El Nido...Wow!...how beautiful is it here?!

On to the next island - this time Palawan... So we flew from Boracay to El Nido, and even that was a highlight. When we arrived there, we all said: 'Wow, that was the best flight we ever had.' Even the small propeller plane was great because it didn't fly to a high altitude for the 45-minute flight. This way, we could see the countless small islands with their beaches, as well as the many reefs in the turquoise blue water... Fantastic! But that's not all. The 'airport' consisted of a relatively short runway, and the plane parked somewhere in the middle of the runway. We were then driven to the airport building in funny vehicles, where a few middle-aged women in their traditional clothes sang Palawan songs to welcome us. The airport building was actually just a bamboo roof covered with palm leaves, under which a small buffet was set up. Here, we could pass the time while waiting for our luggage with snacks and drinks. However, leaving took quite a while because part of the runway is also the official road to the airport, and another plane was supposed to land after us. And of course, the road was closed during that time. Very different, very funny 😊

El Nido was also crowded, of course, as it was still Easter holidays. And El Nido, translated as 'the nest,' lived up to its name. Pretty narrow streets, full of TukTuk drivers (here they are called Tricycle drivers), who sometimes quite pushily offered their services. There was a power outage every day, and somehow the infrastructure didn't seem to have kept up with the influx of tourists. However, the surroundings of El Nido, the Bacuit Archipelago, are AMAZING!!!!!!!! There are various tours offered to the countless islands, lagoons, and snorkeling spots. Since there were five of us, we could afford the luxury of chartering a private boat for two days. This way, we were free from predefined departure times and could choose our stay durations almost as we pleased. That was great, and we escaped the crowds a bit. Great, sometimes lonely beaches, snorkeling at intact reefs, and two boat boys who could conjure up a meal for lunch that will be hard to match.

But even on the mainland, there are beaches, sunsets, massages, full moon parties, and everything you need for a relaxed time by the sea. You just had to figure out how to get out of El Nido 😉 But the days flew by, and one morning it was time to say goodbye to Yves and Neumi, who continued their journey to Malaysia. Mimi and the two of us stayed on Palawan and continued to Puerto Princesa, where we spent three more nights. Here, we went on another island hopping tour, namely in Honda Bay. Since we were spoiled by the previous tours, we couldn't hide our disappointment. It was quite a letdown ☹ But in the area, there is also one of the seven natural wonders (unofficially) and furthermore a UNESCO World Heritage Site - the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River. Or simply a 7 km long underground river - the longest navigable river in the world. After an endlessly long journey, we also took a small boat tour into this cave system. Geologists would probably faint, but even for the average person, it is very impressive (we won't bore you with the history of the underground river and the details of the flora and fauna).

The place, Puerto Princesa, didn't offer much, but thanks to a very nice accommodation outside the city, the nice Italian restaurant within walking distance, and cold beer in sight, we were able to end our visit to Palawan in style. And then, unfortunately, Mimi was gone again ☹ and we were once again on our own.