Martin Hammerschmidt

After a few slow days in El Nido, it was time for an epic 3D/2N boat expedition that would take me from El Nido across the sea to the island of Coron. Andrea was still with me, but we had to say goodbye to Becca and Rodrigo who had already made other plans.

Anyways, after a short briefing the day before, we took a tricycle to the port at 8am in the morning, boarded the ship and set off towards the open water. Over the next three days, we would make numerous stops at white-sand isolated beaches, snorkeling spots, play beach volleyball and basketball, visit local villages, drink tasty coconuts, watch magical sunsets, sleep on deserted islands and be awe-inspired by the blue colours of the waters.

The first stop on our first day was Nacpan Beach (a place I was 3 days prior and absolutely loved it). There we played a round of high-class beach volleyball, before moving on to our first snorkeling spot. We saw plenty of starfish, a shipwreck covered in corals and inhabited by lots of colourful fish. On the way to our accommodation, we also stopped by at a local village to play some basketball and to experience village life on the islands.

At last, we made it to our accommodation and, oh my, was the setting beautiful. While the huts were basic, we had our own private island. Once we arrived, we quickly took a stroll along the deserted beach to go and watch the sunset. With music playing, rum flowing (11 bottles between c.17-18 of us by the end of the night) and dancing on the beach, it really was a perfect way to watch the sun go down. One could feel the happiness surrounding each and every one of us as we laughed, exchanged stories and felt the sand on our feet.

After a delicious dinner, the crew lit up a bonfire from an opposite tree (don't ask) and started to play and sing some karaoke tunes. It was wild, wholesome and fun all at the same time. A perfect end to the first day.

The second day started with breakfast before things got a bit hairy. Since the boat was too big to anchor on the beach, we had to swim a bit to the boat. However, the current was so strong that we drifted past the boat and had no chance of swimming back. Not an undangerous situation. The crew quickly got the kayaks, lifebuoy and life vests out and collected us swifty.

After this little kerfuffle, we set sail and the first stop brought us to another village, where we played a gambling card game with some of the local kids. The rest of the day was rather similar. Sailing through blue waters, stopping at beautiful islands with white beaches, taking a nap, telling stories and jokes and, of course, drinking rum - we actually started at 10.22am, even though during the pre-trip briefing, it had stated that rum will be served AFTER DINNER. Ah well, you gotta live a little after all. On one of the stops, the girls in our group went on a shell-finding frenzy, while some others did a little photoshoot.

Once we arrived at our accommodation for the second night, we quickly walked along the beach to watch the sunset. It was a spectacular one - the sky was on fire with the colours red, orange and yellow on full display. Simply magical! At night, we basically did the same as yesterday, but added stargazing, some local drinking games taught by the crew and lots of dancing and a bit of deep-talk to the mix.

On our last day, we spent quite a bit of time on sea, as we had a long distance to cover until arriving in Coron. This did not prevent us, however, from stopping on another few islands - I gotta say, those islands were the most beautiful of the three days. Simply stunning what colous water can produce. Incredible. I also took the opportunity and stirred the ship across the open sea for a little while (everyone survived!). Most of the time, however, we sat on the upper deck and, once again, exchanged stories, recapped the last three days, exchanged numbers/instagram, took a few last snaps and concluded that it was the best activity to do in the Philippines.

Personally, during the expedition I also took my time to reflect while sitting on the edge of the boat with my feet dangling above the blue waters. Quitting my job really was the best decision that I could have ever taken. Not only was I very happy, but I was genuinely having the time of my life. Everything has come together (amazing group, fantastic crew and a magical scenery). And even though I have not been in the Philippines for very long (c.10 days at this point, not counting the hospital stay), the country is a very serious contender - if not the front runner - for being my most favorite country in the world. I still have a few more islands to explore (Coron, Sargao and Siquior), but my expectations are sky high.Read more