We arrived at Vista Playa around 7. After breakfast at a carinderia nearby, we changed into our swimwear and got into the boats. 

The group getting off the van

The view from Vista Playa

Walking on the shallow shores towards the boats

The gang is ready for some sand and sun! Off we go!

After a couple of minutes, we found ourselves in Borawan.

Borawan

Whoever named this beach Borawan must never have gone to Boracay nor Palawan (since the name Borawan is coined from these two places) When one of our travel agents asked if we were amazed by the beach, all I could say is that it was okay.I didn't even take a dip because the water was full of things I couldn't identify. There were some activities like rappelling but I didn't feel like it. After walking for a bit, we sat and listened to some music, all while taking photos.

beach time baby!

You can do some rock climbing

Climb that rock to your heart's content

You can rent kayaks and pedal boats. None of which we tried.

the most fun part of being in Borawan is the photo taking

Or you can stare into the ocean. That's fun too.

A little while later, we went back into the boat and headed to the next beach, Puting Buhangin.

Puting Buhangin

It would have made more sense to name this beach Borawan, although still not at par with the two favourite tourist spots. The water was clean and clear and the sand, not as powdery as Boracay or Palawan's, but is more white and more grainy than Borawan's.

Welcome to Puting Buhangin, guys!

They've got enough huts for everyone

The ladies' toilet. You'll have to bring your own light when you go because it's so darn dark in there

The men's toilet

The grill

Shower rooms

A jug of water for bathing costs php50. Yes, you have to pay for the water

A variety store. An item costs an arm or a leg

Rented tents will fit three persons. Just be as still as a log when you sleep.

We had a great time swimming here. Unfortunately, that's about the only thing we could do at Puting Buhangin. That, and exploring Kwebang Lampas.

The rocks are spikey so you have to be very careful

The other end of the cave

When the tide is high you can swim inside the cave

There was this tiny moving thing

We were there already by 10am so you can imagine how bored we got after swimming and talking and more swimming. When night time came, all we did was play some tunes and read our social media feeds. The reception here is very good. There is no power source though so you might want to bring your power banks. Bonfires aren't allowed so some groups lit some candles instead. If we have known it would be like this, we could've at least brought some entertainment. 

Morning came and our backs and necks were complaining. None of us had thought to bring any sort of mat or pillow. If you're going, you should bring one just in case your tour agent doesn't, that is, if you hired any.

We woke up like this

All ready for a swim after breakfast

We had to do a bajillion tries before finally landing the perfect shot

Nothing beats swimming in the beach with fraaaands!

We strolled a bit on the beach, took more photos, had our breakfast, and packed up. When our boats arrived, we had to stuff all our things in it quickly because it began to rain hard. It was still raining when we got to Dampalitan Island.

Dampalitan Island

We didn't opt to swim here in Dampalitan Island because the water was very low and the it was already bordering on the rocks and corals and thingamajigs and I have no idea who would want to swim in the midst of all that. So we walked along the shore and yes, we took a lot of photos.

Hurrah! Time to abuse that SLR

Did I mention that the water was really shallow?

I have never seen such long sea weeds before

The short visit ended and we all headed back to Vista Playa. The weekend vacation was over. It was time for us to go home.

Time to head back to our exciting lives, people

On our way home, we got to visit Kamay ni Jesus and Nagcarlan Underground Cemetary.

Kamay ni Hesus

Nagcarlan Underground Cemetary

And that concludes our two-day getaway at Quezon! You can check out this site for the tour package we availed.

Photo credits: Rem Calumba, Allaine Adriano, Wendy Fraginal

I was thinking twice as to whether I should write another blog post about Pico De Loro since I've already done one. I didn't even took a lot of photos during the hike because I didn't had the mind to create a post out of it. After days of staring at my Instagram posts of our trip to Pico De Loro, I gave in and decided to blog. The writer in me won.


A friend from work knew I liked hiking so she invited me. For the travel, they hired a van. It sure was a lot more easier than a commute. We arrived around 8 in the morning at the DENR station. There were lots of hikers that day. Not surprising since it was a Sunday. What surprised me was how big our own group was. We were twenty eight people in our group! I have never been in a group this big before. 


We registered and paid the 25-peso fee. After a bit of introduction and some stretching, we began the climb.The trail was an unfamiliar one. The old trail where we passed through last year was now private property. A new trail was made and to be honest, I loved that new trail. The old trail, as stated in my old post, was teeming with a bajillion rocks and roots. If the old trail was a person, it would be the kind that wanted to hurt us so badly because we tried climbing their mountain. My experience on the new trail is so much lovelier. The new trail seemed more friendly and accommodating, welcoming us and assisting us with each step. Actually, what made me so pleased with the new trail was the mud. It had a clay-like consistency to it that prevents you from slipping. My sad excuse of a footwear had a grip like never before. How I wish the trail of any mountain was always like this.


We began the hike at 8:30 in the morning and found ourselves at the campsite two hours later. The place was swarming with "guides". I do not remember the camp site being like this the last time. These guides will help you with the hike to and from the summit and the monolith for a price of php50 per head. You'll still have to pay even if you opt to not climb the monolith. My companions found out about it when we got back to the camp site and were peeved because the guides did not mention this beforehand. Hiring the guides are not mandatory but prepare your ears for stories of people who didn't hire guides who ended up getting bloody and injured. 


The climb to the summit was significantly more manageable that my last climb. I would have been able to do it even without the guides' help. There are more rocks than loose soil, which means more things to hold on to. We didn't stay long at the summit. We left our backpacks with some of our companions and went down to begin the climb to the monolith.


How on earth was my brother able to climb that monolith without the help of guides during our first hike? The part where you needed to rappel were so darn narrow. Imagine a staircase made out of flat pointy rocks slapped together at the edge of the wall by a person who might have had twenty-three bottles of beer for breakfast. I cannot imagine for the life of me how the "casual" kind of hikers could have managed this on their own. How?! Anyway, after much scrambling through that steep and narrow stairs with the help of our guides, we were able to climb up to the top.


I took as many photospheres and panorama shots as I could. And when I had my fill, I took in everything I saw. I looked at it with a clarity that I did not possess back then (I used to wear glasses). I could see the ups and downs of the ridges from afar. I could see curves of the asphalt roads where the cars passed through. I could see the edges where the land and the water met. By the time it was my turn to rappel down through that wretched stairway, I felt as if I have seen half of the world. 

As for the pride of being able to "conquer" the monolith, I didn't feel it. Me being able to get up to the top was mostly because of the guides. I would have had a sense of pride if I did it on my own but, alas, it seems I have yet to be capable enough.  


The rappel down was anguish. The guides were telling me where to put my foot or my hand at and when I couldn't do it, they started shouting to just trust them and do it. I sort of wanted to kick them in the shin real good and tell them that I couldn't do what they were telling me to do because I didn't have a good grip on the rope because of my gloves. In my mind, that would've shut them up. 


An hour or so later, we were back at the summit. And minutes later, we were back at the camp site. The descent was so much easier than I expected. A couple of people and I were at the DENR station at 4:30PM. My head was hurting though because we went straight for it without any breaks. Our sweat was trickling down our faces and we didn't stop for a water break except once or twice at the beginning of the descent. 


Overall, I loved this hike. This is one of my personal favourites. One, because of the good weather and the good trail condition. Two, because this is my first hike since my Lasik surgery. Pico de Loro, You have given me one great experience. 

El Nido, Palawan will always be one of the most memorable travel destinations in my life because, man, the lime stones and the clear blue water is incomparable! We were able to spend 3 days in El Nido. Add two days of travelling and we spent a total of five days and four nights for the whole trip.



I wasn't involved in the preparation for this trip. The credit goes to my good friend, Jhoy. From the travel to the accommodation to the itinerary, everything was well planned. In contrast to our Boracay trip where we left the fates to decide what our trip would be like.



Here are the details of our trip:

Day 0
Arrival (Manila - Puerto Princesa - El Nido)	Van from Puerto Princesa to El Nido - php500 Tricycle from van terminal to Tay Miloys - php50/tricycle
Seaslug Restaurant
Day 1
Island Hopping (Tour A & B)	php1000/pax kayak at Small Lagoon - php150/2pax	Whole day We availed the tours from Tay Miloy's
Habibi Resturant
Day 2
Island Hopping (Tour C & D)	php1000/pax	Whole day We availed the tours from Tay Miloy's
Overnight Camping at Papaya Beach	Entrance php -150/pax Dinner - php2000/9pax Boat+guide+tent - php433/pax	Tay Miloy's staff prepared the dinner for us.  We gave them the money and they did everything. They also provided the boat and tents.
Day 3
Papaya Beach		Breakfast is provided by Tay Miloy's. Included in the 2k budget we gave them
Art Cafe		This is also where we went shopping for souvenirs
Twin Beach	Rented Van - php400/pax
Marimeg Beach
Skyline Restaurant	El Nido soup - php200/bowl
Squidos Restaurant
Departure (El Nido to Puerto Princesa)	tricycle to bus terminal - php50/tricycle bus to Puerto Princesa - php450/pax
Day 4
Departure (Puerto Princesa to Manila)	Tricycle from bus terminal to Airport - php70/tricycle	When we arrived at Puerto Princesa in the early hours of the morning, we slept in the parked bus until around 6 am.

Other fees:

• Environmental fee - php200. Paid to Tay Miloy's upon arrival in preparation of the tours
• Snorkeling gear - php100. Rented from Tay Miloy's. 
• Rooms - Contact Tay Miloy's for rates

On our last day at El Nido, we woke up to a very chilly morning at Papaya Beach.

Papaya Beach

The view from Papaya Beach

Most of the island was more forest than beach. But there was a variety of activities you can do. You can play basketball or volleyball or frisbee. No need to to bring your own balls or set up your own nets or basket. They've got it all ready for you on the island.

Welcome humans!

Good morning Papaya Beach

Chilling in a hammock

A hut

the sands are truly powdery

This is the toilet. If you need water (which you probably do), you'll have to get some from the ocean

I never knew Frisbee could be so much fun!

Look  at me go!

Time to get back. Aww...

Our boat guides went back for us in around 11. When we got back to town, we rode a tricycle to our lunch destination, Art Cafe.

Art Cafe

Art Cafe

Welcome to the Art Cafe

It seems a lot of foreign tourists visit this place

The bar

I wonder what the music is like here

They have their own travel agency

Pesto

I forgot was this was called but I think it's potatoes

We also shopped for souvenirs at the Art Cafe.