I grew quickly very fond of El Nido in north of Palawan island. Lots of places to go during daytime on and off the coast, so many other travellers to hang out with. But I had already booked my flight ticket to Manila from another island (Busuanga) and had a boat ticket to that island.
Now, "boat" is an overstatement. One of the other travellers, German guy Martin, had warned me about them and of course I had read in my Rough Guide as well to be careful crossing the seas as bankas (thats the real term for filipino boat) tend to sink every now and then. But I thought thats a weak stomach talking.
So I stepped into my little wobbly bangka with quite an enthusiasm for the promised 6h journey. After 2 hours when myself and my staff was soaking wet, my enthusiasm was curbed. But I tried to find shelter against splashing water and continue reading my book, sleep or look at the horizon in order to calm down reoccurring upset feeling in my stomach. As I heard that the toilet was in pretty bad condition as well I opted for not drinking water. Capital-redfont-advertised "FREE MEAL" turned out to be a cup of rice with no sauce or savouring and one little peace of chicken. It was the funniest thing that happened during the 9h joyride.
Soon after darkness fell, we arrived to Coron town however. There was a lot of traffic noise, it seemed chaotic and I didnt like it. Somehow I found a place to stay. I tried to take use of wireless internet available in my room, but soon i fell asleep with the semi-dry clothes from the boatride still on and didnt even turn off the light, cause I just was too tired to make any move.
Next morning it was so great to see Martin in the living room of the guest house. We could bitch about Coron town and why had people we met separately told us that Coron is cool and/or even better than El Nido. Now way! He was slightly happy though to hear, that he was right about the boat that I took. (He had taken the boat a day before after his extensive research which ones are biggest and most trustworthy)
Anyway, as it felt that there is nothing to do on the mainland and it was too late to go to any tour, we hired together a boat to go and have a day on the beach. In the evening while drinking beer we missed again the chance to book a tour. Plus we were a bit suspicious of those tours based on the huge amount of boats anchored on a little beach today. So next morning we were still grumpy about the perspectives of the day ahead. Idea was to hire a boat again and go to the main sightseeing spots in a different order than the operated tours. But its pretty expensive, so I had offered I will find people on the street to come with us (have done that before in El Nido :) But all turned out just great as we sold the idea to a young french couple in our guesthouse. We were able to go the amazing places that Coron island has to offer and avoided all the crowds, had lunch on a private little beach and the mood was up. Even Coron town itself had grown on me with its very authentic setup and the fact that i live in a hut on poles above the sea and on the way there im passing a pig and kids that greet me with high five. That's the thing about new places. Sometimes you need to give a little bit of time to get readjusted and find your way and comfort there.
Regarding comfort - on the last day I went to a local beauty saloon and had a haircut, pedicure and french manicure for total 4 euros including tips. Then when I reached the capital Manila, i went straight from the airport with a taxi to a shopping mall to replace my wardrobe before entering the western world the day after. And now, here I am, surfing on a couch, watching TV, walking on soft carpet, cooking my own food, writing a blog using a laptop on my lap. Fantastic.
I havent seen anything of Melbourne yet, but I will. Im just taking a moment to relax.
Now, "boat" is an overstatement. One of the other travellers, German guy Martin, had warned me about them and of course I had read in my Rough Guide as well to be careful crossing the seas as bankas (thats the real term for filipino boat) tend to sink every now and then. But I thought thats a weak stomach talking.
So I stepped into my little wobbly bangka with quite an enthusiasm for the promised 6h journey. After 2 hours when myself and my staff was soaking wet, my enthusiasm was curbed. But I tried to find shelter against splashing water and continue reading my book, sleep or look at the horizon in order to calm down reoccurring upset feeling in my stomach. As I heard that the toilet was in pretty bad condition as well I opted for not drinking water. Capital-redfont-advertised "FREE MEAL" turned out to be a cup of rice with no sauce or savouring and one little peace of chicken. It was the funniest thing that happened during the 9h joyride.
Soon after darkness fell, we arrived to Coron town however. There was a lot of traffic noise, it seemed chaotic and I didnt like it. Somehow I found a place to stay. I tried to take use of wireless internet available in my room, but soon i fell asleep with the semi-dry clothes from the boatride still on and didnt even turn off the light, cause I just was too tired to make any move.
Next morning it was so great to see Martin in the living room of the guest house. We could bitch about Coron town and why had people we met separately told us that Coron is cool and/or even better than El Nido. Now way! He was slightly happy though to hear, that he was right about the boat that I took. (He had taken the boat a day before after his extensive research which ones are biggest and most trustworthy)
Anyway, as it felt that there is nothing to do on the mainland and it was too late to go to any tour, we hired together a boat to go and have a day on the beach. In the evening while drinking beer we missed again the chance to book a tour. Plus we were a bit suspicious of those tours based on the huge amount of boats anchored on a little beach today. So next morning we were still grumpy about the perspectives of the day ahead. Idea was to hire a boat again and go to the main sightseeing spots in a different order than the operated tours. But its pretty expensive, so I had offered I will find people on the street to come with us (have done that before in El Nido :) But all turned out just great as we sold the idea to a young french couple in our guesthouse. We were able to go the amazing places that Coron island has to offer and avoided all the crowds, had lunch on a private little beach and the mood was up. Even Coron town itself had grown on me with its very authentic setup and the fact that i live in a hut on poles above the sea and on the way there im passing a pig and kids that greet me with high five. That's the thing about new places. Sometimes you need to give a little bit of time to get readjusted and find your way and comfort there.
Regarding comfort - on the last day I went to a local beauty saloon and had a haircut, pedicure and french manicure for total 4 euros including tips. Then when I reached the capital Manila, i went straight from the airport with a taxi to a shopping mall to replace my wardrobe before entering the western world the day after. And now, here I am, surfing on a couch, watching TV, walking on soft carpet, cooking my own food, writing a blog using a laptop on my lap. Fantastic.
I havent seen anything of Melbourne yet, but I will. Im just taking a moment to relax.
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