Finding Nemo

So, we're finally back! The past few weeks have been very chaotic, so we haven't had time to write. But now we can continue!

Three weeks after our big Christmas vacation, we were off on our next trip. This time, our destination was Coron in the Palawan island group in the Philippines.

After work, we took a shuttle bus and subway to the airport. In the subway and especially in Shanghai, most people were already wearing masks because of the Corona virus. We also got some masks as a precaution. However, it was not easy to find them as most stores were sold out.

Around 3am, we landed at Clark International Airport. We believe that this airport is the only one where the waiting area and restaurants are outdoors.

The fishing village, in contrast to the bustling Coron, is quite idyllic. As you enter the village, you pass a cockfighting arena and the village wash area. Welcome to a completely different world! At the end of the village, right by the sea, is the AirBnB that we booked.

After meeting our hosts and getting settled in our hut, we took a walk to the beach and relaxed from the journey.

In the evening, we took a tricycle to Coron for dinner.

The next morning, we enjoyed the peacefulness at Vilma and Romel's place. Our Chinese roommates went snorkeling early in the morning, while we read, took pictures, and booked a 5-day boat tour to El Nido. After a few hours, our roommates returned, one of them hobbling. She had cut her foot on a coral. After helping her clean and bandage her foot, she spontaneously invited us to dinner as a thank you. It was delicious!

After a quick breakfast, we were taken to Tao Philippines in Coron. From there, our 5-day expedition began. After a brief introduction to the group, we set off on foot to the port to board the boat. The port was crowded. Very crowded. So crowded that our boat had to anchor quite far out. Our bags were brought over with kayaks (fortunately, nothing got wet as the guys had done this before). We had to climb onto a third boat from two other boats, which then took us to our boat and off we went!

The first 3 days consisted of sailing from one snorkeling spot to the next. In the evenings, we were brought ashore, or almost. Since the islands do not have proper ports, our boat always stopped just before the beach and we had to swim ashore with our wet bags, which contained our things for the night. On land, we settled into our huts, enjoyed the sunset, had a delicious dinner, and spent the evening together as a group.

We were able to snorkel here as well, and this time we even met Nemo's relatives.

The food, by the way, was fantastic! It was freshly cooked with lots of vegetables and fruit and so diverse that there was no repeated meal (although some could have been eaten more than twice!).

We also learned to appreciate electricity, internet, and running water as the days went by. One island had no electricity at all, and on the others, it was only available from 6pm to 10pm. The internet was also very limited, but sometimes it was good to have a break. There was fresh water everywhere, but it didn't always flow automatically in the shower, so sometimes we had to use a scoop to help it along.

On the last day of the boat tour, after lunch, we went snorkeling again and were then brought ashore in El Nido.

For our farewell, almost the entire travel group went out for dinner.

Our last day in the Philippines was mainly spent on the return journey, which was also a bit adventurous. We spontaneously changed our return flight to Germany to spend the additional free week that the virus gave us with our families. But first, we had to take a speed ferry back to Coron to get to the airport. Everyone we spoke to found the estimated 3-hour journey "uncomfortable". As an expert on motion sickness, for breakfast I prescribed only one motion sickness tablet with a little water for both of us, as well as seats in the middle of the torpedo-like projectile.

The first 15 minutes were quite relaxed. From minute 16 to 20, it started to get uncomfortable as the ship swayed from left to right with simultaneous up-and-down movement. At minute 21, the bags started flying... The journey lasted 4.5 hours instead of 3, but thanks to our preparation, that was not a problem for us.

The rest of the return journey was less spectacular but much longer: From Coron, we took a taxi to Busuanga airport, then a propeller plane to Clark, from Clark to Dubai, from Dubai to London, and finally from London to Frankfurt.

After nearly 40 hours of travel, we finally arrived home.