El Nido

Day 1: The Arrival

It was past midnight when we arrived in El Nido, Palawan. The crashing of the waves broke the silence and dissolved fatigue from traveling and waiting almost all day to get there. It was a twelve-LONG-hour journey, starting from our arrival at the domestic airport in Manila at 1 pm, then waiting for a couple of hours to pass after our 3:30 pm flight was delayed by bad weather, boarding the plane at past 6 pm and arriving in Puerto Princesa more than an hour later, and continuing to travel 270 kms for 5 hours in a hired van. Though rough and travel-lagged, we smiled in relief that the long-awaited beach and island-hopping getaway we planned more than 3 months ago finally happened.

After settling in, we found a food place that was still open at this unholy hour. Over a meal of 'tapsilog' (it would be morning in a few hours, anyway) we planned our activities over the next 2 days of our stay.

Drifting off to much-needed sleep, we were well on our way to getting acquainted with El Nido by morning.

Day 2: Amidst the Tempest


Perhaps Nature thought of playing a joke on us by bringing the rains to our piece of paradise. The next day the sky was overcast, and I had to wrap my camera to protect it from the drizzle as I was taking pictures. The idea of the photo shoot was blown away along with the rain clouds that zoomed in the sky. I resorted to meandering along the damp beach to look for anything that caught my interest.

And that was where I discovered the peaceful beauty of El Nido. The limestone cliffs were thinly veiled by a fabric of clouds. The waters of Bacuit Bay were still, reflecting the dull gray sky. Without the wandering tourists and peddlers, the deserted beach became a curious place to explore. There was a quietness that wove through every fiber in my being,  as the sound of gentle waves and the patter of rain hushed my thoughts and melted my temporary frustration into exhilaration.

The hours of seemingly aimless roaming passed, but I was reveling in simple joy of watching the so-called ‘UNevent’ unfold. The satisfaction of doing practically nothing started to grow as a new realization set in: even when bad weather thwarts your plans, there may be priceless discoveries waiting if you are willing to enjoy nature on its own terms.

My Beach Finds

 

I was de-cluttering some of my drawers when I found a small Gerber jar of shells I collected from a beach trip I made a long time ago. I held a tiny piece in my hand, trying hard to remember when or where I found this cluster of dusty brown-colored whorls. Soon after I unearthed some dried sand dollars, taking note of their smooth, chalky surfaces and then remembering the live ones I picked up from an island tour in Palawan more than 2 years ago.

There are other treasures stored somewhere in the house: a medium-sized starfish, bought from a souvenir shop somewhere in Cebu in ‘04. It used to be deep blue, I remember now, because I tried to take a live one home to dry but it gave off such a horrific smell that took weeks to go away. I also have handfuls of sand, of varying shades and textures, stored in glass bottles, some of which are still unlabeled even though years after the trip I can still remember the names of places where I spent the holiday.

Memories of frolicking among the waves or the colorful sight of marine life spring up as I hold my shells, pebbles, and bits of corals or driftwood that had been added to my still growing collection.

Nasugbu…Ilocos Sur…Cebu…Camiguin…Bataan…Pagudpod…Bangui…Boracay…Palawan…and decades earlier, even Redondo Beach (CA), Ocean City (MD), Panama Beach (FL) and some beach in Sabah, Indonesia whose name I can no longer remember --- a city-born/urban-dweller like myself should be so fortunate to have these places to visit and unwind.

The exhilaration of looking out into the still horizon slicing the colorful sky and restless sea, and thinking of what lies ahead, is that single common thread that pulls these places together.

I took a smooth, round pebble from a still unsorted lot in a plastic bag,  and at this instance I recall the ones embedded with fossils that were inadvertently given away to a friend. I sighed, wondering if I can find some more of these fossil pieces if and when I decide to go back to Tagudin. In the same way, I think of numerous trips to other places I have yet to see.