Philippines - Port Barton & El Nido

Arriving at the airport, we bought a local SIM card and went in search of accommodation. Since we only wanted to spend one night in Manila and had already booked a flight to the island of Palawan the next day, we decided to look for a hotel near the airport. The internet search for an affordable place to stay was more difficult than expected. We found very few hotels in our price range. We discovered a suitable, albeit not very nice, place near the Domestic Airport. The taxi prices were outrageous. For a five-minute ride, the taxi drivers wanted to charge us twenty francs. So we decided to leave the airport on foot and drag our luggage 2.5 km to the accommodation.

Our plane took off around noon. Our destination: Puerto Princesa on the island of Palawan. We reached our destination on time. Packed in a minivan, the journey continued to Port Barton. Along the way, the minibus stopped so that we could withdraw money. There is no ATM in Port Barton. This is where we had our first negative experiences with the Philippine internet. None of the eight ATMs - we stopped at numerous different banks - could dispense pesos. The connection was interrupted. In general, the internet did not work at all that day. Luckily, we had already withdrawn money the day before. Unfortunately, not much. We calculated that with a moderate lifestyle, we could spend about three days in Port Barton.

Port Barton is a small, sleepy village. Although tourism has increased in recent years, it is (still) not overcrowded. There are no paved roads and the houses are still in their original state. There are small restaurants on the beach and in the village center that mainly serve foreign dishes. In addition to the internet, the local food is another negative point in the Philippines. Many of the local dishes are fried and extremely greasy. Everything is eaten in combination with white, sticky rice. In addition, very little vegetables are served - quite different from all the other Asian countries we have visited so far. In short: the Philippines have no culinary culture. It is not about eating, but about stuffing oneself. The average Filipino probably easily eats one kilogram of rice every three days (our estimate). The unhealthy diet also shows on the scale. A disproportionately large number of locals are overweight or even obese.

Despite the poor internet and the very average food, the Philippines have a lot to offer. The beautiful beaches and the stunning nature in particular make up for everything. The people are warm and very helpful, and they all speak English extremely well. For the first time on this trip, we can communicate with people everywhere. Since everyone likes to show off their language skills, you quickly get into conversation. This makes traveling much easier.

In Port Barton, we took two days off. After the exhausting journey through Myanmar, we urgently needed some rest days. We spent the first day on the beach in Port Barton. On the second day, we took a fishing boat to the White Sand Beach located on the neighboring island. The beach easily could have made it onto the front page of the TUI travel catalog. The water is turquoise and the sand is white. The bay is surrounded by palm trees.

After two super relaxed days in Port Barton, we continued to El Nido by minibus. El Nido is much larger than Port Barton and designed for mass tourism one hundred percent. In recent years, the once small village has exploded. Hotels or shops were built everywhere without obtaining a building permit. El Nido is now a small town with a huge water and sewage problem. President Rodrigo Duterte has even threatened to close the place to tourism if immediate action is not taken. As a result, all illegally constructed buildings will have to be demolished in the coming years. In addition, the sewerage system will be expanded. Fortunately, tourism has decreased compared to last year. The smell was tolerable. However, the water quality in our hotel was so bad that we used bottled water to brush our teeth and kept our mouths closed while showering. The water had a strange metallic taste. El Nido itself is not a must-see place. However, the surrounding area is very beautiful. Therefore, it is ideal as a starting point for day trips. We spent a total of six nights in El Nido.

On the first day, we took a boat tour. We visited different beaches and lagoons. Almost every beach was a dream beach! The rock formations are particularly beautiful. We enjoyed the boat trip together with our German friends Lars and Nicole, whom we had met on the way to Port Barton. On the following days, we explored the surroundings by motorbike. We went to Nacpan Beach, which is considered one of the most beautiful beaches in Asia. Here, we encountered relatively many tourists. Just a few kilometers away is the lesser-known Duli Beach. Here, we had the beach almost to ourselves. Because we appreciate peace and seclusion, we visited Duli Beach on two consecutive days. On the second day, our acquaintances from Switzerland, Iris and Markus, were also there. Together, we will explore the Philippines in the next two weeks.

The next day, we will continue to the diving paradise Coron by ferry.