Palawan Day 3: El Nido (Island Hopping Tour C)

I came back from the Taraw Cliff Climbing unscratched but with sore limbs and muscle pains. Tay Miloy recommended that I should take Alaxan FR (Pacquiao’s pain reliever after a boxing match. LOL), so I bought 3 tablets from a store nearby. Since I arrived ahead of time, I decided to lie down and rest a bit, while waiting for the person who will fetch me up for the Island Hopping Tour C.

At exactly 9:00 AM, I heard a knock from ate and she said that my sundo is ready to take me to the boat for the island hopping. Upon boarding the boat, I noticed that everyone in the group except moi is foreigner (Oh good, language barrier cum nosebleed alert! Hahaha). In a way, the situation is favorable because I don’t need to mingle with everybody and I can just close my eyes and take my rest from the tiring taraw cliff climbing while waiting for the boat to arrive at our first island destination.

Unfortunately, after 15 minutes on board, the couple (they said they’re not but they look like one) next to my seat started talking to me.   They are originally from France but they are currently working at Malaysia. The ‘rest’ which I was dreading to get went to lala land and never came back that day. Our conversation focused mainly on work, travel, food, culture and many things. I thought to myself that this is a good opportunity for me to practice in preparation for my solo backpacking trip to Indochina in February 2014. 

The first stop of our island hopping was the Secret Beach, a good spot for snorkeling!

Secret or Hidden Beach?

Fishes! and sands? haha

Palawan Day 3: El Nido (Taraw Cliff Climbing)

The idea of climbing taraw

It has been my habit to check out travel blogs and other sites whenever I am planning to go somewhere. So when my ticket to Palawan has been confirmed, I immediately browsed the web and looked for exciting and out of the ordinary (life threatening) things to do at El Nido. And that’s when I came upon El Nido’s “TARAW CLIFF CLIMBING.”

Here are some of the stories that caught my attention and fixated taraw cliff climbing on my itinerary:

From TheKillerFillers.com: “Mountaineering experience won’t prepare you for climbing Taraw. It was serious rock climbing from the first assault. And when I say serious, I meant serious like 80-degree-5-storey-high-limestone-piercing-death-drop serious. I wrote many climb stories and talk about death cliffs all the time and I want to take that back for if death cliffs have a picture in the dictionary, the cliffs in Taraw should be it. There were times you will need to pull yourself up with the strength of your arms just to get to the next stepping stone and I am not the leanest person you’ve seen, so go figure.”

From IronWulf.net: “I thought this was gonna be easy. Like walking on regular mountain trails and winding roads… My mountain climbing experience didn’t prepare me for this. We were traversing the sharp and jagged limestone trails and pulling ourselves up along almost vertical walls… A few more climbs to the peak, the trail became more challenging and dangerous that one step could send me plummeting down to the sharp rocks.”

From BoyWonder.com: “Climbing Taraw Cliff has got to be the most difficult thing I've done physically. No amount of Zumba could have prepared me for it. We were literally rock climbing. And we didn't have any gears! There wasn't an option for it anyway. We just had our bare hands and slippers.”

Maybe it was in my nature to be competitive, that I want to achieve what others can. To prove everybody that even with a body and weight like mine, I still can. Or Maybe I’m just reckless and crazy that whatever crosses my mind, and thinks that it’s fun, I’m willing to do it, whatever the risk may be.

The day and night and hours before the climb

As posted in my previous blog entry, the day before my climb, my friends and I went to Island Hopping Tour A. And from the boat we were riding we saw the taraw cliff from afar. The view got me excited and at the same time scared, for I am sure that tomorrow will give me the best (experience) but the hardest (physically) time of my life!

view of Taraw Cliff from afar

Palawan Day 2: El Nido++, Philippines (Island Hopping Tour A)

The plan was to wake up early to catch the sunrise at Bacuit Bay, so as early as 6:00AM, I was already on my feet ready to catch the magnificent view of Bacuit Bay’s rising sun. Sadly though, I was not able to capture it and just decided to walk around town.

Early morning at Bacuit Bay!!! minus the sunrise.. :)

Walking around town

Right on the center of El Nido is where the parish is situated, where a lot of locals can be found.

The town was starting to get populated and establishments were starting to open for business, and so I just decided to walk along the shore of Bacuit Bay on the way to my friends' lodge. As I was walking, a fisherman approached me and offered his catch during the night. It got me curious so I looked into his bucket and saw bundles (is this the right term?) of crabs that made my mouth salivate thinking that steamed crabs are perfect after a whole day of island hopping tour.

So I asked Manong Fisherman, how much each bundle costs, to which he answered Php150.00. I was really surprised at the price he gave me because as I counted the number of medium-sized crabs in the bundle - it ranges from 8-10 pieces. I immediately bought one bundle consisting of 9 above medium-size crabs and took it at Tay Miloy’s Inn hoping they could help me steam it later in the afternoon.

Since it was still early, I continued to walk around town trying to look for the entrance of Taraw Cliff, my next day’s planned activity. Taraw Cliff is the limestone formation which can be seen on the left side of the town, which on first glance is impossible to climb.

Tra-Abel En Route: Setting Foot in Paradise

Palawan Day 2: Setting Foot in Paradise

The van trip from PPS to El Nido took us exactly 4.5 hours and the driver was kind enough to drop us off in front of the lodge where my friends are staying. He gave us a calling card for future trips and referral to friends, so here it is:

Kimberly Faith Van Rental

Php500.00 per person

CP# +639066027812/+639099274853 

Since I planned on a different itinerary and I’m on a tight budget, I booked my accommodation at Tay Miloy’s Inn (the cheapest accommodation in town I know of).

Tay Miloy’s Inn

Php300.00 per night good for 2 persons

CP# +639297955756

Tay Miloy’s Inn is perfect for those who are on a tight budget; the room consists of 2 beds, a fan and clean beddings. The bathroom is shared but is always clean and the people are friendly so it’s the perfect place to meet new friends especially if you are travelling alone. On the down side, the floor and walls are not concrete so footsteps and noises can easily be heard and it has limited spaces and reception area. My stay with Tay Miloy’s was nothing but satisfactory, and the one thing I’m most pleased at, were the owners, they were so helpful and friendly that made my tours possible and my stay in El Nido a success!

Palawan Day 1: Puerto Princesa City Tour

July 20, 2013

30 minutes after 8 in the morning, the flight attendant of PAL Express Flight 2P 941 announced our arrival at Puerto Princesa City airport. I was excited and at the same time nervous, for I have no idea what adventures await me for my first Tra-Abel Trip!

Upon alighting the aircraft, I immediately texted Manong Rommel, my contact person for the Puerto Princesa City day tour. It really saves you time if you arrange your tour/itinerary in advance. A lot of information is available online, so have the patience to look for one, it really pays off. Anyhow, here is the contact number of our Tricycle Driver cum Tour Guide for the Puerto Princessa City Tour:

PPS City Tour Trike Contact Info

Manong Rommel - 0919 879 9501

PPS City Tour - Php600 for 2 persons (300 each)/ Php500 if you're alone

*The rate is standard for all the PPS Department of Tourism accredited trikes but you can always try to ask for discounts.

Manong Rommel was very helpful in a lot of ways, he's very knowledgeable and friendly, so don't hesitate to ask a lot of questions and trivia about the places/spots you're going.

Manong Rommel's Trike

Palawan Day 0: The Long Road - From Mountains to Beaches

4:30 PM July 19, 2013

One of the perks of working in a faraway place is getting home early from the day to day work. Our office hours end at exactly 4:30 PM, way earlier compared to my previous jobs’ 6:00-6:30 PM end of day work. So 15 minutes before 4:30, I am already outside the General Office waiting for a UV Express (van) going to Baguio.

Mankayan to Baguio van route always gives me mixed emotions. I feel refresh from the fresh air and the sceneries that we pass through at the same time I feel burdened and sick due to the endless winding roads. The trip from Mankayan to Baguio took me exactly 3.5 hours of sleep, amusement, sickness and nausea (this is the reason why I seldom go home).

Cloudy afternoon taken along the Mankayan-Baguio Route

Unlimited view of the vegetable terraces at Bugias, Benguet

We arrived in Baguio City at around 8:30PM, ample time for me to shop for the things I needed for my Palawan Tour as follows: Sunglasses; Snorkeling Gear; Sun Block; Dinner and Snacks.

5 minutes after 9:00PM I immediately went to the Victory Liner Baguio Bus Terminal hoping to still catch the bus scheduled at 9:00PM. Unfortunately the bus left exactly at its designated time schedule (Filipino time didn't work this time, LOL). Instead I boarded the bus scheduled to leave at 9:30 PM. I was a little worried because my flight to Puerto Princessa, Palawan will be boarding at 6:00 AM and the trip from Baguio to Manila will approximately take 6 hours, that will only give me 2 hour allowance for unexpected delays and such. 

Thankfully, the bus departed from Baguio at exactly 9:30PM! But briefly after 30 minutes on the road, the bus suddenly stopped on the side of the road and the driver's assistant informed us that we will have to transfer to another bus (Oh great! The 2 hour allowance will be diminished)

Stranded in the middle of nowhere, waiting for the rescue bus. HAHA

After waiting for 30 minutes, the bus scheduled to depart from Baguio City at 10:00 PM finally arrived, but it can only accommodate 4 passengers.  We were informed that passengers with reservations will be given priority. But fortunately, after a teleserye like, dramatic explanation, I was given the privilege of getting one of the four seats available, thanks to kuyang kundoktor, for understanding the situation I'm in.

4:40 AM July 20, 2013

Finally, MANILA! Thankfully, I'm a little bit early so I went to the nearest convenience store to eat my breakfast, hailed a taxi and went to Ninoy Aquino Internal Airport Terminal 3. At exactly 6:40AM PAL Express plane left the ground, to finally take me to the paradise I've always dreamed of.

PAL Express. A low cost airline with great service!

Follow my adventures at Palawan on the succeeding posts:

Palawan Day 0: Tra-Abel En Route - From Mountains to Beaches

Palawan Day 1: Puerto Princessa City - City Tour
Palawan Day 1: Tra-Abel En Route - On My Way to Paradise
Palawan Day 2: El Nido -  Island Hopping Tour A
Palawan Day 3: El Nido - Taraw Cliff Climbing 
Palawan Day 3: El Nido - Island Hopping Tour C