)
If you want a good mix of sun (with a beautiful sunset to boot), powdery white sand (that never gets too hot like most beach sands do), clear waters teeming with fishes, fun activities (in the water and in the island – snorkeling, island hopping, diving, jet skiing, horseback riding, golf, biking, spelunking, sandcastle viewing, beach parties are just some that comes to mind), and amenities (from backpacker budgets to first class requirements), then Boracay Island is for you.
But if you want to enjoy snorkeling in peace, head off to what is known as the last frontier – Palawan. Here, you have tons of choices..you can go to limestone laden El Nido islands, or Honda bay island, or Coco Loco Island. I can’t seem to find the exact words to describe these places right now, but will surely write my experiences in the future, including how we were able to spend only P10,000 (including airfare and photo developing expenses) for the whole one-week explore-Palawan-on-a-budget trip with my friends. The above photos were the ones I took during our 2001 trip-- 1) Lagen Island -- one of the two exclusive resorts in El Nido. Obviously, we did not stay here, I just took a photo, he-he 2) Limestone island formations while onboard the boat, still in El Nido 3) Sunset on luli (lulubog lilitaw) island, one of the many that can be found in Honda Bay...that's Armi striking a wrestler pose while carrying the bag of garbage we patiently picked up 4) Still on luli island 5) El Nido again....(the Boracay Pic links were taken from the Phil tourism site)
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