El Nido III

The second day of island hopping, we had some of the breakfast we bought yesternight. Amongst them were some instant noodles and bread. We found ourselves back at the docks, this time we were able to depart just fine. I was able to rent some goggles before getting on the boat. It seems like we were the last ones this time around as we didn't want to wait for too long, we opted to arrive a bit later. We started off in a pretty epic location straight off the bat, a visit to Cadlao Lagoon. It wasn't as grand as Big Lagoon but it was every bit as beautiful, maybe even more so because of the fair weather. Janelle and I were kayaking around the lagoon for a bit, we circled all the way and checked out every nook and cranny of the place, I was able to take a lot of picturesque photos as well. Heading back to the boat, one of our boatmates' were having some trouble getting back to the boat and their kayak ended up getting capsized. Our guides had to go fetch them instead, we ended up here for a long time doing nothing but this also gave us a good advantage on time as there would be a big gap between us and the other groups, meaning we would have more alone time on the islands. We went to the next location called Hidden Beach. As the name suggests, this beach was also pretty tucked away. Through a small opening between the two limestone mountains, there was a beach. We swam towards it and had a lot of fun on the way. The surprising thing was there was some sort of cove beyond the beach with a smaller body of water. This was a pretty unique place and it was also a graveyard for my phone as I tripped accidentally and dipped it in the salty water. I could tell that this was gonna be a problem as the screen had already started to get some discoloration. A bit worried but not enough to ruin the day, we carried on back to the boat to go to Talisay beach where we had lunch. Janelle and I fought here because I took the last piece of squid which pretty much carried on throughout the whole day, my mood souring by the hour as it dawned on me that we were actually doing this on such a special occasion. I decided to not let it bother me and just tried to enjoy the rest of the day. We were supposed to go to Secret Beach next but at this point of the day, just like clockwork, the weather started to get a bit wild and the waves ended up covering the entrance to the beach so we had to skip it. Adding that to the list of unfortunate events for the day. We went to Matinloc shrine next, I wasn't exactly in the mood to be hanging out with Janelle anymore so I opted to just do some snorkeling which was very worth it as I was able to be surrounded by a huge school of fish as I looked down at the dark abyss. The rain started to get really strong and the wind more furious so I went back on the boat and waited for the rest of the gang to get back down from their hike. The last stop was Helicopter Island. Here we also did some more snorkeling, I was mostly riding solo again and on the way back I somehow lost my second pair of goggles, definitely not the best day. When we got back on the boat, our boat's engine had problems starting as well so we were stuck for a long time as the rain got stronger. It took several tries for the crew to get it back up and running, as the onlookers cheered them on with worried expressions. Eventually, after some false starts, they got the boat running again and off we went back to El Nido. The weather started to take a turn for the worse as the clouds darkened immensely, the rain poured and the winds roared while the temperature seemed to plummet. It was a test of endurance as we patiently waited to get back to land, but at the same time the storm colored the surroundings with these beautiful shades of gray that made it look something straight out of a painting. Despite the crackling thunder, the scenery was quite enchanting.

We finally did get back to town, I was hoping I can sneak past the goggle vendor but they were waiting for me. I told them I had lost it and they were charging me a whopping 1,500 pesos for something that I could get for five times less the price. With some dumb luck, the boat's crew had found a pair of goggles on the boat and gave it to the vendor. The funny thing is that I was positive that pair was definitely not mine but I certainly wasn't complaining. On our way we stopped by a Filipino restaurant to order some take-out and started to walk back. Janelle's mom opted to get a tricycle instead and we got to our AirBnB quicker than expected. It was such a tiring day. After taking a shower, I retreated to my room and started to do Reiki. Janelle knocked on my door half way through and she apologized and so did I. I was glad things were okay before going to sleep but at the same time, I was also sad because I will also always remember this day when I look back to El Nido.Read more