It's More Fun in Palawan: El Nido Day 1

This trip was totally different from all my previous travels in that I had no specific itinerary or budget but did not completely avail of a tour package either, so inevitably there were boo-boos here and there. Nevertheless, the whole trip went well and I was just so glad that it pushed through.

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I'm the type of traveler who'd be at the boarding gate by 7:00 pm for a red-eye flight, but this time I got to the check-in counter 20 minutes before boarding time so you can just imagine how I was hustlin' my way to the boarding gate *insert Chariots of Fire here*. But as one can expect, we did not board on time and even when we were already on the plane, it still took 25 minutes before it left the runway. 

Anyway, we arrived in Puerto Princesa around 10:30 am and were met up by my friend, Charisse, of La Tiara Tours. We took a trike to Fort Wally's office where we paid Php700/head for the van ride to El Nido. From Puerto Princesa City, it took 2.5 hours until we reached Fort Wally's food stop in Roxas. It took another two hours and lots of vomit-inducing winding roads (which made it impossible to sleep), then another hour traversing the rough road before we got a glimpse of Bacuit Bay. 

It was already around 5:00 pm when we arrived at Fort Wally's terminal in El Nido, and took a 2-minute tricycle ride to our accommodation.

NOTE: There is no ATM in El Nido so bring enough cash for your stay. Power is also out from 6:00 am to 3:00 pm so charge your devices at night.

Rovic's Pension House is one of several beachfront accommodations in town. A double/twin air conditioned room costs Php1,500 per night. Unfortunately, there's no television in the room and breakfast is not included.

Come dinner time, we went to Squido's which seemed to be the popular choice among tourists. The food was good but the service was actually disappointing. It's understandable that it takes some time for food to be served since they seem undermanned in the kitchen, but prioritizing other tables just because the customers are 'white' was just unacceptable.

After dinner, we strolled the beach and had some drinks before calling it a night. 

There's a couple of bars like Ricson's and Sea Slugs with live bands but don't expect any fire dancers or loud music here. :p

Next post: Island hopping 

K