The blue waves lapping and the boats lining at the shore, the coarse white sand and the towering limestone cliffs greeted me in that early morning of April 18, 2013. After eight gruelling hours of land travel from Puerto Princesa, finally my senses were overwhelmed by the breathtaking sights, sounds and scents of El Nido, Palawan. But the mystical experience had just begun.
Taking a guided tour, we were brought to various islands, beaches and lagoons, each with their own distinct magnificence. First of these destinations was the Helicopter Island which was famous for its shape even from afar. As soon as the boat docked on its beach, we jumped off it and explored the deserted island excitedly.
Coming very close to the foot of the famous limestone cliff, we couldn't help but looked up, scaled its height and wondered how many crevices it had. The sound of the swiftlets or balinsasayaw nesting on its crevices can be heard from where we stood. This would be the first of the many limestone cliffs that we would see and touch in the tour.
After a short dip in Helicopter Island’s beach, we hopped off to find the Hidden Beach which opening was concealed by a protruding limestone formation from the sea. The water was still high so we had to swim our way in. That’s bad news since I couldn’t bring my DSLR so I only had my eyes to take in the beauty. Maybe that’s why it got its name as well. But being Pinoy, I took the chance of taking videos of my nieces and their eagerness to swim to test their skills straight from summer swimming class.
Next off, we invaded the Secret Lagoon which was nestled in an island filled with tourists lounging on the sand. The smell of grilled food made our mouths water as it dawned on us that it was already lunch time. While our tour guides cooked our food, we went off to find the secret lagoon. We literally had to claw our way in a small hole that could fit two persons before finding it. After that, we had our lunch under the coconut trees and then we took some time to discover the small limestone formations in front of the Secret Lagoon Beach.
Our next destination brought us to Matinloc Shrine which required a great deal of leg muscle power to climb up the limestone cliff to the viewing deck on top. It was good to know that the tips of the pointy rocks were evened out to make steps for people to easily ascend. After the huffing and puffing, we finally reached the deck and "postcard perfect" could not even give justice to the beauty that greeted us. Overlooking blue water surrounded by limestone cliffs, it was the most heavenly feeling one can have in that place.
But since the deck could only hold a few people, we didn't linger as more and more tourists climbed. We went down and sought the other sights. My devout Catholic parents took time in the chapel found in the area. A statue of Mama Mary inside a big crevice in a limestone cliff was also a sight to behold.
Not long after, we sailed on to our next destination which required us to travel in a narrow sea channel bordered by limestone cliffs that made me feel like Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean. It was quite a long channel and the captain slowed down the boat intentionally for us to take in that overwhelming feeling of coming out of the narrow channel towards the Big Lagoon. The dark blue color of its water told us that it was really deep and our guides didn't allow us to jump in it without our life vests which made it easy for us to swim farther from the dock. It was tranquility at its best as I floated and absorbed the stillness of the water and the sound of birds chirping overhead. It was so serene as well as astounding.
Alas, we went on to the last of our tour from the Big Lagoon to the Small Lagoon. It was smaller than the Big Lagoon only because it was narrower but it was longer. Though I already felt the weariness of the day-long tour, the prospect of entering a cave which was at the end of the narrow lagoon posed a challenge to swim towards it. As I started paddling, my mini-me niece Lara tagged along the lengthy swim with other tourists. Though it was a feat, the thrill felt inside the cave was indeed a memorable prize for taking the challenge.
As we were sailing back to the main town of El Nido with the sun about to set behind us, I basked myself in the great feeling of achieving a goal that I had been aiming since college. With a plan in hand and the passion to realize the plan, I have done it and I couldn't be more proud of myself.
Next destination, please!
