Where does time go? I think we’ve said that for every single country we have traveled through thus far, and here we are again. We are now in Indonesia, however wanted to provide a reflection of our time in the Philippines.
After saying goodbye to the Lea family a month back in Siquijor (tears..again…), we then ventured back to the Province of Cebu. We took a public bus to the small coastal town of Moalboal. The bus ran along a road in front of our hotel, so the lady at the front desk just told us to cross the street and wave down the ‘yellow bus’. It wasn’t clear how long we would have to wait or how much it was going to cost, but out we went. Within a few minutes we waved down a bus, loaded our bags on and paid just under $20 for a drive across the island. It was a fun experience and reminiscent of the type of travel we did in our 20s.
Moalboal turned out to be one of our favourite stops in the Philippines. There are great reefs, snorkeling and diving here, but the primary draw are the turtles and the sardines. From the beach you can swim out to a coral shelf that drops off into limitless blue, but right along the shelf, when the tide is low, you can catch sight of millions of sardines that gather together in a massive school that moves in synchronized patterns, it reminded us of the murmuration of starlings, but underwater. Jake and Addy practiced their duck dives and tried to touch the sardines and over and over again the fish would, with perfect choreography, dart away, flashing silver as they moved. The sardine run is a breathtaking natural phenomenon and an experience that we will never forget. As beautiful as Moalboal was, Palawan Island was calling our name.
Palawan Island is the easternmost frontier of the Philippines. This stunning island is home to some of the most beautiful beaches and landscapes in the country, and it’s a paradise for nature lovers and adventurers. The main draw in the region is El Nido and Coron, where I think you can swim in some of the most beautiful water in the world.
We booked a few island hopping tours, which take you to some of the most picturesque spots in the Bacuit Bay (we found the landscape similar to Halong Bay or Cat ba in Vietnam, but smaller, however equally as beautiful). The water and quality of sea life we found here was truly amazing. Countless fish, a few sea turtles and gorgeous corals leaving us all feeling pretty lucky. The kids swam, jumped off the boat, kayaked and we even explored ‘secret’ lagoons and beaches (along with about a hundred other people) tucked away along the coast. We truly had a blast here despite the more touristy vibe.
Before arriving in the Philippines we heard the more relaxed and less touristy spot to check out was the sleepy fishing village of Port Barton. So although we had a great time in El Nido, we headed there next.
Port Barton did not disappoint. We settled right back into beach life (shocking I know). We stayed right on the beach and spent our days soaking up the sun and playing in the clear blue waters. The only downside was it was jellyfish season and so had to be extra cautious when venturing in for a dip. Jake ended up finding some kids to play with (his successful strategy regardless of country, has been to scout a kid digging in the sand and dig next to them until they are digging together 🙂 ) We chartered a boat one of the days to take us to the outer reefs and saw schools of tiny clownfish darting in and out of the coral, as well as larger fish like parrotfish and groupers. We even spotted a sea turtle having his/her lunch in one of the bays! We are truly getting spoiled by the sea life viewing here!
With our Visa days running to an end, we decided to spend our last two nights in Puerto Princesa, and explore the underground river. This natural wonder is one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature and definitely lives up to its reputation. Before hopping on a boat to explore the caves and river, Jake ended up convincing all of us that throwing ourselves off a cliff via a zip line (the longest in Palawan) needed to happen first. After a few pep talks, we all agreed and had a BLAST! Thanks Jake for pushing us all to have fun and continue to try new things! After recovering from our collective near death experience, we hopped on a boat and paddled through the cool, dark caverns, marveling at the limestone formations and listening to the eerie sounds of the cave-dwelling bats. It was truly amazing and unlike anything we had seen before.
With our bags packed once again and passports in hand, we said goodbye to the beautiful islands of the Philippines and welcomed new adventures at our current destination, Indonesia.
