Day 64 to 67 - El Nido on the island of Palawan - Snorkeling and sea

We took the 4-hour ferry ride to El Nido and were thrilled from the very first moment. Huge rock formations and turquoise water, plus these cool wooden boats and a beautiful place with pubs and bars. Our hotel only had two stars, the air conditioning was just for decoration, but it was right on Corong Corong Beach. 5 minutes away on a tricycle. A ride costs 100 pesos, which is 1.60 euros. The sunset is spectacular and the breakfast is delicious. There are many local shopping and dining options near the hotel. Filipino BBQ is very exciting. Most of it is served on skewers, everything is pickled in red and the grill makes Frank's heart beat faster. 😂😂 A large portion for the two of us with 2 beers (people here drink San Miguel or Red Horse) only costs 450 pesos. The boat tours are also very nice, although we were a bit unlucky on the first day of Tour C. There is plankton and jellyfish 🪼 in the water almost everywhere and you are constantly being pricked. After a time it really gets unpleasant. But we are brave and as a reward we find clownfish. Sooo cute! The landscape is great, we like it even more on the second day. Firstly, no plankton and the spots are even cooler. The Big Lagoon is really amazing, at least 6 different shades of blue, huge rocks and we can paddle through in a kayak. At 7 Commando Beach we go snorkeling again and find clownfish again and of course lots of others. The corals are pretty damaged in places though. Probably from the many boats and the millions of tourists, about 1 million per month in the whole of Palawan. One day we rent a scooter 🛵 and drive to Nacpan Beach. It's fantastic there too, endless white sand and crystal clear water. It's great in the evenings too. In El Nido you can get local rum and Coke and live music for 50 to 150 pesos. The best thing though is the local casino. The Filipinos love gambling 🎰. At very simple tables, bets are placed on the color of three dice or on playing cards. Of course, we have to try it out too. At first we actually win, but then... well, we've lost 8 euros, had an hour of fun and shared the excitement with funny locals. Simply wonderful!

On day 4 we continue to Puerto Princesa, 6 hours with 12 people in a tiny van. The luggage goes on the roof and is secured with a small cord. Trust is once again the most important thing here! The roads are horrible, switchbacks and potholes... yay! We actually want to go to the Underground River, but we don't have enough time. So after a fun evening at the harbor, chatting to two emigrants from Canada and New Zealand (both 63 years old) and eating delicious seafood, we continue to Cebu the next morning.