Peri's Pics - El Nido, Palawan

Palawan, the Philippines last ecological frontier

2005-06-28T21:00:00.000+08:00

Welcome. There is so much information available about Palawan. I am not an expert, I am simply sharing my travel journal of my experience in visiting El Nido, Lagen Island. El Nido Islands are a marine reserve and are truly beautiful. I don't think you really know what the Philippines is about if you only see Manila. I am glad I had the chance to visit Palawan.

Where Did I go?

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The Philippines is made up of over 7000 islands, Palawan is the island (of many more islands) to the South in the South China Sea. The South China Sea is also known as the Luzon Sea or the Philippines Sea. There is currently a dispute going on in the South China Sea over the Spratley Islands. Many lay claim to it because of its oil. On the other side of Palawan is the Sulu Sea.

El Nido is made up of 45 islands and islets. El Nido proper (town) is on Northern Palawan on the South China Sea side.
We flew into El Nido and took a boat over to the Lagen Island to stay at the "El Nido, Lagen Island Resort".

Day one Thursday 23 June 2005

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We took a 3:00 p.m. flight to El Nido, Palawan today. This is a picture of the airport lobby in Manila. It was quite nice with teak furniture. A hostess offered us refreshments and a chance to use the restroom (or comfort room as they call it here).

Here is the airplane, a 228 Dournier 19 seater jet. There were only four passengers as a great deal of cargo was filling up most of the plane. An older Filippina woman was on the plane also and she told me El Nido was her home.

The flight was pretty smooth, this was about the smallest aircraft I have ever been in. There were some great views out the window. We landed on a semi - paved airstrip that was about the width of a two lane road.

Day one Thursday 23 June 2005 - 2

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After disembarking from the aircraft, the first sight is that of a water buffalo pulling a covered wooden cart with rubber car tires. In the cart are singing Filipinos. It was a tempting photo, but we were told they charge you for a photo.

We were greeted by the El Nido staff at the El Nido airport, who guided us to the arrival lounge hut. We were offered another refreshment as we waited for our transport to Lagen Island.

Mosquitos were landing on us, so we put on some of the bug spray I had in my bag.

Peri's Travel Tip: Be sure you have Deet mosquito repellant, as Palawan does have malaria carrying mosquitos after dark. A local Filipino doctor told us it was not a threat, contrary to everything else I had read. ?? I am not sure which is true.

Pretty soon it was time to take a short jeepney ride to the beach area to catch our small boat that would transfer us to a larger boat that would take us to Lagen Island.

Here is the jeepney we rode in. It was a very short ride. Notice the Philippine Army Soldier that would accompany us on our way to Lagen Island.

Me waiting for the boat on the shore.
Peri's Travel Tip: Should have worn sandals or flip flops instead of tennis shoes as I had to take them off and wade in the water. Also recommend shorts, and a backpack rather than a tote bag for carry on items. Off and on boats can get tricky, but made easy if you have a simple back pack to free up your hands.

Here comes the transfer boat

Day one Thursday 23 June 2005 - 3

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Day one Thursday 23 June 2005 - 4

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The small boat took us out to a much larger boat. We were the only couple going to Lagen Island on this particular afternoon. On the boat were a few boat crew, the Philippine Army soldier, and a few resort workers.
It was about a 45 minute ride to Lagen Island. It looked like a storm was brewing. We passed many limestone cliffs on numerous islands.
At one beach, we spotted a group of monkeys that included several young ones running along the shore. The Monkeys are called Long-Tailed Macaque, the only species of monkey in the Philippines.

Day one Thursday 23 June 2005 - 5

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approaching El Nido, Lagen Island resort. These are the watter cottages and the large building to the right of the photo is where you arrive and depart on boats. It is also where gear is kept for snorkeling/diving, and there are showers as well.

At arrival we were given a necklace made of palm leaf I think. A young girl named Jane greeted us and was going to be our activity director. She walked us down the dock toward the main lobby building for check in.

El Nido Resorts are located here on Lagen Island and also on Minoloc Island. You have a choice at Lagen Island of Forest Rooms, Beach Cottages or Water Cottages. We had wanted a forest room but since they were all taken, we were in a Water Cottage.

Here is a photo from our water cottage balcony.

Here are some singers in the main lobby. They sang three songs of greetings just for the two of us. It was some kind of Palawan Song.
Palawan is a conservation area and El Nido Lagen Island was an authorized collector of the conservation fee that had to be paid. Jane explained to us some of the bags we were given.
1. a handmade handicraft type bag to take home
2. a eco bag - in this you put any trash you brought with you to the island that you were also to take away when you left.
3. a bag for items that were non biodegradable trash created during your stay from items on the island already (soda cans, etc)
4. a trash bag for your day trips.

Jane took us to our watter cottage. It was nice and had an outdoor patio over the water. The first thing that we noticed, however was that there was no t.v. Jane showed us a remote, but it was not for t.v., it was for the air conditioner. There was a nice cd player in the room and three cds in the room
1. Abba's greatest hits
2. Julio Iglesias
3. Enya
Peri's travel tip: bring your own cds
Lets just say the Julio cd was played the most often.

The tide was out when we arrived, but Jane assured us that water would be in the lagoon in the morning.

Day one Thursday 23 June, 2005 - 6

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After settling into our room, we showered and freshed up for dinner which was at 7:00 p.m. daily. We decided to sit at the pool bar before dinner. I had a non-alcoholic jungle cooler drink made of ginger ale, cranberry, pineapple, and orange juice. Dinner started out by the pool area, but it began to rain, and resort staff scrambled to move it all indoors.
Dinner was very nice. It was buffet style with cuisine to suit many tastes. I had some rice and chicken stroganoff.

The resort also had a small library with a small selection of books - many languages were available. Also there was a videoke machine. No main clubhouse television, but we later found out that the forest rooms had t.v.

El Nido Safety letter

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Letter in our room

"Dear Guest,

As we look forward to welcoming you to our islands this year, we would like to reassure you that El Nido continues to be a safe destination for travel. El Nido is located on the northwestern side of Palawan, far from the conflict-affected areas in the extreme southern part of the Philippines. El Nido remains as safe as any other world-class tourist destination.

A multi-sectoral security network takes charge of the overall security of Palawan. This is composed of: the Philippine Navy, Philippine AirForce, and Philippine Army under the Armed Forces of the Philippines' Western Command in Puerto Princesa, Palawan; the Philippine National Police Maritime, the Philippine Coastguard, the Provincial Government, the local government units, members of the local community, and the Palawan Tourism Council. The network spans the entire Palawan, from the northern islands in Coron/Busuanga to the southern parts of Bataraza.

Furthermore, a consortium of energy companies have a multi-billion dollar investment in the Malampaya Deep Water Gas-to-Power Project located 50 kilometers west of El Nido. Malampaya is one of the largest natural gas platforms in the world, and the Philippine Department of Energy has invested in a great deal of security to protect this project. The Philippine Government deploys a security force to protect Malampaya, with its headquarters located at our own El Nido Airport. This special security force commands personnel, navy vessels, speedboats, and aircraft. You may occasionally find navy patrol vessels anchored around El Nido. This supplements the local security force already in place in El Nido under the Philippine National Police and Philippine Coast Guard.

On the El Nido Resorts side, our strict security measures continue to be enforced at our properties in Lagen Island, Miniloc Island, and the surrounding areas. We maintain an effective unit of security personnel duly licensed by the Philippine national Police Maritime. These security personnel are professionally trained, formerly belonging to the Philippine military. They are in charge of monitoring the activities within the resort areas, as well as conducting day and night patrols and surveillance activities with in the resorts and nearby islands. Security personnel work in shifts, watching over resorts guests and staff on a 24-hour basis. They maintain direct contact with the Philippine National Police Maritime and Philippine Coast Guard detachments in El Nido Town, the Armed Forces of the Philippines' Western Command, and other resort establishments in northern Palawan.

At our airport facility in El Nido, all land and water vehicles, passengers, baggage, and packages are inspected by our security personnel before being allowed entry into the airport premises. Strict pre-check in procedures are also being followed at our A Soriano Aviation Terminal in Manila.

Finally with over 20 years of operations within the El Nido protected area, we have developed a network of "human assets" who will immediately alert us of any suspicious activities.

With all these security measures in place we are confident that El Nido remains safe for travel.................................................."

Day Two Friday 24 June - 1

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Day two - Friday
Had a nice buffet breakfast and spent the morning relaxing in the water cottage, listening to Julio Iglesias CD.

We skipped our morning activity of snorkeling in the lagoons, which we found out later was no big deal as the tide was too high to get into the small lagoon that morning anyway.

At 11:30 am we took a boat to an island for lunch. The Island is called Entalula I believe.

Entalua Island with its fine white sand beach lined by coconut trees, is a perfect example of a tropical island. The beach in Entalua is a favorite place for picnic lunches. Right off the beach is a good swimming site, especially for beginners.

The lunch was quite good. It was the most elegant picnic lunch I've ever had. I had rice, chicken bolognese, noodles, salad, fruit, cookie, and bottled water.

After lunch, we walked on the beach. There were little light colored crabs that were the same color as the sand. The crabs ran crazy when you approached. This beach was deserted, and it felt like our own private beach.
Beside the boat crew and our guide, Raffy, there was one other couple, who were going to have their free introductory diving lesson after lunch.

After our food settled, we decided to snorkel in the ocean. There was not much to see under water here but a few shells and corals, so we decided to take off all the gear and simply swim. The water was warm and very salty and I noticed that I floated more than I do in the swimming pool.

We were swimming in the South China Sea.............What a strange thought..........I never imagined I would be doing that in my lifetime.

After swimming, a boat arrived with two older couples. They enjoyed a long leisurely lunch, while we played on the beach. There were so many beautiful shells on the beach, and they reminded me so much of the ones my grandfather would give me from Hawaii.

Day Two Friday 24 June 2005 - 2

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After the two couples were done with lunch, we all got onto a boat to share the afternoon activity of Island hopping.
The couples were Mormon missionaries stationed in Quezon City. They were taking a much needed vacation. One of them was a doctor who had not had a break from working for eighteen months. They were very friendly and I enjoyed their company. They were from Utah.

Our guide's name was Raffy. Raffy was born on El Nido and has a 6 yr old daughter and 10 yr old son.
Our first stop on the Island hopping agenda was Vigan Island, also known as Snake Island because of a fine natural sandspit (s shaped sandbar) that "snakes" off its shores. The sandspit is only visible when the tide is low. On both sides of the sandspit are shallow swimming areas.
Raffy suggested that we should hop off the boat and go swimming. The other two ladies on the boat did not feel like swimming, and wanted to go somewhere else. We went along with what they wanted out of respect, but I could have jumped in and swam, no problem.

Next we headed to a beach on I believe part of the Palawan mainland. Here I am after getting off of the boat.
leaves in the water

limestone

me getting ready to enter the bat cave

Dr. on the left, me on the right

We had to crawl through a small opening - not exactly easy!!
The two guides laid towels down. it was challenging for some folks and I was amazed that everyone was successful. At the other side of the opening, you were standing in dirty smelly water. Raffy said it was bat smell. I thought it was creepy and disgusting (but kept my thoughts quiet). It felt claustrophobic to me, but everyone else seemed to be enjoying it all. Next, we were to climb up through another opening to a higher cave. That was easy.
Once inside, Raffy pointed to a corner on the ground and said, "Human bones.". Excuse me......... I really was creeped out now. Raffy went on to explain that the bones were determined to be American because of the size.

Looking up in the bat cave, you could see an opening, and a rope was hanging down. The other guide told us that when he was young, he would climb the rope to the top and get bird nests, for soup.

Every once in a while you could feel droplets dripping on you. I did not know if it was water or bat droppings. I was eager to leave the bat cave.

We made our way out of the cave and back onto the boat. Next we headed into a cave by dinghy on Pinasil Island.
Pinasil Island has a cathedral-like cavern accessible by dinghy or kayak. Its cool interior is lit at certain times of the day by sunlight coming through an opening at its peak.

Day two Friday 24 June 2005 - 3

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approaching cathedral cave

okay....... Raffy told us it is called Cathedral cave because there is a Virgin Mary image that the water had made on the wall.

Day two Friday 24 June 2005 - 4

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We headed back to the resort on Lagen Island

Here is a snake we saw climbing up a tree near the beach cottages.

Conservation Fee

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This is a photo of a butterfly I saw behind our water cottage - We saw them daily, I do not know what they are called.

To Our Valued Guests:

This is to inform you that effective July 1, 2002 a Conservation Fee of Php. 20.00 per person per night or Php. 200.00 for visitors exceeding ten nightÂs stay in the area shall be collected from all visitors 12 years of age and above entering the El Nido-Taytay Protected Area. This was confirmed in Resolution No. 08 series 2000 of the Office of the Protected Area Management Board or PAMB from the National Integrated Protected Areaprogram'sme or NIPAP of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

It is in this regard that we wish to inform you that visitors including guests of El Nido Resorts Lagen Island and Miniloc Island, being establishments belonging to the Protected Area, are subject to said requirements of the government. El Nido Resorts shall be extending its assistance in PAMBÂs collection of this Conservation Fee from its guests at the resorts. Our Front Offices at Lagen Island and Miniloc Island shall be accepting the amount in behalf of the PAMB and issuing you their official receipts............................Â

Pacalsada's Balete Tree

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This is a picture taken behind our water cottage.

Every night there was a new story left for us in our room, this one is about Pacalsada's Balete Tree

This story came from an old man who lives in Pacalsada, El Nido, Palawan. According to him, he was one of the three young men in the story.

All over the Philippines, the gnarled branches and numerous haning roots of the Strangling Fig Tree, locally called balite or balete, inspire stories of various evil spirits coming out of its trunk. Often, these spirits take on the form of a beautiful lady with very long hair, usually wearing a long flowing white gown, seeking to entrap unfortunate males.

In El Nido, in a village northeast of Lagen Island is a beautiful place called pacalsada. According to locals, behind the serene beauty of its flowering trees and ponds is a mystery that manifests itself whenever it so desires. Once upon a full moon, locals say, three adventurous young men, gamely serenaded a balite tree. Everyone in the village knew of the stories that surround that tree. Still, the young men, all a bit tipsy, played their guitars and sang loudly to the tree. After one song, half of the balite's trunk threw itself wide open, as if it was a door. Out came two beautiful ladies in white that bid them in, saying, "You have such wonderful voices. Why don't we all sing together inside?"

All three men froze and fainted. When they came to, the ladies were gone and the trunk was closed. Nevertheless, as if with one mind, the young men scrambled away as fast as they could. According to local folk, they were literally speechless for a month.

The young men's story is not the only one that's been told about the balite tree of Pacalsada. Other stories are of unusual sounds coming from the tree- ships passing, airplanes flying, bombs exploding, jeeps screeching. Old folks say these remind them of the Second World War. Several casualties of the war were buried there.

For as many as there are people who call Pacalsada their home, there are all sorts of stories about the strange balite tree. Then asked why they even choose to stay, they shrug and say, "We're used to it."

Amazing Race

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This is a kayaker I took a picture of in front of El Nido resort, Lagen Island where we are staying

Hey, so our guide Raffy pointed to the big limestone cliff we passed as we came back to Lagen Island at the end of Day two and he asked us if we were familiar with the show Amazing Race. Sure we were. Well, it turns out that an episode was filmed there and the challenge was to climb the very limestone we were passing. Wow! Well I had not seen this episode of Amazing Race.

I asked Raffy if all the camera crews and everything were there...........yes he said. Wow, that must have been something.

Day three Saturday 25 June - Miniloc Morning

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Had an 7 am early breakfast again.
And headed out on a boat with the two Mormon couples and a newlywed couple from Milan, Italy.

miniloc cottages

Miniloc Island - Among the attractions Miniloc Island is famous for are the Big and Small Lagoons. Believed by scientists to be caves whose roofs collapsed millions of years ago, the lagoons of Miniloc are ideal for kayaking, snorkelling, and swimming. Another favorite snorkelling site in the island is right off the pier of Miniloc Island Resort where there is a fish feeding station. Several dive sites are located around the island.

Day three Saturday 25 June - Miniloc Snorkeling

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Here is the pier at Miniloc where you snorkel from

Here I am - I had just gotten bit on the finger by one of the fish, because I had been feeding them bread. Later, an old Korean man with a large scar on his chest showed me how to tuck bread in my hand and hold it out for the fish to eat. The trick is to tuck in your thumb.
I was the only person from my boat that snorkeled most of the morning. These other folks near me were from another boat, all Korean I am pretty sure. They were very friendly to me. On the way over to Miniloc, we passed their boat and they had picked up a sea turtle to bring for some reason. The sea turtle was on the dock covered in a towel. I could not get a good look at him, because of folks crowding around it. I felt a bit confused as to why they would disturb this turtle. I did not find out the full story, but instead went snorkeling

me getting ready to snorkel.........yes, I float around with my life jacket........I'm no expert.

Raffy kept telling us to look for the large jacks. What are those I wondered? I soon found out......big large fish swimming in a school. I asked Raffy if the Jacks bite. Raffy said, "Oh no, the Jack is very kind." That made me feel better, but it is a strange feeling when they swim around you in a circle. I asked Raffy if the jacks were good to eat, and he said only when they are smaller. The big ones I was snorkeling with were not good.

We were told that the jacks come to the Miniloc pier area at certain times a year and they always come to the same spot. No one knows why, though. I saw angel fish, and many other colored fish.

After snorkeling, I rinsed off and was ready for a rest.

napping mr. expat under the shade took a pic of me between the umbrellas where I would nap.

Day three Saturday 25 June - Miniloc Lunch

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Here is where we had lunch buffet at Miniloc Island, this is a resort also owned/operated by El Nido Resorts.

Day three Saturday 25 June - Miniloc lagoons

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After lunch, everyone rested and then went snorkeling with me again. The doctor was having a blast. He said if he had had a spear, one of those big jacks would be on his dinner plate. Dr. Joe found a sting ray and pointed it out for us to see. I was glad that the ray was on the bottom and I was at the top of the water.

Soon, it was time to head to the lagoons. Back onto the boat and when we arrived at the lagoons, we got into kayaks from a ladder - from the big boat to kayak.
I had my own small pink kayak. Mr. expat had his own. The doctor and wife had a double kayak. Guide Raffy paddled for the other wife, an her husband had her own.

We had to be in kayaks to get through a very narrow opening in the limestone wall. This opening led us into the small lagoon. The doctor and his wife pointed out to us the wild begonias growing in the tall limestone cliffs.

It was very peaceful kayaking in the small lagoon. The reason we had to wait until afternoon was for the tide to be low; you can only get in at this time.

We did not have photos of this, as we were afraid of getting our cameras wet.

The lagoon was surrounded by the very tall limestone cliffs, and it was so quiet in there. It was such a peaceful experience............no noise pollution, no traffic sounds.

This was an awesome vacation that I would highly recommend........getting away from civilization almost. No television, cell phones did not work out here (but they did in El Nido town area).

We soon headed back to Lagen Island. The two of us decided to join the group that was going to have an "island dinner", so we had to get back and freshen up.

Day three Saturday 25 June - Island Dinner

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evening sky as we prepare to leave for our island dinner click on photos to enlarge The boat ride over to the island was quite nice. There were three Philippine soldiers accompanying us for this trip. We were lathered up with mosquito repellant and confident. We both did get bit though... hummm.

this pic is a bit blurry, but my only sunset pic I was able to capture. I like it, because it is the local El Nido crew sitting on the beach together.
click to enlarge any pics me at a table - blurry for some reason

Well, at least I think this photo came out nicely.......beautiful evening..... until the boat ride back to Lagen........
The boat ride back to Lagen.......well, by then it was dark, and storm was really brewing. We got on little dinghy to big boat to dinghy. The little dinghys use a flashlight to see their way.
I was a bit scared.

Hepe - story

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This is a photo at El Nido Lagen resort - the gardening structures are quite amazing.
click to enlarge

This story came from an old lady who still lives in El Nido, Palawan. Hepe was her grandfather.

Hepe

Once there lived a young man named Ramon. He was born in 1894. Orphaned at a young age, he took care of his two younger sisters. At the age of fourteen, he had already taught himself and his sisters how to read and write in Spanish, which was the custom at that time. He also claimed several islands with caves that yielded edible nests of swiflets, a lucrative trade even then. He had paddle boats and eventually acquired tracts of land. He was hard-working and well-liked that the local folk called him Hepe (from the Spanish “jefe”, meaning chief), in spite of his youth.

Since there were very little schools at that time, Hepe taught El Nido’s natives simple arithmetic, using seeds for addition and subtraction. He also taught them the proper way of constructing their houses, raising chickens, hogs, and cows. Since paper was nto available, banana leaves were used for writing.

Lfe with the natives was not always harmonious. When problems arose, Hepe would be fetched. Only he could settle their disputes amicably. Once such instance was when a lady who was already betrothed eloped with another man. This sparked a revolt that decimated the natives, who used bows and arrows. When Hepe returned from a distant island, he was very much troubled and frustrated to see the people disobey his code.

Hepe’s code:

1. No one must eat any fruit of his neighbor’s tree.
2. Nobody must go to his neighbor’s house at 1:00 pm or during breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
3. For special occasions like birthdays, weddings, and anniversaries, every family must give something to help in the food preparation.
4. One woman for one man.

When he turned 21, Hepe had considerable wealth. He owned rights to caves in several islands in Bacuit Bay and he was ready for marriage. He married Macaria, a young lass from Cuyo, by whom he had five sons. While he was very strict with his sons, they did not seek education the way their father did. They married early and depended on their father’s business. They also had many children.

As he grew older and his grandchildren increased, Hepe worked as hard as when he was younger. In all that, he did not forget his love for music, playing the banjo and accordion, composing his own Eracai, a local form of folk music. In 1965, upo seeing his two newly built motor boats, he played his accordion in happiness. Shortly, Hepe breathed his last, surrounded by family and friends who were celebrating his good fortune with him.

Hepe was irreplaceable, both to the natives whom he loved and to his family. None of his sons were able to match his business skills, such that shortly after his death, his caves and property were taken over by other residents of Bacuit, later called El Nido.

His grandchildren have since learned the value of education. Several of them had become teachers, midwives, engineers, and writers and had moved to Manila or Puerto Princesa. But for all of them, and the grandchildren of the natives whom Hepe helped, his memory lives on.

Day four Sunday 26 June 2005 - Shimizu Island Snorkeling

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Day four was our best day by far. One of the activity directors asked us what we wanted to do. We simply wanted to do some snorkeling. So it was suggested to us that we get dropped off at Shimizu to snorkel, then have lunch back at Lagen Island.

So at 9:00 am, we took a boat that dropped off some folks at Miniloc first, then took us over to Shimizu. The told us they would pick us up at 11:30. Wow!! we were dropped off on a tiny island all by ourselves!!!

The sand was nice, little crabs running around. The water was warm, no people anywhere, no boats in sight.
This gives you an idea of the lush foilage on the island. Shimizu is named after a Japanese man who owns another resort called Club Noah. We wondered if any monkeys would arrive, but none did. It was somewhat scary to be here on our own. We figured the staff had watched us for a few days and determined we were competent to be on our own. We snorkeled and snorkeled. This was the best spot yet. We were somewhat scared though, and stayed very close together.

We saw clown fish (the finding nemo fish), angel fish, so many colors of fish. Mr. expat was positive that the black fishes that we saw were pirahna. He said that one tried to charge him, and he kicked it with a flipper. Hummm, I did not notice at all, except they were following us.

But........later, the next morning, our old guide, Raffy asked us if we saw any pirahna!!! Can you believe it? I have no idea why they didn't eat us alive, but I think from what little I have read on the internet, they attack wounded dying things.??

Anyway, it was fantastic, and scary at the same time. Pretty soon it was 11:30 and a boat came to get us. We were snorkeling way out by this rock in the background of the photo, so it took a few min for us to swim in & get on the boat. No, we did not sea any sea turtles when the guide asked us....

Day four Sunday 26 June 2005 - Relaxing by the pool

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I love these palms that are like a fan, I wonder if they can grow in Arizona?

Back at the El Nido, Lagen Island Resort, we cleaned up and had lunch.

Peri's travel tip: Don't forget to bring your hair conditioner like I did - my hair was very brittle from the salt water.

Day four Sunday 26 June 2005 - full body massage

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After lunch we saw three monitor lizards.

Water Monitor Lizard: This speacies can be seen swimming far out to sea. These lizards can grow up to 2.5 meters in length.

Next we went into this open room on a platform for couples full body massage.
El Nido Lagen Island Resort - has a nice spa services menu.

I took the Aromatherapy massage

"Authentic European aromatherapy massage that uses pure apricot kernel massage oil blended with a variety of natural essential oils to give different effects that will suit individual needs. The massage style used is similar to the Swedish style with emphasis on the lymph areas for a healthy lymphatic drain to help enhance the body's natural immune system. Body oil blend variants include: serenity for relaxation, Vitality for re-energizing and Therapy for relieving discomforts due to colds and body malaise. A specially blended oil face essence is used for massaging the face."

He took the Combination Massage

"The most popular style of massage because it combines the benefits of Shiatsu and Swedish styles of massage. Shiatsu is applied first to relieve the tension and Swedish massage follows to relieve muscle aches."

Wow!!! That was my first ever full body massage....... and I must say, if you haven't had one, I would recommend it highly. It was so relaxing, peaceful. We heard the ocean, the birds, and some relaxing light music playing.

The cost in the Philippines is a bargain........ 1200 pesos or in USD: $21.00

It was the perfect way to wind down our few days of fun in the sun.

Day four Sunday 26 June 2005 - last evening

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Sun going down, last night at El Nido.

Day five Monday 27 June 2005 - Goodbye El Nido

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Last morning, here I am having breakfast. Me at the departure dock sitting with Raffy who was our guide for a few days. Raffy was born in El Nido town and has family which includes two children. He told us he speaks Korean and some Japanese in addition to his native tongue and English.

The El Nido folks waving us off.......... they were all very warm and friendly.

Day Five Monday 27 June 2005 - Aerial photos

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Aerial photos on the flight home to Manila.