Entrance to the Lagoon

I can’t help but keep comparing Phi Phi Island to the islands of the Bacuit Archipelago in Palawan Philippines. The islands have so much in common and both a equally spectacular in term of raw beauty. Another thing in common which I discovered is that they also have lagoons. I guess spectacular limestone islands always come with this package. Ko Phi Phi Leh is not different. We were brought into a large lagoon similar to Big Lagoon in Miniloc Island. This one seemed to be shallower though.

Is This Crystal Clear Enough For You?

There were a few motorboats in the lagoon when we entered but the lagoon was large enough not to make it feel crowded. There were a few motorized long tailed boats hired by foreigners who were swimming in the crystla clear waters of the lagoon. It was a truly amazing sight. I guess I just have this fascination with limestone formations be it on land or on the sea.

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View from Maya Beach

The limestone island scenery at Maya Beach was truly top notch. The limestone outcrops shaped by thousands of years of rain stand in front of me across the beach. The beach is a wonderful powder white sand that will thrill any sun worshipper. So is this paradise? If looks are the only things to consider, I would readily say yes. However, it is not as simple as that. Remember that our boat has 40 other tourists aside from me. That would have been okay. However, they were around 20 other boats parked at Maya Beach when we were there!

Did I Say There Were a Lot of Tourists?

It would have been an understatement to say that there were a lot of people at Maya Beach. The water really looks inviting, but there were just too many people there, aside from the fact that I need to find a way to keep my camera safe somewhere while I go swimming. The beach itself was crowded with people from all over the world. I couldn’t get a shot without any people in the photo. I was also waiting for the sun to come out from behind the clouds to get the really iridescent color I was longing for.

As Lonely Planet Says "You and Every Speedo On the Planet"

Unfortunately for me, time was up and the sun didn’t fully illuminate the entire bay. Our tour guide was already hollering for us to get back to the motorboat. If you got left behind by the boat, I really have no idea how you can go back to land. Maya Beach is not the only place to see here on Ko Phi Phi Leh, there are hiking trails which can get you a 360 views of the island, I would have wanted that.

Crowded But Georgeous Nonetheless

Alas, the boat was not mine alone and there were other places to see aside from Maya Beach. I have read there are no formal hotels on the island but it is possible for visitors to spend the night there on the beach. I can imagine the beauty and excitement of having the entire island all to yourself. That is until a thousand tourists come all at the same time and remind you that you are not in paradise afterall. If you want to have a taste of paradise surrounded by limestone islands, secluded beaches with powder white sands and secret lagoons, Phi Phi is a great place to be, but only if you can have it all to yourself – which is impossible.

Just Keep Packing Them In

I would recommend that visitors go to the Bacuit Archipelago in El Nido in Palawan, Philippines intead. It doesn’t have the mass tourism that exists in Thailand (yet), it doesn’t have the noisy bars that practically line the streets of Phuket, but this is a place that is just or maybe even more beautiful than Phi Phi Island. This is a place that you can really call paradise.

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Maya Beach

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Taking a Break at Tonsai Bay

Long Tailed Boat at Maya Beach

Mention the Phi Phi Islands, and it immediately conjures up beautiful limestone islands jutting out from the sea and powder white sand on its isolated beaches. It equates to tropical paradise. I finally made it here and, no doubt the limestone islands are really otherworldly. The Phi Phi Islands are actually a group of islands one of which is the one we were at – Ko Phi Phi Leh and it is the smaller of the Phi Phi Islands. Our motorboat headed straight to a large lagoon where all the other tourists were. This is Maya Beach or locally known as Ao Maya.

Iridescent Green Water Against the Limestone Outcrop

This place was made famous, way famous, by the movie The Beach, which was a movie adaptation of the book of the same name by Alex Garland. They probably couldn’t have picked a better location of the movie. Interestingly, it is said that although the movie was filmed on this island, the book itself was inspired by the secret lagoons and limestone islands of the Bacuit Archipelago of Palawan in the Philippines. Maya Beach also has a powder white sand and wonderful water that glows and iridescent green – given good lighting conditions.

Truly, this is paradise found, or is it?

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Blindingly White Sand of 7 Commando Beach

After the dazzling Simizu Island, we headed off to our next destination. Our boatman says this is to be our last stop before going back to El Nido town. We thought it was strange since we hired him for a 7 stop island hopping tour. I asked him about it but he just said it was already late in the day and the sea was getting rough. I didn’t want to argue with him. Honestly, I was also very tired and I also couldn’t wait to go back to the Alternative Center and rest.

Boats By 7 Commando Beach

We had to cross a relatively rougher patch of sea going back our next destination – 7 Commando Beach. Quite an interesting name. The boatman didn’t mention anything about why it was named that way. It was a beach with blindingly white sand. The sand here could certainly give Boracay a run for its money. Although the beach here is certainly much shorter.

Footsteps in the Sand and the Bacuit Archipelago

Again, we were the only ones on the beach which gives us that Robinson Crusoe like feeling. There was a hut near a rise behind the beach, but no one was there. I took a few pictures around the area and went swimming. There are several patches here good for snorkeling too. As usual, the water is crystal clear so you can really see the fish and the coral around it.

Hut Behind the Beach

As I was relaxing, I realized that my trip to paradise is about to end. Then again, it has already been several days since I had not watched TV or have I touched a computer since I came here. It is a great way to really get away from it all. On the other hand, I don’t really look forward to going back to work so soon. Being so used to the city, I don’t think I will last very long in this area. Still a few days in paradise isn’t really such a bad thing, right?

Karst Mountain

It was almost late afternoon, we went back to the boat and headed back to El Nido town. It turns out El Nido town is not too far away. As we passed by the towering karst peaks, the town loomed closer. It is a welcome sight after a very exhilirating tour of one of the most fascinating seascapes in the world!

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Taking a Break at Tonsai Bay

Fantastic Seascape at Simizu Island

Having explored quite a bit of Miniloc Island, we finally turned our sights to another island. This wasn’t called island hopping for nothing, right? Our next island is Simizu Island.

Ruggest Karst Formations

Simizu Island is an even smaller island but the great seascape more than makes up for its lack of size. Simizu island doesn’t have iridescent lagoons unlike nearby Miniloc however it also has crystal clear waters perfect for snorkeling.

Crystal Clear Waters as Far as the Eye Can See

Our boatman parked at the white sand beach on Simizu island and told us that this is a place for snorkeling. My boatmates then proceeded to enjoy the countless number of fish around the area. While I spent most of my time taking pictures of the amazing scenery before me.

Overhanging Tree

Actually it was more of the same stuff, limestone islands, white sand beaches and crystal clear blue green waters. Could it be that I’m already numb to the beauty that is all around me?

My boatmates kept egging me to join them in snorkeling so I gave it a try. Naturally, I just stayed near the shore lest I be carried away by the current out to open sea. Although, the boatman would already have pulled me back before that happens.

White Sand Beach

There were a lot of coral very near the shore. Unfortunately, it seems that that one nearest the shore were not in great shape. I suspect that the consistent parking of the boats so near the shore took it toll on the coral. I told the boatman this just as he was anchoring the boat to one of the coral. He just shrugged his shoulders and said that’s the way it is right now. I think a proper mooring system will benefit the coral and the boatmen even more. Since they won’t be constantly parking their boats anywhere they want to. In turn, the corals will thrive and give the boatmen more business.

Our Boat

Desipite the sad state of the coral near the shore, there were already quite a lot of small fish where I was. There more and more fish further away from the shore since the coral were healthier here. Unfortunately, it became too deep for me so I quickly scampered back to the security of terra firma. My boatmates were exclaiming how much fish they were seeing and kept telling me to go there. No thanks.

It was already early afternoon and the sun was shining brightly. The water really looks inviting, so I just contented myself to soaking in the shallow waters near the shore. If only I could have this island all for myself. That will be great!

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Tropical Paradise

The first two destinations of our island hopping tour in El Nido were fantastic. It seems like all the islands were similar in beauty but each with their own unique characteristics. We headed off to another part of Miniloc Island.

Unnamed White Sand Beach

Our boatman told us that we will be having our lunch break on one of the beaches on Miniloc. As our boat sailed part the island, we couldn’t help but notice that there were white sand beaches on the island with practically no people! I find this very appealing since it is relatively unspoilt compared to other beaches in the country.

Our Boat

Our boat turned into a small cove with a tall karst mountain on the right. The water was crystal clear here and it truly feels like a tropical paradise. We got off the boat and the boatman started to prepare our lunch behind a rock. He did bring some rice for us.

As expected the food was not spectacular, in fact is wasn’t really worth mentioning at all. We wolfed it all down and started exploring the beach. We weren’t alone on that part of the island since there was one other tourist boat there. It still felt like we had the island all to ourselves.

Way to Secret Lagoon

After a while the boatman mentioned to us to come with him to one side of the beach. He then revealed the presence of Secret Lagoon. True enough, it was so secret than no one would have known it was there.

It was to the right side of the beach and one would have to wade a fair bit along into the water to reach it. Along the wall of the mountain there was a hole. The hole was around chest high was just enough for a person to crawl through. We had to crawl through the hole and into what was to be Secret Lagoon. I was truly astonished at this “secret”. Inside there was a small lagoon totally surrounded by walls the only water coming in is through the hole we crawled through. Sunlight shines through the opening in the “roof” and brightens up the entire lagoon. It actually feels more like a swimming room than a lagoon.

A Hut

Unfortunately, since I would need to wade trough almost chest deep water and then through that hole, there was no way I would be able to bring my digital camera to Secret Lagoon. I was so disappointed. Going out I was a little wary of the waves since they might just slam me into the razor sharp limestone walls. It also does seem that during high tide, it will be quite difficult for people to go to, since the entire hole will be submerged. If a wave happens to slam you against the walls, things might turn ugly.

We took our time to relax at our own private beach and feel the fresh sea breeze. We then bid adeiu to Secret Lagoon and moved on to our next destination.

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Big Lagoon

The Small Lagoon in Miniloc Island was really amazing. We bade farewell to it and headed off to another part of the island: Big Lagoon. Just like Small Lagoon, Big Lagoon is almost identical, only bigger, of course. Upon entering the lagoon, it is obvious it is much deeper than Small Lagoon with its darker blue color. Although, just like Small Lagoon, it is likewise surrounded by towering karst formations.

Towering Karsts Surround the Lagoon

There is this certain air of amazement and tranquility when we entered the lagoon. My shipmates and I were all in awe of the beautiful scenery unfolding before us. Our boatman has probably seen this hundreds of times in his life but nonetheless remains impressed by it.

Smaller Lagoons around Big Lagoon

The parts of the lagoon along the mountains are much shallower then the middle and have that amazing iridescent blue green hue we saw from Small Lagoon. There is to be no swimming this time, why, I didn’t even bother to ask. I just wanted to soak in the scenery and take as many shots as I can.

Exiting Big Lagoon

We took several minutes going around the Big Lagoon before going out. While exiting the lagoon I saw this view which I saw numerous times on television. And strangely enough, I remember it being credited to Thailand. I was surprised to know that it was actually here in El Nido. I guess, that is also an indication of how beautiful this place actually is.

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Iridescent Blue Green Water

It was already morning and I had a really great night’s sleep. Today is the day I would go island hopping in the Bacuit Archipelago in El Nido, Palawan. I waited for my other ship mates, the Korean American lady, the Swedish guy, and the couple from Turkey and Albania. Quite an interesting mix of people don’t you think? I went to the meeting point and discovered that they were up early too. Seems like they were as excited as I was.

Island in the Bacuit Archipelago

The sea looks much calmer than it did the pervious day, so I think I would enjoy this a lot more than the previous day. The sun was already high up and it promises to be a great sunny day. It is a prefect day to go island hopping in one of the greatest seascapes in the world!

Heading to Miniloc Island

The Bacuit Archipelago is a small group of islands off the coast of El Nido in Palawan. It boasts of striking limstone islands jutting out of the sea. Maybe more impressive than the islands above the water are the numerous coral reefs surrounding islands. Naturally, the coral reefs here hosts innumerable species of fish. It really is a great place for snorkeling and diving. This great combination prompted the Philippine government to declare the area a protected area.

Karst Formations Rise from the Sea

Our first stop is Miniloc Island one of the many islands in the archipelago. Miniloc Island is a limestone island bounded by numerous lagoons and beaches. I’ve read about the beauty of these lagoons and beaches in guide books, but I was not prepared for what lay ahead.

When we got there what I saw was the most amazing scene. Welcome to Small Lagoon. Just off the side of Miniloc Island is an aptly named lagoon. The lagoon is noticably shallower than the sea, the water is so crystal clear that you can see right to the bottom. The bottom is white sand and combine it with the sun high above, the water gives off an otherworldly iridescent blue green color. The dramatic limestone rocks surrounding the lagoon add to the effect.

Opening to Small Lagoon

My shipmates were just as impressed and promptly got off the outrigger and swam. Surprisingly there is a small opening for swimmers and small boats to go through. Revealed an almost enclosed lagoon. I would have loved to take pictures of that place but I feared for my camera. One wrong move can send me and my digital camera into the water. I’d rather not risk it.

The inner lagoon was likewise surrounded by sharp limestone formations. I can tell that the tourists also in the lagoon were very much impressed by what they are seeing. The hot morning sun does not seem to bother them. I couldn’t resist the lure of the water and jumped in myself. Not being a very good swimmer, I took a life jacket with me. Who would have known it was that hard to move in the water with the life jacket on. There were several points where I could not feel the floor anymore but the water was clear enough that I could still see right down.

Happy Tourists Wave Back

Inside the lagoon, people can do a little snorkeling as there are a lot of small fish inside. There isn’t really much to do in there other than swim and snorkel. I was sorry I didn’t buy a waterproof case for my digital camera, it would have been great to take photos here. At this point the sun was already quite high and it was getting more and more difficult to take photos without over-exposing anything.

Kayak Strung Together

After half and hour of flopping in the water, I headed back to our boat. And one by one my shipmates likewise came back obviously very happy. After taking the mandatory pictures, we headed out to our next destination.

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Relax and take in the view at The Alternative Center

I was walking up and down the beach of El Nido town, finding a place to stay for the next two nights. As expected, there are a lot of places to stay in. I would prefer one that is beside the beach with a view of the sea. I was wondering where my fellow boatmates ended up when I stumbled into the Turkish couple at a resort. He told me it looked like a great place but here was looking for a room for two which we not available at the time. But for a single traveler like me, it would be perfect.

The Bedroom

The name of the place is The Alternative Center. It is made of wood and has a very unique feel. It has two floors, with the bottom floor presumably for the family to stay in. The upper floor is where the guests stay. Reception is also there.

The moment I saw the place, I immediately wanted to stay there. Fortunately, there is still room and I immediately took it. My room is is a single bed with no doors. I kind of felt uneasy about the place no having doors but since people are always there, it should be fine. A lot of things are different about the place. The bed is octagonal in shape. The “doors” are just some sort of makeshift curtain. There is no air conditioning either, but there is an overhead fan to keep guests cool.

Reception Area

Unfortunately, my room didn’t have any bathroom. I would have to use the common one downstairs. Something I don’t really mind at all. The bathroom wasn’t really very far anyway. Oh yeah, no hot water either.

The reception area is similarly made of wood and indigenous materials. It has a very traditional feel to it. To the point that the internet-enabled computer feels out of place. Just beyond the reception is an open area for travelers without rooms to stay in. I found it amusing to see that they can offer something like this.

There is always room here

To the end of the room is the terrace area. It has an amazing view of the bay and the islands around it. It offers bar stools for guests to relax and soak in the scenery. Speaking of relax, just off to the side of the bar stools is a hammock, where you can really relax and sleep the day away. To the other side of the bar stools and what I can only describe as nests. They are round platforms with cushions for guests to gather, sit, take in the view and relax. I really like this place.

Nests

It was almost dinner time and I was tired and starving from the long trip. I was ordering food at the dining area when this lady mentioned me over. She was seated at one of the nests and invited me to have dinner. She was Korean-American and was in the Philippines for a few months. She was traveling alone and probably wanted some company. Another traveler soon joined us, this time he is from Sweden. Apparently, the two met during their travels here and stayed together ever since.

The Alternative Center also serves food and is more than happy to cater to vegetarians. Since they do not serve any meat at all. With no meat, I ordered some fish dish. And it was great! Normally, health food places don’t have much taste so I generally avoid them. But this one was really good.

View of the Seashore

After getting to know my new friends, we decided to go for the island hopping tour the next day. Obviously, we would save a lot if we share the boat. And I don’t really mind that at all.

As the sun set, the view disappeared in the darkness, I set out to see what else is there in town. El Nido is a small town built around the bay. Below are a couple of bars by the beach. It is not noisy, unlike maybe a Boracay, so it still has that small town feel. Behind the beach are a row of souvenir shops, strangely enough, I didn’t feel like buying any of them this time.

Magnificent View of the Bay

When I got back to The Alternative Center, I noticed that the tide was already coming in. After a few more hours you won’t be able to step out of the place without getting wet. I found it strange that they would put up a place so near the shore. True enough, when the tide is high, the water is literally already at the resort’s doorstep.

There is nothing much to do now. Next door, some group is having a karaoke session and is becoming quite noisy. But I think I can live with that. I went to bed and looked forward to my island hopping tour the next day.

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Around Puerto Princesa

Island in El Nido

Irresistible as Port Barton was, I had to leave it behind since my transport needs to. I had my early lunch and prepared myself for a grueling 6 hour trip to El Nido. There were only five passengers left on our outrigger, since the rest decided to stay on in Port Barton. At least I would have some more leg room. I was still enjoying the peaceful and calm waters of the bay of Port Barton when we were already in the open sea. You could really tell the difference as we started bobbing up and down from the waves.

Limestone Island in El Nido

The waves probably were nothing to be worried about, I’m sure our able boatmen have seen far worse than this, so we just leave everything in their capable hands. Since this is going to be long trip, I got to know my ship mates better. They were two couples, an young Australian and French lady touring the Philippines. They were actually on their way to China to do some documentary in Inner Mongolia. They told me that after China they will make their way to France. This will be an awesome 6 month trip. It still surprises me no end that people could actually go on trips for that long.

Islands of the Bacuit Archipelago

The other couple, an elderly couple, was a Turkish man and an Albanian woman. Strangely enough they both live and met in Canada. The Turkish man is a professor who worked for a University in Iloilo in central Philippines. He just finished his tour of duty there, so he was touring the Philippines. Having stayed in the Philippines for a while, you could say that they are quite familiar with the Philippines. After their tour they would then go back to Canada.

Time runs very slowly at sea. Although we are tracing the northwestern coast of Palawan, there is nothing much to see except from the large island on our left. Without any entertainment, no TV, no internet, I was quickly becoming restless. The Australian couple was make themselve busy basking in the sun and taking pictures. While the Turkish couple was just sitting in the middle of the boat.

Entrance to El Nido Town

Already a few hours in to the trip, the waves were getting bigger and bigger. The splashing of the water from the front was soon reaching us at the back of the boat. It does seem that our boatman was in a hurry to get to El Nido. I guess you can’t blame him since our estimated arrival time there would be around 5 in the afternoon. I can’t imagine having to sail rough waters in the pitch dark. Even so, he would seem to charge ahead into waves causing the water to splash way inside the boat. Needless to say, we were all soaking wet from all the splashing.

After a particularly rough patch of sea, the boatman metioned to me, “It is just around the corner!”. That got me excited, then I realized that reaching that corner would still take us a while, so I had to endure more splashing. I have to protect my camera all the time, I don’t want it dying on me just when I’m almost there.

Outriggers parked by the Beach

Then we saw it. Small Islands started appearing, and they were getting closer and closer. It was the Bacuit Archipelago which comprises El Nido’s famous Islands. Now that the islands were very close, every one started to get really excited. Cameras started coming out. The Australian couple with their waterproof digital camera started snapping away. So did the Turkish professor, with his digital SLR.

El Nido Town

After a few minutes, the islands were all around us. Magnificent limestone island just jutting out of the water. Against the blue sky, they really looked great. Around another corner then we finally saw our destination, El Nido town! It looked like a small town by a small bay. As we entered the bay, the seas grew calmer, but the passengers grew more excited. Whether it was because of the wonderful landscape or just because we’re finally there doesn’t matter anymore.

Resorts by the Beach

Then after 6 grueling hours at sea, we finally landed. Again, there was no formal pier for outriggers, so we waded our way to shore. Unfortunately, while wading to shore, I stubbed my toe and my sandal got caught in a rock while wading to shore and the strap snapped. Probably my fault since I didn’t bother removing the sandals before leaving the boat.

After taking some pictures together, we all went our separate ways. First things first, I need to find a place to sleep. I was really tired.

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